New Delhi, September 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Food delivery platform Zomato has started imposing an additional fee of Rs 5 to Rs 20 on customers who choose cash on delivery (COD), as the company looks to generate more revenue from payment options amid intensifying competition in the food-delivery market.
The new charge, listed separately as a “pay on delivery fee” in the app’s bill summary, is applied when customers opt to pay in cash after their food is delivered.
While screenshots and multiple reports indicate that the fee is commonly Rs 5, some customers have reportedly been charged Rs 7, while others have seen the charge rise to Rs 20.
The COD fee is separate from Zomato’s platform fee, restaurant packaging charges and Goods and Services Tax (GST). Customers opting for online payment do not have to pay the additional COD charge.
Zomato currently processes an estimated 2.3 million to 2.5 million food orders every day. The company is facing increasing competition, with Rapido’s Ownly gaining traction and Flipkart piloting its Eat In food-delivery service.
Zomato’s key rival Swiggy has not introduced a similar cash-on-delivery fee so far. It remains to be seen whether Swiggy will adopt a comparable pricing model.
Food-delivery platforms began introducing platform fees in 2023, with Swiggy initially charging Rs 2 per order before Zomato followed with its own levy. Zomato raised its platform fee to Rs 14.99 per order earlier this year from Rs 12.50, with GST charged separately.
Given the company’s high order volumes, even relatively small increases in per-order charges can translate into substantial additional annual revenue.
The latest move comes amid broader restructuring at Zomato. The company reportedly laid off around 250 employees in August following a review of its customer delight operating model and organisational requirements.
As part of the restructuring, Zomato decided to discontinue its Customer Delight operations in Hyderabad and consolidate its remaining in-house operations at a single location in Gurgaon.
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