To grab or not to grab. That is the question. The ever elusive increased rates. Also known as “surge” is when the pay is increased to entice drivers to accept a block. The base pay for a block starts at $18 an hour. With luck and patience drivers can see increased rates up to $25 an hour.
The Gamble:
Amazon Flex increased rates work something like this. A block sits in the Offers screen for a good amount of time. No one accepts the block. Lets say, it’s a 3 hour block starting at $54. Deal or no deal? Not very attractive. If the block sits unaccepted long enough it could become a 3hr at $75. A very nice deal. Sometimes getting blocks can become a game of “Wait for surge or accept now”. The gamble is accept now at the base rate or call the bluff and wait for a surge. It can be risky. After all, $54 is better than $0. But $25 an hour puts a smile on the face. You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em.
When to accept and when to wait:
Feeling lucky eh? Here’s some advice. If you see a block sitting after a few refreshes. Wait it out. Especially if it’s the afternoon. Consider this. The majority of the other drivers in the afternoon already have blocks. They likely cannot see the afternoon block sitting there. That’s why it’s still there. This is a prime opportunity to wait for a surge. The risk is the block gets taken at the base rate by somebody else. Or you wait it out and it pays off. There’s no guarantees, but if you see a block sitting, in the afternoon, consider waiting it out.
The morning frenzy:
Mornings are a good time to go ahead and grab the first block you can at the base rate. It’s very unlikely that a morning block will sit long enough to become a surge. Go ahead and grab the earliest block you can. That way you’ll be available for those afternoon goodies. Remember you cannot overlap blocks. The earlier your first block completes, the better off you’ll be to snatch something later on. Mornings are when the sharks feed. Don’t gamble with those.
