Splitting the cost of your Uber just got a little bit easier. On Thursday, July 12, the ridesharing giant announced a new partnership with Venmo designed to offer a brand-new payment experience for both Uber and Uber Eats. After noting that more than six million Venmo transaction descriptions included the word “Uber,” the PayPal-owned app decided to help users cut down on the number of steps needed to repay friends.
If you’re using Uber in the United States, you’ll soon have the option to pay with your Venmo balance, or your linked bank account, credit card, or debit card. You should also be able to use your new Venmo debit card that just recently launched thanks to a new partnership with Mastercard. Regardless of what Venmo payment method you link, it ought to make splitting costs with your friends and family members all the easier, and all without an additional fee.
And if you want to introduce a social media aspect to the mix (who doesn’t?), Venmo users can share their Uber charges in their Venmo feeds with custom emojis exclusive to this new partnership.
“Adding Venmo as a way to pay within Uber and Uber Eats furthers our mission to provide a seamless way to pay for the services that matter most to our customers,” said Bill Ready, chief operating officer of PayPal. “Whether it’s splitting a ride home after a night out, or sharing a meal during a night in, paying with Venmo provides our customers with a convenient and fun way to split and share these experiences with friends.”
While it’s not entirely clear when we can expect this new integration to go live, Uber says that the new payment method should be made available to folks in the United States in the coming weeks.
“Uber is always looking for unique new ways to provide an even better experience to our customers,” said Marco Mahrus, head of payment partnerships for Uber. “With so many of our riders and eaters already turning to Venmo as a way to pay a friend back for that last ride or meal, we’re proud to have built a seamless, easy-to-use connection between our apps.”
