Zomato adds Pay on Delivery fee for cash food orders

Zomato has introduced a variable fee on cash-on-delivery food orders, adding a payment-linked monetisation lever alongside its platform fee. The reported 2% formula, capped at ₹30, has not been publicly confirmed; prepaid orders do not incur the charge.

— Source publishedMon, 14 Sept, 2026, 12:41 IST·First seen Mon, 14 Sept, 2026, 13:01 IST·Source Business Today · Latest

What happened

Zomato has introduced a variable Pay on Delivery Fee for cash food orders, reportedly 2% of order value capped at ₹30. The move adds a payment-method-linked

Key facts

  • Pay on Delivery Fee: 2% of order value, capped at ₹30 (unconfirmed)
  • ₹21 COD fee on ₹850 item-total order
  • ₹14.99 platform fee per order before GST
  • ₹1,019 final cash payable in cited order

What changed

Zomato has introduced a variable Pay on Delivery Fee for cash food orders, reportedly 2% of order value capped at ₹30. The move adds a payment-method-linked monetisation lever alongside its ₹14.99 platform fee; prepaid orders avoid the charge.

Why this matters

Zomato’s cash-order fee creates a clear incentive to shift users toward prepaid payments, but operators should watch for conversion friction among cash-reliant customers as the reported 2% charge, capped at ₹30, remains unconfirmed.

What to watch

  • Official disclosure of the fee amount, cap, geographic rollout and exemptions.
  • Changes in cash-on-delivery share, prepaid conversion and checkout abandonment rates.
  • Order-frequency and average-order-value trends in cash-heavy customer cohorts.
  • Cancellation, return-to-origin, rider cash-settlement and fraud-loss metrics.
  • Swiggy or other delivery-platform responses on COD pricing.