Do You Have One of These Credit Cards Offering Rideshare Benefits?

This is the time of year when many of us take advantage of ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. We need rides to/from airports. Some folks should have someone else handle the driving at least from holiday parties.

If you’re into sports or attending other live events, it’s sometimes easier just to have someone drive you to a game and pick you up after — instead of paying through the nose for parking and sitting in the stadium lot forever afterward.

But a lot of people have travel rewards cards that feature ride-share benefits — and they don’t even know it. Or they want ride-share benefits and better earnings but do not know which cards to get.

So, let’s take a look at a few of them that might help.

American Express Cards

Two Amex cards offer Uber Cash benefits while a few others feature bonus points for general travel or transit spending.

The Platinum Card® from American Express members receive up to $200 each calendar year in Uber Cash deposits good for Uber rides or Uber Eats purchases. The deposits are disbursed up to $15 each month from January through November. December’s deposit is up to $35. Effective November 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.

Meanwhile, American Express® Gold Card members get up to $10 each month in Uber Cash deposits (up to $120 each calendar year).

The deposits are a Use ‘em or Lose ‘em situation: you can’t roll them over to the following month(s). Also, you do not need to use your Amex Platinum Card or Amex Gold Card card to pay for an Uber ride or Uber Eats purchase. (Though the Amex Gold Card earns 4X per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. In my experience, food delivery services such as Uber Eats generally code as restaurants. (Enrollment is required. Terms apply. Uber Cash deposits are made monthly and expire if not used. To receive this benefit, you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express® Gold Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account. The Amex Benefit may only be used in the United States.)

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 3% cash back on transit purchases. (Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars redeemable toward statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.)

Meanwhile, the American Express® Green Card earns 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on transit purchases. (All information related to the American Express® Green Card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was neither reviewed nor provided by the card issuer.)

You can earn 4X points on transit purchases using the American Express® Business Gold Card — but that comes with a little wrinkle. The card automatically gives you 4X Membership Rewards points for the top two categories in which you spend for a given billing cycle. (Transit is one of those categories.) While your top 2 categories may change each billing cycle based on where your business spent the most, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories from this list each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.

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Chase Cards

A lot of Chase cards offer Lyft benefits or bonus points for transit purchases — or both!

The features are spread across a wealth of Ultimate Rewards cards and co-branded products. Let’s check them out.

Ultimate Rewards Cards Rideshare Benefits

Chase’s Ultimate Rewards cards offer increased earnings on Lyft rides. Plus, one offers a complimentary Lyft Pink membership trial.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

• 10X total points on Lyft Rides through March 2025.
• Get two (2) free years of Lyft Pink All Access and a third year at 50% off when you activate by December 31, 2024. Membership auto-renews.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• 5X total points on Lyft Rides through March 2025.

Chase Freedom Flex® (a no-annual-fee card)

• • 5% total cash back on Lyft rides through March 2025.
  • (All information about the Chase Freedom Flex® was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was not reviewed by its issuing bank.)

Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card (a no-annual-fee card)

• 5% total cash back on Lyft rides

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

• 5X total points on Lyft Rides

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (a no-annual-fee card)

•   5% total cash back on Lyft rides

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (a no-annual-fee card)

• 5% total cash back on Lyft rides

Sapphire

• 5X total points on Lyft Rides
• (All information about the Sapphire card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was not reviewed by its issuing bank.)

Ink Plus

• 5x total points on Lyft Rides
• (All information about the Ink Plus was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was not reviewed by its issuing bank.)

Chase Student 

• 5% total cash back on Lyft rides

• (All information about the Chase Student was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was not reviewed by its issuing bank.)

Ink

• 5% total cash back on Lyft rides
• (All information about the Ink was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was not reviewed by its issuing bank.)

Ink Business

• 5% total cash back on Lyft rides
• (All information about the Ink Business was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was not reviewed by its issuing bank.)

Co-Branded Cards

All five of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards offer 2X per eligible $1 spent on local transit and commuting — including rideshare.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

Likewise, four United Airlines MileagePlus cards offer 2X for categories awarding rideshare spending:

• United Quest℠ Card
  • 2X miles on non-United travel, including airfare, trains, local transit, cruise lines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, resorts, ride share services and tolls.
• United Club℠ Infinite Card
• United Gateway℠ Card
  • 2X miles on local transit and commuting including ride share services, taxicabs, train tickets, tolls, and mass transit.
• United℠ Business Card
  • 2X miles on United purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores and on local transit and commuting

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card awards 2X for every $1 spent on travel purchases (except for hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Those earn 3X). That said, the other three cards in the Marriott portfolio offer a base of 2X for all eligible purchases. All information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was neither reviewed nor provided by the card issuer.

Final Approach

Dozens of reward credit cards offer rideshare benefits. Some people aren’t even aware they could enjoy bonus points or cashback on cards they already hold or can get. What’s your strategy for using credit cards to maximize your rideshare earnings and benefits?

To see rates and fees for the American Express® Business Gold Card, please visit this link.

To see rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.

To see rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this link.

To see rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this link.

To see rates and fees for the American Express® Green Card, please visit this link.