Swiggy Hidden Charges Raise Questions on Platform Fees and Transparency

Consumers have flagged rising bills on Swiggy after discovering that “GST & Other Charges” on the app can add up to 40 % of the cart value in some cases. The revelations come amid broader scrutiny of how food-delivery platforms disclose fees, taxes and service charges.

What are the Hidden Charges on Swiggy?

Platform Fees and GST on Each Order

• Swiggy and its competitor Zomato have raised their platform fee per delivery order, Swiggy to as high as ₹15 inclusive of GST in select markets.
• Delivery charges and platform fees are now clearly subject to 18 % GST, following a regulatory update from September 22, 2025.

Packaging, Service and Other Fees

• Additional line items such as “Restaurant Packaging”, “Platform Fee”, “Rain Fee”, and “GST & Other Charges” are included in bills but may appear as a bulk-lumped figure. Example bill screenshots show ₹71.53 listed under “GST & Other Charges” on a roughly ₹254 order.
• Investigations by Outlook Money and other outlets show that hidden fees like packaging and delivery add up in the food-delivery ecosystem.

Example Breakdown

The total “GST & Other Charges” alone in this example represent ~28 % of the order’s pay value, but this percentage can vary widely.

Why These Charges Matter

Consumer Cost Impact

• Platform fees and bundled GST lead to higher effective cost per order. With platform fees up to ₹15 and GST, the marginal cost to the user rises.
• Aggregated over many orders, what seems like small “service fees” can meaningfully increase monthly spending.
• In markets where discounts are slim, transparency around additional fees becomes especially relevant for cost-sensitive users.

Business & Regulatory Implications

• Regulators such as the Competition Commission of India (CCI) have spotlighted concerns around pricing transparency and algorithmic surcharges in food-delivery platforms.
• The GST Council’s directive to apply 18 % tax on delivery charges signals regulatory tightening around previously “pass-through” costs.
• For platforms like Swiggy, rising platform fees reflect pressures from growing losses and the need to improve unit economics.

What Consumers Can Do

Checklist Before Ordering

• Check the “Fees & Charges” section in the order summary to see platform/packaging charges separated.
• Compare direct-restaurant prices (if available) to assess how much is added by platform surcharges.
• Consider total cost, not just delivery fee; hidden charges may mean a “free delivery” isn’t cost-free.
• Review order size or item total to make surcharges proportionally smaller, when practical.

Demand for More Transparency

• Users and consumer groups are calling for itemised billing, showing packaging, platform fee, delivery fee and tax clearly.
• Given regulatory focus, clearer disclosure may evolve as platforms face scrutiny.

Rising platform fees, packaging charges and GST disclosures on Swiggy highlight a growing concern for clarity in food-delivery pricing. While convenience remains high, customers should now examine their bills more closely, transparency by platforms may soon catch up with service speed.

Tags: Swiggy hidden charges, Swiggy platform fee hike, food delivery GST India, Swiggy billing transparency, Zomato vs Swiggy fees, online food delivery costs, platform fee rise India.