Zomato Introduces Cash-on-Delivery Fee: Customers May Pay Extra ₹5 to ₹20 on COD Orders

Zomato has begun adding a separate "pay on delivery fee" to orders where customers choose to pay in cash rather than online, with the charge appearing at ₹5 in most cases and rising as high as ₹20 in some instances, according to reporting based on app screenshots reviewed by multiple Indian publications starting September 12, 2026. As of this report, Zomato has not issued an on-record public statement confirming the fee, explaining how it is calculated, or specifying which cities or regions it applies to, so this article treats the charge as a confirmed, observed change to the app's billing, rather than as a fully explained, formally announced nationwide policy.

Zomato's New COD Fee

News agency IANS first reported the charge on September 12, 2026, stating that Eternal-backed Zomato had begun charging customers an additional ₹5 to ₹20 for choosing cash on delivery. The tech policy outlet MediaNama followed on September 14, 2026, with its own review of app listings, finding a "Pay on delivery fee" appearing on COD orders, with observed charges ranging from ₹5 to ₹21 across different users and orders. Multiple other outlets, including Telangana Today, Siasat and CurlyTales, reported consistent figures, with the charge commonly showing as ₹5 but sometimes appearing as ₹7, ₹12 or up to ₹20 in screenshots reviewed by reporters.

No outlet reviewed for this article cited an official Zomato press release or on-record company spokesperson confirming the fee. MediaNama's report attributed an explanation to "a source familiar with the matter," speaking on condition of anonymity, rather than a named Zomato representative. That source described the charge as "a convenience charge for customers who choose to pay at their doorstep," citing "additional operational processes" and coordination involved in "handling cash and QR-based payments." Because this explanation comes from an anonymous source rather than an official statement, it should be read as an unconfirmed rationale rather than Zomato's formal, stated policy justification.

How the Charge Works

According to the reporting reviewed, the pay-on-delivery fee shows as its own line item in the app's bill summary, separate from Zomato's existing platform fee, restaurant packaging charges, delivery partner fee and GST. Customers who pay through UPI, cards or other online methods are not charged this fee, meaning it applies specifically to the COD payment method rather than to orders generally. MediaNama reported that the exact basis for calculating the fee, including whether it depends on a customer's location, order value or another factor, could not be ascertained from the available app data, and Zomato has not published a formula or policy page explaining the variation.

Why Zomato May Be Charging Customers

Beyond the anonymous source's operational explanation, industry commentary has offered broader context for why a food delivery platform might specifically target cash payments rather than raising a flat, method-neutral fee. An analysis published by Slurrp noted that Zomato already charges a platform fee alongside delivery and packaging charges, and observed that the company could have simply raised that existing fee if its goal were only to collect additional revenue from every order. Instead, the new charge applies only to one specific payment behaviour, cash on delivery, while leaving online payments untouched. This is presented as analysis and interpretation from that publication, not as a confirmed statement of Zomato's internal reasoning.

Cash-on-delivery orders can carry higher operational costs for delivery platforms in practice, including the logistical burden on delivery partners of carrying and reconciling change, a higher risk of failed or delayed handovers at the doorstep, and additional administrative work in tracking cash collected across many orders compared with digital payments that settle automatically. These are documented, general industry considerations relevant to COD operations rather than reasons Zomato itself has publicly confirmed apply to its specific decision.

Impact on Customers

For customers who prefer or rely on cash payments, the new fee makes COD orders modestly more expensive than before, on top of Zomato's existing platform fee, which was raised to ₹14.99 per order earlier in 2026 from ₹12.50, with GST charged separately, according to IANS reporting. Because the COD fee's calculation basis has not been disclosed, customers cannot currently predict in advance exactly how much extra a given cash order will cost before reaching checkout, based on the information available.

COD vs Online Payment

The structure of the fee, applied only to cash orders and not to UPI or card payments, creates a direct price incentive for customers to switch to digital payment methods if they want to avoid the extra charge. Retail industry analysis platform RetailIntel described this dynamic as creating "a new order-level revenue lever" for Zomato, while also noting it risks "nudging cash-dependent customers toward prepaid payments or lower conversion," meaning some customers might abandon orders rather than pay the additional fee or switch payment methods. This risk is presented as analysis rather than a confirmed outcome, since no order-cancellation or conversion-rate data specific to this fee was available in the sources reviewed.

Zomato's Business and Payment Strategy

The COD fee arrives amid what multiple reports described as intensifying competition in India's food delivery market. Siasat reported that Zomato processes an estimated 2.3 million to 2.5 million food orders a day, even as newer entrants expand their presence, citing Rapido's Ownly service gaining traction and Flipkart piloting a food-delivery offering called Eat In. Platform fees themselves are a relatively recent industry feature, introduced in 2023 when Swiggy began charging ₹2 per order before Zomato introduced its own comparable fee, according to IANS.

Company and Industry Response

As of this report, Zomato's rival Swiggy had not introduced a comparable cash-on-delivery fee, according to MediaNama and Siasat, both of which noted it remains to be seen whether Swiggy will adopt a similar charge. No consumer group statements, regulatory response, or named Zomato executive comment addressing the fee directly were identified in the sources reviewed for this article.

What Customers Should Know

Customers ordering through Zomato should check the bill summary before confirming an order, since the pay-on-delivery fee appears as a distinct line item separate from the platform fee, packaging charges and GST, and only applies when cash on delivery is selected as the payment method. Because Zomato has not published an official explanation of how the fee amount is determined or which locations it currently covers, customers may see different charges on different orders, and the fee's presence or amount is not guaranteed to be consistent nationwide based on currently available information.

Conclusion

Zomato has begun charging a separate "pay on delivery" fee of roughly ₹5 to ₹20 on cash-on-delivery orders, a change first reported on September 12, 2026, and confirmed through app screenshots reviewed by several Indian media outlets rather than through an official Zomato announcement. The fee sits apart from Zomato's platform fee, packaging charges and GST, and applies only to customers paying in cash rather than online. With Zomato yet to publicly explain the fee's calculation basis or geographic scope, and with competitor Swiggy not having introduced a similar charge as of this report, how the policy develops, and whether it expands, changes, or is formally confirmed by the company, remains to be seen.