Be Careful How You Share Your Uber Referral Links
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.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
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 $8,000 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.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.