It’s amazing to think how much ridesharing has changed the way people get around. Back in the day you’d need to rely on rental cars or taxis when traveling, while now you can get transportation around the globe within minutes using your smartphone.
Since Uber & Lyft spending is a significant expense for many, I wanted to write a post about the best credit cards to use for ridesharing, plus some overall tips for maximizing value with Uber & Lyft:
- First I’ll cover the partnerships that exist between credit card issuers and ridesharing companies, which can add significant value
- Then I’ll talk about the partnerships that exist between airline and hotel loyalty programs, and ridesharing companies
- Then I’ll talk about the best credit cards to use for ridesharing in general
In this post:
The best credit card perks with Uber & Lyft
American Express, Capital One, and Chase, each have useful partnerships on some cards with either Uber or Lyft. These can save you significant amounts of money, and can be a great reason to pick up an eligible card. Arguably this is the single best way to maximize value with ridesharing. Let’s go over what’s offered by each card issuer.
American Express card benefits with Uber
American Express & Uber have an ongoing partnership, offering an Uber Cash benefit (applicable to eats / rides in the US only) with select cards (Enrollment required). Specifically:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) offers an Uber Cash benefit of up to $200 per year — you receive a $15 credit per month, plus a $35 credit in December
- The American Express® Gold Card (review) offers an Uber Cash benefit of up to $120 per year — you receive a $10 credit per month
- As of 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
Capital One card benefits with Uber
Capital One & Uber have a partnership, offering 10% cashback plus a complimentary Uber One membership. Specifically, this is a limited time partnership valid through November 14, 2024:
- The no annual fee Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card (review) (Rates & Fees) offers 10% cashback on all Uber and Uber Eats purchases
- The same cards also offer a complimentary Uber One membership, which ordinarily retails for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year; just charge the membership fee to your card, and you’ll automatically receive statement credits for that amount
Chase card benefits with Lyft
Chase & Lyft have a partnership, offering bonus points for spending with Lyft. Currently this partnership is valid through March 2025, and you can earn the following rewards for spending with Lyft, with no caps:
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) offers 10x points on Lyft spending
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) offers 5x points on Lyft spending
- The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) offers 5x points on Lyft spending
- The Chase Freedom FlexSM Credit Card (review) offers 5x points on Lyft spending
- The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) offers 5x points on Lyft spending
- The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (review) offers 5x points on Lyft spending
- The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (review) offers 5x points on Lyft spending
On top of that, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a two year Lyft Pink All Access membership. Just link your eligible card to your Lyft account, and you can activate your Lyft Pink All Access membership by December 31, 2024. This ordinarily retails for $199 per year, so is quite a value.
Earn bonus rewards points with Uber & Lyft
In addition to the above partnerships, and in addition to the ability to earn credit card rewards with Uber & Lyft, there are also opportunities to earn airline and hotel points by linking your accounts to these ridesharing companies. I wanted to briefly cover the basics of those partnerships.
Earn bonus airline & hotel points with Lyft
Lyft has partnerships with Alaska Mileage Plan, Delta SkyMiles, and Hilton Honors, so members can earn bonus rewards with their choice of one of those three programs:
- Alaska and Lyft have a partnership offering 1x Alaska Mileage Plan miles per dollar spent on US and Canada Lyft rides, with no caps on how many miles you can earn
- Hilton and Lyft have a partnership offering 3x Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on US Lyft private rides, and 2x Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on US Lyft shared rides, on up to $10,000 of spending per year
- Delta and Lyft have a partnership offering 2x Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent on US airport rides and 1x Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent on all other US Lyft rides, with no caps on how many miles you can earn
Personally I think the Alaska partnership is the most lucrative, followed by the Hilton partnership, followed by the Delta partnership.
Earn bonus hotel points with Uber
Uber has a partnerships with Marriott Bonvoy, so members can earn bonus rewards:
- Marriott and Uber have a partnership offering 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on Uber Eats deliveries to hotels operating under the Marriott brand (minimum $25 basket), 3x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on Uber XL, Comfort, and Black rides, and 2x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on non-hotel deliveries and food pick-ups (minimum $25 basket)
Best personal cards for Uber & Lyft December 2024
Aside from the special partnerships that American Express and Chase have with ridesharing companies, let’s take a look at the personal credit cards that generally offer the best rewards on Uber & Lyft rides, whether you’re looking to earn points or cash back. Again, this excludes any limited time bonus earning opportunities with the above cards.
Below are my favorites, with the return on spending determined based on my valuation of points. In all cases, the cards offer the equivalent of at least a 3% return on Uber & Lyft purchases.
1. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Reward for rideshare spending: 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $550
Foreign transaction fees: none
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 3x points on all travel purchases, and that includes rideshares. This is a great card for Uber & Lyft spending globally.
Read a review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
2. American Express® Green Card
Reward for rideshare spending: 3x Amex Membership Rewards points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $150 (Rates & Fees)
Foreign transaction fees: none
The Amex Green offers 3x points on all travel purchases, and that includes rideshares. That makes it the best Amex card for Uber & Lyft spending globally.
Read a review of the Amex Green, apply for the Amex Green.
The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
3. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Reward for rideshare spending: 2x Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which I value at 3.4%)
Card annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fees: none
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 2x points on all travel purchases, and that includes rideshares. This is a great card for Uber & Lyft spending globally.
