Best credit cards for Uber

Earning rewards on Uber rides is becoming a more commonplace credit card perk.

“Ride-share services are becoming so popular and so mainstream, they are literally a perk on your credit card rewards,” says Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner from Bone Fide Wealth, LLC.

Even though you may want to put Uber charges on any plastic, some credit cards are ideal if you use the ride-share service frequently and can help you build rewards. Other card options deliver discounts for using Uber directly.

These are your best options.

See related: Uber Visa Card vs. Capital One Savor Card

Best cards for Uber discounts

Check out these credit cards that offer discounts and cash back for frequent Uber riders.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

• Up to $200 Uber credits every year. That means you receive free rides within the United States for up to $15 per month, plus a $20 bonus in December.
• This benefit is easy to use as the credits are redeemed automatically on your account balance, as long as you charge Uber rides on your Platinum card.
• Cardholders also receive complimentary “Uber VIP” status, which connects you to top-rated drivers. To qualify for Uber VIP status you’d otherwise need to make at least 10 trips in a calendar month, according to The Points Guy.

In addition to the Uber credits, the Platinum card also offers:

• 100,000 points if you spend $6,000 in the first six months.
• Priority Pass Select membership.
• Up to $200 airlinefee credit.
• $179 Clear credit and $100 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck credit every four years.
• Up to $200 hotel credit (minimum two-night stay required).
• Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit (enrollment required).
• Up to $240 digital entertainment credit on purchases with Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM and The New York Times (enrollment required).
• Up to $300 Equinox credit in $25 per month statement credits.
• 10 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at restaurants and when you Shop Small in the U.S. (on up to $25,000 in combined purchases in the first six months.
• 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year).
• 5 points per dollar spent on eligible prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

Alternative: American Express® Gold Card

Though not quite as lucrative as the Platinum Card, the American Express Gold Card also offers credits for Uber purchases. Cardholders can get up to $120 in Uber Cash per year, in $10 increments per month. This can be used for U.S. Uber rides, Uber Eats food delivery and more (must add the Gold Card to the Uber app in order to receive the benefit). In addition, the card offers:

• 60,000 points if you spend $4,000 in the first six months.
• $120 dining credit in $10 per month statement credits at participating restaurant partners like Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Boxed and participating Shake Shack locations (enrollment required).
• 4 points per dollar at restaurants plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).
• 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com.
• 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
• The Hotel Collection Credit lets you earn a $100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities when you book at least a two-night stay through the Hotel Collection.

Best cards to earn rewards via Uber

Any rewards credit card that considers Uber rides in the travel category will offer rewards.

Here are a few cards that will allow you to maximize your ride-share service.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

• 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants and travel, including Uber, after earning the $300 annual travel credit.
• $300 annual credit travel that applies to most travel purchases, including Uber Eats purchases.
• 50,000-point sign-up bonus if you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
• When redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a 50% bonus.
• Up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits every four years.
• Priority Pass Select membership.
• $550 annual fee.

Alternative: Apple Card*

If you prefer a card without the annual fee, Apple Card can also be a rewarding option for Uber purchases.

The card offers the following rewards rate:

• 3% cash back on Apple purchases and Panera Bread, Exxon/Mobil, T-Mobile, Walgreens,Nike, Uber and Uber Eats purchases made via Apple Pay.
• 2% cash back on Apple Pay purchases.
• 1% cash back on all other purchases, made using the physical titanium card.

How to score additional discounts for Uber

Beyond using the right credit card for Uber, Sara Skirboll, shopping and trends expert at Retail Me Not, offers some insider tips to earn additional discounts on Uber.

• Check out the carpool option to save: “If you receive an Uber credit to spend on upcoming rides, choose to use Uber Pools so that your money goes a bit further, getting you more rides,” she advises.
• Ride with friends. “If you’re trying to save money, invite your friends to jump in on your discounted ride so you don’t all have to Uber to the gathering separately,” Skirboll says. “They can pay you back for half of the cost of the ride.” When you split a ride with your friends, use Venmo, Zelle or PayPal to pay friends back – the Uber app charges each person a 25 cent fee for splitting a bill and those mobile-wallet options are free as long as you link them to a debit card or bank account.
• Save discounts for a long ride. Make any discount you earn count by applying it to a longer ride rather than a quick trip. “If you have $10 off one upcoming trip, save it for a long ride that is going to cost over $10 so you can apply the
  full discount toward the ride,” Skirboll says. “You wouldn’t want to waste it on a short $5 ride because you don’t get to keep the remaining $5.”
• Check out Uber Rewards.Uber Rewards allows users to get exclusive deals depending on how often they ride with Uber.

*All information about the Apple Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com and has not been reviewed by the issuer.