American Express Cards Will No Longer Earn 2x Points for Uber Rides
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
American Express and Uber have been long-time partners, offering cardholders unique earning and redemption options. One of the easiest ways to earn with the partnership was through the 2x bonus point-earning structure when using a Membership Rewards-earning card on your Uber ride. However, that benefit will cease to exist later this year.
As Travel With Grant reports, as of February 1, 2018, you will no longer earn 2x points when using a Membership Rewards-earning Amex card on Uber rides. As of that date, the bonus earning for Uber rides will drop to just 1x.
At this point, there don't appear to be any changes to the other benefits Amex cardholders get with Uber. For example, it appears you'll be able to continue redeeming Membership Rewards points for Uber rides, albeit at a not-so-favorable rate. And for cardholders of the Platinum Card from American Express, there don't appear to be be any changes with regard to the card's benefit for $200 in annual Uber credits.
It's not all that surprising that the two could be drawing back their relationship. In 2017, Barclaycard introduced an Uber co-branded credit card to the market, allowing cardholders to earn bonuses on a range of categories. While purchases made at restaurants, takeout and bars earn 4% back, Uber rides themselves only earn 2% back.
With this change, you might want to reconsider which credit card you're using for your Uber rides. Now that Amex cards will only earn 1x points, a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve will earn you 3x points on travel, including Uber rides. Additionally, the Chase Sapphire Preferred could even be a good option, as it earns 2x points for travel, and therefore on Uber rides — still better than the 1x for Amex cards.
