Uber’s New Comfort Ride Option Is Its Version of 'Economy Plus'
As Uber tries to expand into flying cars and drone delivery, it's still working to improve its core offering, ride-hailing. On Tuesday it announced it's rolling out a new option, Uber Comfort.
When ordering an Uber Comfort, it appears you'll receive something in-between an UberX and an Uber XL.
Uber says Comfort vehicles will be newer and mid-sized, meeting "elevated, consistent vehicle make and model standards."
However the most noticeable difference will be that each one will have more legroom than a standard UberX vehicle. Vehicles will have minimum legroom requirements, so if an UberX is regular economy on an airline, think of Uber Comfort as being akin to United's Economy Plus or Delta Comfort +. (In that spirit, that probably makes UberPool equivalent to basic economy.)
Similar to the recent changes that improved Uber Black rides, Uber Comfort drivers will need to have a minimum rating of 4.85 to drive for the service, and riders will be able to pre-set temperature and conversation preferences in the app. So, if you'd like to sit in silence and with the A/C blasting, and don't want to have to tell your Uber driver that, then Uber Comfort may be your jam.
The new option is not to be confused with Uber Select, the company's more premium option that offers "rides in high-end cars". If you want to be guaranteed more legroom, then you'll probably want to order a Comfort, so you may avoid a cramped Toyota Prius, whereas a Select will grant you a more premium vehicle (albeit not up to black-car standards).
Don't expect any free upgrades though: Uber Comfort will cost you. Screenshots shared by Uber show a Comfort trip costing about 30% more than an X ride, although prices will vary based on market and route.
The new ride option will be available in the following cities starting today:
Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Fresno, Hampton Roads, Houston, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Madison, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Jersey, New Orleans, Omaha, Orange County, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Rhode Island, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Tucson, Wichita, and Washington D.C.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month