How Much Does Water Delivery Cost Per Month?

If you’re thinking about easy ways to get better drinking water, you likely already know about delivery options. But before you make this decision, it’s important to answer one big question: How much does it cost? For most people, it’s helpful to break down the fees month by month. The average water delivery cost will depend on three key factors:

• How often you get water delivered
• How much water you need per delivery
• What type of water you use

While this means there’s a lot of variation in potential costs, there’s also a lot of control. You can make a bottled water delivery service work for you no matter your needs.

Here’s what to know about water delivery — what you’re paying for, how it works and why it might save you money.

Cost Considerations in Bottled Water Delivery

Because there’s no standard price for every possible combination of services, preferences and schedules, it may seem difficult to determine exactly what you should expect to pay for bottled water delivery. In many ways, that’s actually a good thing.

Think of it like this: The flexibility of delivery services means you can make them fit your budget. You can also scale them up or down depending on your circumstances — for example, maybe you drink more water when the weather’s hot and need more deliveries in August than October.

Whatever your water requirements, delivery services can fit right in. But what do you need to consider when estimating costs — and what are you really paying for? Let’s find out:

Initial Costs

Many delivery services will include the same list of initial costs. These are the basic elements you can expect to pay for no matter your specific needs.

First, you’ll want to consider the water containers themselves. Most dealers provide 5-gallon (18.9-litre) jugs, but some may have different size options, so be sure to ask plenty of questions. You’ll also need to know whether you’re renting or buying each 5-gallon bottle. Some dealers may use a refundable deposit system where you pay for the bottle upfront but get your money back when you return it.

Next, think about whether you’ll need a bottled water dispenser or cooler. These generally have an initial purchase or rental cost because you get them at the beginning of your service. However, a dispenser or cooler is not necessarily a requirement if you have your own setup.

If you do need a cooler, the type you select and its features – top or bottom load, whether it can dispense hot and cold water, and other options – will also impact cost.

Standard Delivery Fees

Another key consideration in water delivery is the delivery fee itself. This might be a flat rate essentially covering transportation fees and delivery service — but it can differ depending on the company you’re buying from and the specifics of your arrangement.

To avoid any surprises, make sure you understand what the standard delivery charges look like and what they cover. Keep in mind that some providers break up their fees differently; for example, one might have a flat delivery fee that’s separate from variable costs like the type and amount of water you order, while another might put everything together and call that the delivery fee.

Frequency

Another significant element in water delivery cost is the frequency of your orders. It’s no surprise that more deliveries lead to a higher fee — but you still need to know exactly how frequency impacts cost.

For example, some dealers might offer a set number of monthly deliveries as part of a flat fee. Others might build unique packages for every customer and charge per delivery. Some may offer both standard and custom options so you can choose what works best.

Fortunately, any approach can work as long as you know two things:

1. How often you need water delivered
2. How each additional delivery impacts the overall cost

Water Type

Many dealers offer different types of water depending on your needs and preferences. You may be able to choose from options like spring water, reverse osmosis water, alkaline water or mineral water — each of which is priced accordingly.

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t have to choose filtered water as one of your options. That should be standard across all offerings, although some dealers may use different filtration techniques.

Water Amount

The number of water bottles you get per order can also impact your overall cost. Your dealer will work with you to choose an ideal amount. This is usually based on your water usage and hydration habits, but it could be based on other considerations like your schedule, budget or preferences.

It’s also important to know whether there’s a minimum order quantity. This can impact how often you get water delivered and how much you need in each order.

Additional Expenses

Almost every purchase comes with additional expenses you might not think about upfront. However, it’s important to add these to your list of considerations so you always know exactly what you’re paying for.

For example, remember that water bottle deposits might be part of the initial price, but you won’t have to pay them every time and you’ll get that money back when you return the bottles. You should also keep an eye on sales tax, because this can change depending on the frequency, type and amount of water you order — so there’s no need to worry if you see a little variation in fees from month to month.

