The Para app promises to make navigating the gig economy easier than ever before. When you’re ready to jump into your vehicle and earn extra cash, the folks behind Para are betting they can help you work safer and make more money.
Rather than juggling multiple gig apps, you can work entirely from within Para and accept jobs from DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber and Lyft. Working from within a single app eliminates the dangers of shuffling between apps while on the road and allows you to view the best job offerings from each service.
Once you install the app, create a Para login and link your gig accounts to get started. You can accept or decline offers from multiple gig services and see how much per hour and per mile you would make on a job.
We particularly like that Para shows you estimated payout information and details about the delivery location. Are you wondering if you are delivering to a home, office or apartment? Para shows you the information before you accept the job.
One distinctly popular feature offered by Para is trip transparency, which enables drivers to see exactly how much they will make by accepting a delivery. DoorDash doesn’t always show the entire amount you’ll make, including tips, by accepting a delivery.
Para tells drivers exactly how much they’ll make Dashing, helping maximize potential earnings. DoorDash has continually fought against tip transparency, so the feature tends to have occasional bouts of unavailability while the folks at Para fight back.
Delivery services, such as DoorDash, stipulate that drivers cannot share access to their accounts with third parties. If you opt to connect your DoorDash account to Para, this may put you at risk of deactivation.
However, Para says it has not had any users deactivated for any platform using Para. It does note that its “features may be a violation of gig app terms of service, but we believe that this is the right thing to do — independent contractors have the right to make informed decisions.”
Para also works by leveraging advice and comments from other gig workers to keep you in the know. For example, before accepting a job, you may see a tip from another driver that the restaurant or delivery location doesn’t offer parking access.
We’ve heard from gig workers who note that the only way they make enough money is to balance multiple apps at once, a task that can be tricky and dangerous. We are happy to see an app offering from a third party that makes the job much more manageable.
Beyond the four supported services on Para — DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber and Lyft — the app also offers a feature known as ParaWorks. With ParaWorks, you can find other “high-paying scheduled & on-demand job opportunities.”
We haven’t had a chance to test out the ParaWorks function of the Para app, but if it works as described, it should be a nice bonus for gig workers.
If you’re a gig worker who earns a living through apps such as DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber and Lyft, it might be worth trying out Para. As always, continue to understand the risks of using a third-party service to help maximize your earnings.
Michael Archambault is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder specializing in technology.
[email protected] (Michael Archambault)
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