Grab refutes claims it ‘quietly’ stopped popular food delivery subscription plan

SINGAPORE — Grab has refuted claims that it “quietly” pulled the plug on a popular monthly food delivery subscription plan without giving users notice of the change. 

On Monday (April 27), the technology firm told TODAY that it informed users about the stoppage of its “food plan” on March 25. The S$9.99 plan offers free deliveries on 50 GrabFood orders in a month.

Some subscribers will see their plan lapse on May 5, but the expiry dates vary based on when users renewed their plans. For instance, users whose subscriptions were due for renewal on April 5 will have their plan extended for a final time before it expires on May 5.

Grab said that it sent notices to subscribers via its mobile application and email. This was so that subscribers “could renew their plan for one more cycle and (know) the specific expiry date of their current plan”.

On why it stopped the scheme, Grab said that it constantly reviews its subscription plans and hopes to “come back with more exciting plans soon”. It did not elaborate.

On Monday afternoon, the Mothership website published a report claiming that Grab had “quietly” discontinued its food delivery subscription plan during the circuit breaker that started on April 7. The report, which was later updated with Grab’s response, referred to comments from users who complained that they were not notified of the change. 

Singaporeans have been relying heavily on food delivery options since the circuit breaker kicked in to slow the spread of Covid-19 with rules to limit the movement of people and business activities.

Grab is not the only food delivery service that has put a stop to its subscription plans.

Deliveroo told TODAY that it "temporarily paused" new sign-ups to its Plus scheme in early March as it makes changes to the programme. The scheme offered unlimited deliveries at S$14.90 a month. "Customers interested in signing up for Deliveroo Plus can check back in a few weeks," it said.

Two GrabFood users interviewed by TODAY were displeased with Grab’s move to scrap its food delivery plan.

Freelance musician Regine Han uses the service at least four times a week.

Ms Han, who is in her 30s, said that she was not aware of the discontinuation of the plan until she chanced on a friend’s Facebook post on Sunday. 

“I went to check my app and realised that my plan had been discontinued,” she said. 

She later found Grab’s notification of the stoppage dated March 25 in the mailbox of her Grab app, which is typically “full of discounts, promotions and advertisements”.

Ms Michelle Dungao, 39, who works in the financial technology field, was “annoyed” by Grab’s decision to stop the plan since she has been using it more often during this period when she has to stay home.

“They decided to stop it when everyone needs it. This is not fair for existing subscribers who have been paying for the plan for the past few months,” she said. 

“They should not cancel during this period.”

Grab introduced subscriptions in December 2018 in an effort to “bring more value” to its users.

In October last year, it made headlines for stopping popular subscription schemes offering ride discount and food delivery vouchers, to the chagrin of customers who were using these services. 

At the time, the company said that it was intending to roll out new plans as part of efforts to allow users to have “more tailored” choices, and offer savings on a wider range of products and services.