The most important element here is transparency from your provider. Additional expenses are likely to come up at some point, but the real measure of your partner’s trustworthiness is whether they’re open and upfront about:

• What those costs are
• How much you should expect to pay
• Exactly what you’re paying for and why

You should always feel comfortable asking questions about the service, options, fees and any changes or problems you might encounter. If a dealer discourages this kind of conversation, you probably want to find someone more reputable.

Water Delivery Cost Savings

It’s important to know what you’ll spend on a bottled water delivery service, but it’s equally important to consider how much you’ll save. Here’s a look at why water delivery can be great news for your budget:

Reduced Reliance on Single-Use Water Bottles

Did you know that the global population produces more than 400 million tons of plastic waste every year? Single-use water bottles are a huge part of that, taking more than 400 years to decompose.

Cutting back on these bottles won’t just help save the planet, though; it’s also a way to protect your wallet. When you rely on water delivery, you’ll get crisp, filtered water right when and where you need it — and you won’t have to pay for huge packages of single-use bottles to keep you going all day.

No More Water Filter Replacement

Basic water treatment solutions often require frequent filter replacement to ensure they’re working properly. They also tend to be smaller-scale fixes — like pitcher and fridge filters, which may not address all of your water concerns and aren’t practical for bigger needs like cooking.

Water delivery addresses all of these problems and more. Instead of purchasing and maintaining a filter solution that might not fully get the job done, you can get water treated by the experts and delivered conveniently.

Less Time and Effort

Other basic solutions for getting filtered water simply require more work from you. For example, you need to keep track of when to replace your fridge filter or pitcher filter (and do it more often than you’d like) or find time to visit the grocery store to buy packages of single-use bottled water, which you then have to carry and find a place to store. The more energy you put into these solutions, the less they’re worth.

Fortunately, that’s not the case with water delivery. This convenient alternative cuts out the time and effort you would spend trying to make other solutions work for your schedule and budget, enabling you to put your energy toward more important things.

Fewer Water Quality Concerns

Drinking water quality concerns can range from potentially harmful contaminants to issues that are just inconvenient like an odd smell or unpleasant taste.* No matter what you’re worried about, that stress can lead you to spend more on different water treatment solutions that might not work in the long run.

Water delivery eliminates the trial-and-error of fixing different water problems — not to mention the worry. All you have to do is choose your water type, amount and order frequency, and your dealer will do the rest.

What To Ask About Water Delivery

It’s important to choose the right water company as your delivery service provider. This can impact everything from specific costs to your overall experience.

Start by asking questions like these:

“How Do You Treat Your Water?”

There are many kinds of water treatment, which means there’s no single “right” answer to this question. Culligan bottled water is generally filtered using reverse osmosis — which, as part of an advanced multi-stage process, can address everything from lead and mercury to “forever chemicals” and pesticides.

“How Do You Disinfect Bottles?”

Every 5-gallon jug should be cleaned by your provider before delivery. Other companies may have different approaches, but your local Culligan location will have plenty of details on how their bottles are sanitized for your safety. They’ll also tell you how we reuse those bottles for minimized environmental impacts.

“When and How Will I Be Billed?”

Billing may differ depending on your services and unique needs. However, it’s helpful to know how much you owe at regular intervals, so be sure to ask your dealer this question ahead of time (and don’t be afraid to ask additional billing questions later).

“Where Can Water Be Delivered?”

Culligan bottled water delivery is a perfect fit for both residential and commercial needs. That means you can have better water at home or the office. Even if you already know where you want your bottles delivered, it’s still helpful to ask this question, as it’s generally part of a larger discussion around order frequency, scheduling, additional options like a water dispenser and more.

Better Water at Your Doorstep

Having a reliable, convenient source of drinking water puts better hydration habits within reach without stretching your budget. That’s not to mention the environmental benefits of skipping single-use water bottles or the simplicity of skipping frequent water filter replacement.

Are you ready to make better water part of your home or work life? Learn more about Culligan bottled water delivery today.