Read a review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred, apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
4. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Reward for rideshare spending: 2x Capital One miles (which I value at 3.4%)
Card annual fee: $395
Foreign transaction fees: none
The Capital One Venture X offers 2x miles on all purchases, so this isn’t even a bonus category, but rather just a very well rounded return on spending. Don’t be alarmed by the annual fee, as the card offers a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit plus 10,000 bonus anniversary miles.
Read a review of the Capital One Venture X, apply for the Capital One Venture X (Rates & Fees).
5. World of Hyatt Credit Card
Reward for rideshare spending: 2x World of Hyatt points (which I value at 3%)
Card annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fees: none
The World of Hyatt Card offers 2x points on local transit and commuting, including ridesharing, so this card is a great option for Hyatt loyalists.
Read a review of the World of Hyatt Card, apply for the World of Hyatt Card.
6. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Reward for rideshare spending: 3% cash back
Card annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (Rates & Fees)
Foreign transaction fees: 2.7% (Rates & Fees)
The Blue Cash Preferred offers 3% cash back on transit, which includes taxis, ridesharing, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more. However, with the foreign transaction fees on the card, I’d only recommend using it for purchases in the United States.
Read a review of the Blue Cash Preferred, apply for the Blue Cash Preferred.
Best business cards for Uber & Lyft December 2024
Now that we’ve looked at the best personal credit cards for Uber & Lyft spending, let’s take a look at the most rewarding business cards.
1. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Reward for rideshare spending: Up to 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fees: none
The Ink Business Preferred offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases every anniversary year on travel (including ridesharing), shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines. So within those limits this is a fantastic card for rideshare spending globally.
Read a review of the Ink Business Preferred, apply for the Ink Business Preferred.
2. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Reward for rideshare spending: Up to 2x Amex Membership Rewards points (which I value at 3.4%)
Card annual fee: $0 (Rates & Fees)
Foreign transaction fees: 2.7% (Rates & Fees)
The Amex Blue Business Plus offers 2x Amex points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year (1x points thereafter). The card has foreign transaction fees, so I’d only recommend using it for purchases in the United States.
Read a review of the Amex Blue Business Plus, apply for the Amex Blue Business Plus.
3. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Reward for rideshare spending: 2x Capital One Spark miles (which I value at 3.4%)
Card annual fee: $95, waived the first year
Foreign transaction fees: none
The Capital One Spark Miles offers 2x Spark miles on all purchases, so this isn’t even a bonus category, but rather just a very well rounded return on spending.
Read a review of the Spark Miles for Business, apply for the Spark Miles for Business (Rates & Fees).
Bottom line
Many people spend a significant amount annually on ridesharing, so it’s worth making sure that you’re maximizing your rewards for your spending with Uber & Lyft.
The partnerships that Amex and Capital One have with Uber, and that Chase has with Lyft, could get you a ton of value. Based on my own situation:
- I use the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card to maximize value with Lyft, as I earn 10x Chase points and receive a complimentary Lyft Pink membership
- I take advantage of the monthly Amex Platinum Card Uber credits, which save me $200 per year
- I’m planning on picking up the no annual fee Capital One Savor Card (Rates & Fees), in order to earn 10% cashback on my Uber and Uber Eats spending, and to receive a complimentary Uber One membership
What’s your credit card strategy for Uber & Lyft spending?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and American Express® Green Card (Rates & Fees).
Anyone know if you can apply someone else's Amex monthly Uber credit to your Uber account by listing their card for payment? IE can John list Sally's Amex Gold Card as payment on John's Uber account and get the $10 monthly credit?
Not 100% sure, but I think the credit accrues to the account where the card is first linked, ie John can link Sally's card and receive the monthly credit, but Sally has to first delete it from her account.
Yes John can get Sally's credit.
No limit on how many cards John can add, they stack.
But to get it swap between John and Sally can be a big nightmare.
CapOne SavorOne is by far the best for Uber as it earns 10% (or 10x points if you have another C1 points earning card) and gives you free Uber One.
While a temporary promo, the Capital One Savor ($95 AF) and Savor One card (no AF) both have 10% cash back on all Uber spend thru 11/14/24. When paired with a Venture X card you could transfer as points vs cash back for even more value. If you are a heavy Uber user it could be worth considering.
I personally prefer 10x UR on Lyft by paying with my CSR + 2x Bilt (AA miles/Hyatt points = .03) by simply linking my Lyft acct to Bilt Rewards
Best CC for lyft and uber are GCs, which consistently drop at 15% off.
I can't remember, at least for uber and uber eats, the last time I used a CC.
I do have my plat plugged in for that $200/year, but the GCs do the heavy lifting
Bilt 5X as well
Shhhh only Gary is allowed to shill Bilt
Cardless 7x for the lucky ones to get grandfathered Celtics.
Only Gary is allowed to shill Cardless too.
Don’t forget the Lyft benefit using any World Elite Mastercard three times in a month to get a $5 credit. I use my Citi Aadvantage card for my first three rides of the month before switching to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Unless your rides are really cheap, it seems like you’d come out ahead by always using your CSR. For example at $15/ride and 1.5c/UR: 4*$15*0.15=$9 vs 3*$15*1x AA+$5+0.15*$15=$7.25+45 AA.
Can earn that same $5 credit + 3x Bilt/AA miles by paying with a Bilt MC (rather than 1x AA miles with your Citi card). 5x AA miles if you also link your Bilt Rewards account with Lyft