Uber said this week its own Visa card will be available — if approved — from November 2, offering folks a slew of benefits.
The fee-free card is clearly aimed to build its bond with its largely youthful user base, offering four percent back on restaurant visits (and UberEats), three percent on hotels and airfares, two percent on online purchases (including Uber), and one percent on everything else. But take note, any online purchases made with the card via third-party payment methods such as PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, will see the reward cut from two percent to one.
The ridesharing giant is also offering a $100 bonus if you spend more than $500 in the first 90 days, which works out to less than $6 a day.
You can redeem the aforementioned rewards for Uber credits usable for both rides and UberEats, as well as cash back and a range of gift cards, the company said.
Additional benefits, again with millennials in mind, include an annual $50 subscription credit that can be used for services such as Spotify, Netflix, or an Amazon Prime membership, though to qualify you’ll need to spend at least $5,000 on your card per year.
The ridesharing company is also promising coverage for mobile phone theft and damage if you use the card to pay your phone bill, and says cardholders will receive invitations to “exclusive events like secret shows and dining experiences,” though most of those are likely to take place in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
With Uber having been less than frank about aspects of its business in the past involving the handling of user information, you might be wondering what kind of information it may be about to glean from Uber cardholders. The company confirmed to Engadget that only Barclays, the bank issuing the card, will know precisely what you’re using it for, while Uber will only know the total amount spent on each card and the number of credits earned.
Interested? You’ll find some FAQs and the all-important small print on Uber’s site. And Barclay’s site has an even longer list of FAQs.
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