Woman Shares Ultimate Hack To Avoid Zomato And Swiggy Delivery Fees, Trick Goes Super Viral

Zomato and Swiggy have undoubtedly made food delivery super convenient, but the extra charges in the form of delivery fees and various taxes often feel quite high. Many customers feel the final bill is noticeably inflated compared to dining in. Recently, a DTU graduate woman revealed a smart hack to avoid these hefty delivery fees, and it has caught everyone’s attention. To say that the hack is impressive would not be so wrong.

Woman shares an interesting hack to avoid paying extra charges on food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato

Indians have always been known for their jugaad, that is, smart hacks to make life easier, and one such trick has recently caught everyone’s eye. On 22nd September, Krisha, a recent graduate from Delhi Technological University (DTU), took to social media platform X and revealed her unique way of avoiding the high extra charges on food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato.

Instead of using these apps, she now directly calls her favourite restaurants to place an order. The restaurant packs the food, and then she books a pickup service through Uber or Rapido to get it delivered to her doorstep.

Krisha even shared her experience in her viral post where she wrote,

“Stopped using Zomato/Swiggy. Now I just call my regular spots, they pack the food & I send Uber/Rapido to pick it up.”

She also explained that the delivery through Uber or Rapido costs her around Rs 50–100, which still turns out to be cheaper compared to ordering via Swiggy or Zomato. In her words,

“Even after Rs 50–100 delivery cost, it’s still cheaper than ordering on apps (thanks to their markups, platform fee, commissions).”

Her tweet went viral with over 432K views and sparking a widespread discussion!

Have a look at the whole tweet

Stopped using Zomato/Swiggy. Now I just call my regular spots, they pack the food & I send Uber/Rapido to pick it up. Even after ₹50–100 delivery cost, it’s still cheaper than ordering on apps (thanks to their markups, platform fee, commissions). Net profitable ✅

— krisha (@stonksqween) September 22, 2025

The tweet started an interesting discussion that is worth checking out

This tweet struck a chord with many users because it came at a time when people have been openly expressing frustration over the rising charges of food delivery apps. Apart from the actual food cost, customers often pay delivery fees, platform fees, GST, small order charges, long distance fees, and even surcharges like “rain fee.” All these together make the bill much higher than expected.

Have a look at how netizens reacted to the tweet,

That’s totally true, Zomato and Swiggy have 40 to 50.% markup and when your order is above 300 the actual cost would be 40 to 50% cheaper sometimes even 60 percent, so using rapido or porter would be a lot cheaper

— DeadlyGova (@deadlygova) September 22, 2025

Our regular spot in Mumbai had 2 portion sizes. 1 for Zomato/Swiggy orders and 1 for direct orders. Direct orders saved us money and larger portion sizes as well.

— Soham Deshpande (@findsoham) September 22, 2025

It’s a smart approach to cut down on hidden costs. The key is balancing savings with convenience, and if your local spots provide reliable service, this method makes perfect sense.

— Siddhant Garg (@siddhantgarg33) September 22, 2025

Smart move! 😎 सीधे रेस्टोरेंट से लेना = better taste + lower cost + support local business. App के markup की फीस बची और delivery hassle भी कम ✅👌

— Indian People (@Indianpeople218) September 22, 2025

Smart hack, you basically recreated your own food delivery app at lower cost.

— Sambhav Capital (@sambhavcapital) September 22, 2025

Agree. Both @zomato @zomatocare @Swiggy are looting customers. Yesterday I analysed and found out that pre GST rate cut food was cheaper than post GST rate cut as they have increased Delivery Partner fee, Packaging fees etc. This was not expected from you #pathetic

— बेबाक़ बातें 🇮🇳 (@bewaakbaatein) September 23, 2025

At 1 place something costs 90rs

On swiggy it costs

150rs+30rs delivery+25rs rain charges ( wasn’t raining )+ 20rs packaging + 10rs platform fee + tax

It was over 250rs

— FiZZZy (@BhawBhaw_21) September 22, 2025

what about the time that goes into calling + telling the rapido to pick it up?

— Anhad Arora (@AnhadArora7) September 22, 2025

Smart move, but isn’t convenience part of what you’re paying for with apps?

— Hardik Gohil (@GohilHardy) September 22, 2025

Intelligent way to avoid these looting platforms. I also try to avoid getting packed food or groceries as it makes us lazy and lot of packing material which harms nature and self. Food packed in plastic is harmful to body

— Nagu (@KaramsettyNag) September 23, 2025

It is interesting to note that, it’s not just customers who are unhappy with the extra charges made by such food delivery platforms. Many restaurant owners have also spoken out in recent times about how these platforms “loot” them. Several restaurants claim they end up paying heavy commissions to Swiggy and Zomato and, in some cases, receive very little earnings or almost nothing despite making good sales.

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To say that against this backdrop, this hack seems like a shot worth trying would be a sheer understatement. What are your thoughts? Would you ever try it? Do share via the comments below.