BGR has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. BGR and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.Please note: the offers mentioned below are subject to change at any time and some may no longer be available.Uber is regarded as one of the best and most convenient options — sometimes even the only option — for travelers who find themselves abroad and need to hail a ride. Maybe you even use it from time to time when you’re at home as well. If you’re like most people, odds are you’ve just saved your credit card information into the app without thinking too much about it. You may only have one card — or just one card that you use for this kind of purchase. What you may not be aware of is that with just a little bit of foresight, especially for those of you with lots of different plastic options tucked away in your wallet, there are actually some specific credit cards you may want to consider using to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your Uber rides and that you’re maximizing the points you can earn for every ride you take.
In this post, which includes some card details courtesy of The Points Guy, we’ll offer a guide to some of the best cards to pick from as the one you save into your Uber app. And with UberEats quickly becoming a strong business in its own right for Uber, it’s all the more reason to make sure you’ve got a card saved into the app that lets you take advantage of some perks, since the card you’ve saved into the main Uber app is used for the standalone UberEats app as well.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Our vote for one of the best credit card options when it comes to Uber perks is the Platinum Card from American Express. It got a refresh two years ago that included the addition of some nice rideshare-related benefits, a highlight of which is $200 in Uber credits you get to use every year. That works out to $15 each month, for a total of $180. A $20 bonus kicks in during the month of December. Getting those credits is simple – just add your Platinum Card as a payment option in your Uber app. And it’s here that you may begin to see why we think is such a great option for Uber riders, because at that point the monthly credits just load into your Uber Cash account automatically at the start of each month. Not only that, but you also get Uber VIP status for being an Amex Platinum cardholder, which means you’re able to request top-rated drivers in select cities.As an extra bonus, the Platinum Card comes with a ton of other non-Uber perks to entice you even more to becoming a cardholder. For starters, you get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Amex’s Centurion Lounges, a Priority Pass membership, and Delta Sky Club access when flying with the carrier. In addition to the Uber credit, you’ll also get an airline fee credit of up to $200 annually (on one qualifying airline), plus elite status with Marriott and Hilton and a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $100) every 4.5 to 5 years.The card does hit you with a $550 annual fee, but you can actually recoup that money through the myriad benefits you get such as the Uber credit. Best of all, the Platinum Card currently comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of being a cardholder — and some people may even get targeted for a welcome bonus as high as 100,000 points via the CardMatch tool, through an offer that’s subject to change at anytime.
It also should go without saying that the above shouldn’t be read as a recommendation to acquire this card for the main goal of using it as your go-to plastic for Uber. But if you already have it, as one of the multiple cards in your wallet, this is a solid one to make sure you’ve got saved in the app.
Still, here are some others to consider:
Chase credit cards
If you’re a loyal Chase customer, there are a number of routes you can go in terms of choosing a quality card that gives you some perks for using it as your default card in the Uber app. The Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred Credit Card from Chase and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card all offer myriad benefits to consider.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is great for Uber rides for reasons that include the $300 in annual travel credits that come with the card. Chase puts Uber rides within the travel bucket, so that’s $300 off your Uber rides every year, potentially (You’ll be reimbursed with statement credits).
The Ink Business Preferred card from Chase, meanwhile, offers 3x points on travel-related purchases. So, let’s say you spend $300 a month on Uber rides. That’s 900 Ultimate Rewards points every both, which The Points Guy calculates equates to about $18. Not a lot, but every little bit helps, right?
Similarly, the Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you 2x points on eligible travel purchases. So, if you spend that same $300 on Uber rides, this card would net you 600 Ultimate Rewards points a month – per The Points Guy, equal to about $12.
Again, it’s not worth seeking out these cards just for the Uber benefit, but these perks are worth being aware of in case you already own them and aren’t using them as your Uber default.
Runners up
A couple more card options worth a mention include the Citi Premier Card and the Barclays co-branded Uber Visa Card, both of which offer Uber-related perks roughly in line with the Chase cards we just mentioned. With the Citi card, you’ll earn 3 Citi ThankYou points for every dollar you spend on travel, which includes Uber rides. So, to go back to the hypothetical $300 per month spent on Uber rides, you’d earn 900 Citi ThankYou points for that. And based on TPG’s valuations, that would net you about $15. With the Uber Visa, meanwhile, you’ll get 2% back on Uber rides, so $6 if you spend $300 in a month.
There are definitely some standouts in the examples listed above, and we certainly are fans of the Amex Platinum. Peruse this guide and see if you don’t think there are some deals to be had that benefit your own personal circumstances and preferences.
