How to Use for Rides and Uber Eats

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• The Platinum Card® from American Express
  offers up to $200 in Uber Cash credits each year.
• Cardholders receive up to $15 in Uber Cash per month, with an additional $20 (total $35) in December.
• You can apply the credit to US Uber rides or to Uber Eats food delivery and takeout.
• Read Insider’s guide to the best American Express cards.

The last few years have seen an unmistakable trend emerging in the world of premium cards, including popular options like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and American Express® Gold Card
. Customers are being asked to pay higher annual fees upfront, but the net out-of-pocket cost to hold some of these cards is dropping as issuers continue to add more perks, statement credits, and other valuable rewards.

One of the best examples of this is The Platinum Card® from American Express, which carries a hefty annual fee of $695 but offers a litany of luxury travel perks and statement credits. With travel still recovering from the pandemic, one of the most valuable benefits of the Platinum Card has been up to $200 in Uber Cash credits cardholders receive each year** — which takes a huge bite out of the card’s annual fee.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know to maximize the Amex Platinum Card’s Uber credits.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Amex Platinum Uber credits: How they work

While you can earn up to $200 in Uber Cash credits a year with the Platinum Card, you don’t get the full value all at once. Instead, you get up to $15 in Uber Cash each month, with a $20 bonus (total of $35) in December for a grand total of up to $200 each year.

The most important thing to remember is that this benefit isn’t applied automatically — you need to add your Platinum Card as a payment method on your Uber account to receive the credit. 

You’ll also want to be sure you select your Uber Cash balance as your payment method when paying for a ride or food delivery with Uber Eats (more on that later). Keep an eye out for an email on the first of the month from Uber with the subject line “American Express® reward — your $15 in Uber Cash is here.”

There are a few other key terms to keep in mind:

• If you don’t have enough Uber credits to cover the cost of your ride or Uber Eats purchase, the remaining balance will be charged to the Amex card on your account
• Amex Platinum Uber Cash credits can only be applied in the US
• You must add the card directly to your account and not through a third party like Apple Pay or PayPal
• If you don’t redeem your entire credit for the month, it will not roll over to the next month — so use it or lose it
• The credits expire on the last day of each month at 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time
• Only the first Uber account you add your card to will be eligible for the credit (even if you have multiple Uber accounts)
• The Amex Uber benefit also includes an upgrade to Uber VIP status, which means — in select cities — you’ll be connected to drivers with at least a 4.8-star rating and “high-quality cars”

Generally speaking, American Express makes you jump through one or two extra hoops in order to activate certain benefits on its cards. Either you have to add your card as a payment method like in the case of this Uber Cash credit, or you have to enroll in the benefit through the American Express website (for example, the Amex Platinum Saks Fifth Avenue credit or Amex airline incidental fee credits), so if you’re expecting to automatically receive the statement credit you might end up sorely disappointed. 

The Amex Platinum credit works for Uber Eats, too

Due to their high-touch nature, some people still avoid rideshare services like Uber in an attempt to reduce their potential exposure to illnesses. Thankfully, you can use the Platinum Card’s Uber benefit in another way: ordering food delivery or merchandise with Uber Eats. 

Uber’s rideshare and food delivery services share the same back-end tech infrastructure, meaning that an Uber Cash balance earned on one platform can be used with the other. I’ve been using my $15 monthly Uber credit to order delivery pretty much all year long.

Food delivery services are notorious for charging hefty service fees, and in the past, it was easy to spend more of your Uber credit on taxes than on actual food. Now Amex is helping to drop those costs for some of its most valuable customers, and in the process get you more value out of the existing perks on your Platinum Card. 

Other Amex credits can save you money

Amex has been on a roll adding new benefits and statement credits to the Platinum Card in recent months. These include:

Bottom line

Even prior to the pandemic, the $200 in annual Uber Cash credits that come with The Platinum Card® from American Express played a big role in helping justify the card’s annual fee. With more people opting to order in instead of going out, this perk has become one of the most important that the card offers.

Once you add your Platinum Card as a payment method to your Uber account you can sit back and watch the $15 credit roll in each month, as well as a $20 bonus in December.