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Be Careful How You Share Your Uber Referral Links

June 23, 2014
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4 min read
Be Careful How You Share Your Uber Referral Links
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On this and some other similar blogs you will sometimes see posts about new sign-up bonuses from Uber. Uber brings a black car, taxi, or UberX personal vehicle to you with the press of a button on the app, which is insanely helpful and convenient. The prices are usually pretty good compared to other ways of obtaining cars and sometimes even less than a regular old cab. I especially like to use it when traveling with family in a new city and am not necessarily overly familiar with the public transportation options. I use Uber when traveling myself and write about them when the sign-up bonuses or promotions warrant it.

The way Uber works is that you typically get some sort of credit when you refer a new customer who tries Uber. Because of that I've historically encouraged readers to share their referral links in the comments section of Uber posts so that we can all help each other earn more Uber credit. The goal of posting about Uber was never to hog the new customer referral sign-ups for myself, so sharing the love between readers in the comment section was more than fine with me.

However, I've recently started hearing some "urban legends" about accounts getting in trouble because of sharing their referral code in the comments sections of blog posts. I had heard enough of these stories to believe them to be true, and even included a warning not to (sadly) share your referral link in the comment section of this blog post about the current $30 sign-up bonus for new Uber customers. That suggestion was largely ignored and folks still shared their referral links in the comments section, which I personally have no issue with, but it makes me nervous for their accounts.

This morning a reader emailed me and asked me to delete their referral link from the comments section of an older post as Uber had disabled their referral code due to leaving it in the comments section of blogs. In this case they reportedly did not confiscate the credits earned, but seemed to have deactivated the ability to make further referrals. I have also heard of stories where all of the referral credits were cancelled due to violating the polices in place.

The actual policy on referral links on Uber is that:



Personal invite links should only be used for personal and non-commercial purposes. This means that you can share your invite link with your personal connections via email, Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, personal blogs, etc. where you are the primary content owner. However public distribution on sites where you are a contributor but not the primary content owner (e.g., Wikipedia, coupon websites) is not allowed. Promoting your referral code via Search Engine Marketing (e.g., AdWords/Yahoo/Bing) is also not allowed.
Uber reserves the right to suspend your account and/or revoke any and all referral credits at any time if we feel they were earned inappropriately.
Uber credit will be applied to fares billed in the corresponding currency. Example: Uber credit value in USD will only be applied to fares billed in USD.

Anyway, just thought this was worth a mention since it is in contrast to previous posts on the topic, and I certainly don't want any Mommy Points readers to lose some credit they may have earned by referring others to Uber. Continue referring people you know via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. just don't put it in the comments section of sites that aren't yours unless you want to risk your account status (and referral credits) with Uber.

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  • Recommended Credit

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.