After Swiggy, Zomato has also updated its Gold membership benefits for the rainy season. Starting Friday, Gold members will no longer be exempt from surge charges during rain, meaning even subscribers will now have to pay extra for deliveries in bad weather.
The company informed users about this change through an in-app notification. The message said, “Starting May 16, surge fee waiver during rains will not be part of your Gold benefits.”
Zomato has not revealed the exact surge fee amount. The company stated that the additional charge is meant to provide improved compensation to delivery partners operating in challenging weather.
This update follows Zomato’s recent move to pause its 50:50 refund-sharing policy with partner restaurants — a decision that had already drawn attention within the food delivery sector.
Meanwhile, Zomato’s main competitor Swiggy already imposes a similar rain-time fee on its users, including those subscribed to its Swiggy One membership.
This suggests that rain-time charges may soon become the norm across all food delivery platforms. Earlier, Zomato Gold members had perks like free delivery and no surge fees during rain. But with the new rule, both regular users and Gold members will now pay the same charges in bad weather.
Zomato hasn’t announced any new benefits or price changes to offset this update. Gold membership still includes perks like free delivery from partner restaurants within 7 km and up to 30% off on dining out. However, some outlets, such as Domino’s and others with their own delivery services, are excluded from these benefits.
Restaurants offering free delivery are marked with a ‘Free Delivery’ label on the app for easy spotting. Zomato also adds extra charges during festivals, citing higher operational costs. With the rainy season near, users — especially frequent ones — may now face noticeably higher delivery bills.