On March 30, 2017 American Express implemented some major improvements to the Platinum card. On top of the facelift, Amex introduced a $200 a year Uber benefit. The Uber benefit gives card holders who link their Platinum card to their Uber account $200 a year in Uber credits. Amex adds credits to your Uber account monthly in $15 installments and a bonus $20 is added in December.
How The American Express Platinum Uber Credits Work
The important thing to remember about this benefit is how it works. As I mentioned in my previous post the $15 credits are added to the card holders Uber account. When I originally read about the benefit I figured the credits would be given in the form of an American Express statement credit, but they are not! Instead, on the 1st of each month $15 of “Amex Credits” appear in the payment section of your Uber account. When you launch the Uber app and start to request a ride you’ll notice the “$15.00 Amex Credit” listed right about the Request Uber button. At the end of your ride the credit reduces the overall trip cost and you pay the remaining fare.
Do Not Use The American Express Platinum Uber Credit For Reimbursable Trips!
Because the Uber credits reduce the overall cost of the fare, if you apply the credit to a reimbursable trip you’ll only be reimbursed for the remaining fare. The Uber receipt does not show the total cost of the trip without the credit! To maximize this benefit you want to make sure to only use the $15 Amex Credits for personal rides which you are not reimbursed.
Luckily Uber makes it pretty simple to turn on and off the credits. Simply click on the $15.00 Amex credit located above the Request Uber button. Doing so should launch the Payment Options screen where riders can select the credit card used to pay for the trip, but more importantly turn on/off any credits. When using Uber for reimbursable travel make sure to slide “Apply Credits” slider to the off position prior to requesting your ride.
Do I Have To Pay With The American Express Platinum Card?
By far the most common question I’ve heard surrounding the American Express Platinum Uber credit benefit is if you need to pay with the Platinum card or not. Luckily, in this case, you do not! You must have your American Express Platinum card linked to your Uber account to activate the benefit, but you can continue using whichever card you’d like to pay for your trips. Personally, I prefer to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve when paying for Uber trips as it earns 3X Ultimate Rewards points. If you end up using the American Express Platinum card you’ll end up earning 2X Membership Rewards points on all Uber trips. Just keep in mind, if you use the $15.00 credit on the trip you only earn points on the net cost of the trip.
Final Thoughts
After linking your American Express Platinum Card to your Uber account the $15.00 Amex credits appear monthly. Unless you purposely unselect the “Apply Credits” feature your first ride each month with be reduced by the credit. This is perfect for most riders, but anyone who use Uber for business trips will be disappointed to find their total trip cost reduced. If you forget to tun off the apply credits function at least you’ll end up saving your employer $15.00! Unfortunately that doesn’t help you justify paying the new $550 annual fee.
