One of the things I love about Uber are the constant promotions floating around. When they’re not offering free rides, they’re discounting them heavily. Right now, they’re offering both.
In Sacramento, Uber is celebrating the debut of UberXL by offering 50% off fares for those who use the split fare feature to pay for UberXL rides. Use promo code SACSPLIT through Sunday, October 12 to get the discount. If you’re wondering how fare splitting works, this post on Uber’s blog does a good job of explaining it.
Aside from this promotion, there are currently several other ways to earn points and save cash with Uber, which I’ve outlined below:
$10 Statement Credit from American Express Sync
If you have an American Express card, you can get a $10 Uber credit via American Express sync promotions. Simply sync your eligible American Express card, tweet #AmexUber and then link your American Express card to your Uber account. You have until December 31, 2014 to charge at least a $10 Uber ride to the card in order to get the $10 statement credit, which should post within 90 days after the promotion ends.
Shameless Plug New Member Sign-up Bonus
No Uber post is complete without a shameless plug for a referral link. Luckily there is something in it for new members who use my link to join Uber: $30 off your first ride. Do spend it all in one place, as it doesn’t roll over.
Earn and Burn American Express Membership Rewards Points
American Express allows members to both earn and redeem Membership Rewards points for Uber rides. Members with an eligible American Express card earn 2 points per $1 on Uber rides. This excludes corporate credit cards. Additionally, cardholders can also redeem their Membership Rewards points for rides at a rate of 1 cent per point.
Pay with Paypal
Uber users in the US, Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands can set Paypal as their payment method on the Uber app. Considering Paypal recently shut down my account for no reason at all, I’m pretty peeved at them. And inclined not to recommend giving them your business. However, some of you are still buying Paypal MyCash Reload cards and might benefit from knowing the funds can be used to cover Uber fares.
Barclay Arrival Plus Card
Of course, you can forego both Membership Rewards and Paypal by using your Barclay Arrival Plus card to pay for Uber rides. You’ll not only earn 2 miles per $1 but, according to this Flyertalk thread, Uber is coded as a travel merchant and thus you’ll be able to redeem Arrival miles at a rate of 1.1 cents per point. Please note, this only works for purchases on the Arrival Plus card.
“American Express allows members to both earn and redeem Ultimate Rewards points for Uber rides.” 😉
What can I say, those Amex guys are classy.