Ride sharing giant Uber has introduced a number of partnerships with credit card companies like Capital One and American Express. As more consumers spend money on Uber rides, credit card companies are taking note and working to incentivize riders to use their cards. The latest deal is with Visa, which is letting riders earn points they can use towards their Uber rides.
Uber riders who have a Visa card will be asked within the app to enroll for the program. Within the Uber app, you can pick which merchants you’d like to enroll in the program. When riders use the same Visa card in these local merchants, they will earn points that can be used for discounts on Uber rides. Points are tallied in the Uber app, and for every 100 accumulated points, riders will receive $10 off a future Uber ride. Riders earn one point for every dollar at participating merchants.
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For now the program is limited to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Initial participating businesses in Los Angeles and San Francisco include Barcito, Ike’s, Mixt Greens, Peet’s Coffee, Specialty’s Café & Bakery, and Super Duper.
Following the Money at Uber
Visa said that there is a natural fit between incentivizing its cardholders to spend at local merchants and on Uber. The company said its cardholders who use Uber in the United States spend more than $144 billion per year at brick and mortar merchants, with $2 billion spent at local businesses soon after getting out of an Uber.
This isn’t the first credit card deal for Uber. Earlier this year, the ride-hailing company partnered with Capital One to offer free rides for loyal users. Uber has also worked with American Express to allow riders to use the financial giant’s rewards points to pay for rides and earn double points when using American Express AXP cards on Uber rides.