Uber rolls out rewards program that lets its most loyal riders lock in prices

There’s a lot of competition in the ridesharing game these days, with riders able to shop around for the lowest price. So how do companies keep riders on their platform? For Uber, the answer is a loyalty program. The company is launching Uber Rewards, a multitiered system that doles out benefits for frequent riders. A pilot program will run in nine cities in the United States.

Uber Rewards is free to sign up for. There are four membership levels: Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. You reach a level by accruing points, and the points are doled out based on how much you spend on Uber’s many services. You get one point per dollar spent on UberPool and UberEats, two points per buck for UberX, UberXL, Select and UberWAV, and three points for every dollar dropped on Uber Black and Black SUV.

The membership levels kick in when you reach certain point plateaus. You start out on the Blue tier. At 500 points, you get bumped up to Gold. You reach platinum status at 2,500 points, and you’ll need 7,500 points to get to Diamond. It’s worth noting that you don’t get to stay in a tier forever once you reach it. Earning periods are six months long and are tied to the date you join the program. Once you unlock a tier, you have it for the remainder of the earning period, plus the next six months. You’ll have to maintain your travel frequency to keep the status after that.

So what do you get for rewards? Uber Rewards members get $5 in Uber Cash added for every 500 points they earn, and that cash can be spent on rides or Uber Eats. Gold members get more flexible cancellations, with the ability to cancel and rebook an Uber trip within 15 minutes of the fee being refunded, as well as a priority response from Uber support agents. Platinum members get all the Gold benefits, plus price protection on routes that allows them to lock in the price of their most frequently traveled paths. The also get priority pickup at airports. Diamond members get all of the above plus 24/7 phone support, complimentary surprise upgrades from UberX to Uber Black at no extra cost, and an “UberX Diamond” option that only shows you highly rated drivers. They also have the delivery fee waived on three Uber Eats orders.

Uber Rewards will only be available in Miami, New Jersey, Denver, Tampa, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and San Diego for the time being. The company plans to roll out the loyalty program to the rest of the country over the coming months.