Skip to main content

Visa, Uber offering rides in an Olympics-themed car in 6 cities, but only on Friday

Friday is the opening day of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, and to celebrate Visa is teaming up with Uber to offer Olympics-themed rides — whether you’re in Brazil or not.

RioPool is a one-day partnership between the ridesharing service and the payment provider, and it only applies if you’re in one of the following cities: New York City, San Francisco, Rio de Janiero, Brazil; Mexico City; Santiago, Chile; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Throughout August 5, if you’re about to order an Uber, type in the promo code “VisaPool,” then select the Visa RioPool option.

Recommended Videos

You’ may be greeted with a car decked out for the Olympics — it depends if the car is close. Inside, you’ll find tablets that let you take pictures with Rio Olympics-themed “filters and features like animated soccer balls, 3D faces donning swimming googles, and more.”

visa uber
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You’ll also get $5 off your ride if you pay with a Visa credit or debit card, and on top of that, you will get a chance to win certain prizes, such as tickets to an Olympic event, Rio Olympics swag, and even a ride from a former Olympian or Team Visa athlete.

The partnership between Uber and Visa lasts for one day, but if you’re in Rio at the Olympics, you’ll be able to get picked up by an Olympics-themed car until August 8.

This is hardly Visa’s first Olympic-related announcement this year — the company has three different contactless payment solutions, and they have all been offered to Team Visa athletes. More announcements like these, geared at consumers, are on the way throughout the 2016 Olympics.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Mobile and Wearables Editor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
Act Fast! Google Pixel 9 phones are going to cost hundreds more soon
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and Google Pixel 9 all next to each other.

The Google Pixel 9 series is just shy of a year old and we still prefer the base Pixel 9 phone over a ton of iPhones and Samsung favorites. It's a new, hot, and trendy phone in its peak era, but tech moves rapidly and we're already learning about the Google Pixel 10 series. That means that initial offers on Pixel 9 series phones are going to disappear soon. Google's Pixel deals now have a countdown, reading "5 days left" as I write this (tap the button below to check for yourself, but it should be around 3 days left when most readers get the article). With these deals you can save $100s on your new phone if you sign up with a Google phone plan. If you know you want to buy a Pixel 9 series phone, but have been procrastinating, this is the time to do so. As a quick reminder, three Pixel 9 phones appear in our best Android phones roundup, but if you need more info to jog your memory about why you wanted a Pixel 9 phone, read on — we'll help you find our reviews, give a quick summary of the phone, explain the offers, and help you find them.

BUY NOW

Read more
The US wants a wearable for all. Experts say it won’t fix the health crisis
Heart rate on the Apple Watch Series 7.

"My vision is that every American is wearing a wearable within four years," Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the 26th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told the House Subcommittee on Health during a recent hearing.

When Congressman Troy Balderson asked whether consumers should have access to these tools, referencing wearable technology in light of the 21st Century Cures Act, the privacy risks, and the health benefits, Kennedy replied that they "absolutely" should.

Read more
I tested a smart ring with a display. I liked it more than I wanted to
Person wearing Pebble Halo smart ring.

I don’t need yet another screen in my life. Or at least that’s what I have been telling myself for years. I used to believe it was a pet peeve. But a quick look at Reddit and X shows a whole bunch of people who are experimenting with the “dumb phone” trend, or flaunting their “minimalist tech” stack. 

My attempts at less screen exposure have been somewhat of a mixed bag. There’s now a screen in my hand or pocket at all times. For work, there’s a 24-inch or bigger screen that I stare at, for roughly eight hours each day. On my wrist, a smartwatch screen keeps lighting up every now and then, vying for my attention to an important notification. 

Read more