Quick Points: Ride with Uber? Here's how to double-dip with Aeroplan and Marriott
Over the past 10 years, getting a ride in a major city has changed from hailing a cab on the side of the street to requesting a ride right from your smartphone. Apps like Uber and Lyft make it easier than ever to get a ride — and more rewarding too. In past editions of Quick Points, we've covered earning ride credit with Lyft and Marriott points with Uber, and today we're back with another tip.
Both Marriott and Air Canada have partnerships with Uber, wherein members can earn bonus points on premium rides and UberEats orders. The Marriott partnership is known more broadly stateside, but the Aeroplan partnership has largely flown under the radar thanks to some Canada-only restrictions for UberEats orders. That isn't the case for Uber rides, however.
Let's take a quick look at Uber and Air Canada's partnership and discuss how you can stack it with Uber Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and a rewards-earning credit card. This "quad-fecta" effectively lets you quadruple-dip earning rewards on your everyday Uber rides.
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Earning Aeroplan and Marriott points on Uber rides
Aeroplan members can link their accounts with Uber on Air Canada's website. That said, not all Uber rides earn Aeroplan points, and some earn more than others. Here's a quick look at how those rides earn points:
- Uber rides to/from the airport in Canada and the U.S.: 1 point per 1 Canadian dollar spent
- Premium (Comfort and higher) Uber rides anywhere in Canada and the U.S.: 1 point per CA$1 spent
- Premium (Comfort and higher) Uber rides to/from the airport in Canada and the U.S.: 2 points per CA$1 spent
If you're based in the U.S., points being awarded in Canadian dollars actually works in your favor. At the time of writing, CA$1 is worth $0.80. This means you're effectively earning 1.2 Aeroplan points per U.S. dollar spent on Uber rides within the U.S., which I confirmed on an Uber Comfort ride in New York City last weekend.
On the other hand, you can earn Marriott Bonvoy points in a similar fashion on your Uber rides. Once you link your Marriott and Uber accounts, you'll earn 3 Marriott points per $1 spent on premium Uber rides in the U.S. Like Aeroplan, a premium Uber ride is considered an Uber XL, Uber Black, Uber SUV and Uber Comfort.
Stacking Aeroplan and Marriott bookings with a credit card
As mentioned, I made a test booking in New York City. I spent roughly $16.50 on an Uber Comfort ride, which yielded 21 Aeroplan points and 50 Marriott Bonvoy points. I also charged the ride to my Chase Sapphire Reserve to earn 3 points per dollar on my ride, giving me 49 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. All of these stack with the Uber Rewards program, which awards 2 points per dollar spent on Uber Comfort rides.
With this in mind, I was effectively able to quadruple stack by earning Aeroplan, Marriott, Chase and Uber points on my ride. Here's a look at how much each of these earnings is worth per TPG's monthly valuations.
| Program | Points earned | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 21 points | $0.31 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 49 points | $0.98 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 50 points | $0.40 |
| Uber Rewards | 32 points | $0.32 if used toward ride credit |
| Total value earned: | $2.01 |
All in all, I got a $2.01 return on my Uber Comfort ride, equal to roughly 12.2% of the ride cost. This is a pretty significant points haul for such a small transaction. It shows how powerful stacking different promotions can be, and it can really add up on more expensive rides. This is especially true on premium airport rides, where you earn double the Aeroplan points.
Related: Frequent Uber or Lyft passenger? These credit cards are for you
Bottom line
If you ride with Uber, make sure you link your Air Canada Aeroplan and Marriott Bonvoy accounts to your Uber account. Doing this will help you earn bonus points on premium rides and rides to the airport. Plus, when you pay with a card that earns bonus points on travel, you can maximize your earnings even further.
Feature photo by by Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress