Earning Free Uber Credits 101


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Last week I blogged about a way to get $35 in free Uber credits for new accounts. With this post came many questions, so I figured I’d put them all into one post for not only this deal but for all future Uber deals as well, as they all work pretty similar. So here we go!

What is Uber? An On-demand car service that allows everyone to have a private driver experience through iPhone, SMS, and web based requests. Essentially, you can look up on your phone where the closest driver is and reserve a car service right through the Uber app. From my experience it is less expensive than your typical car service cost, but more expensive than a cab. I’ve found it to be about 50% more expensive than a cab. When setting up your Uber account you must link your credit card and at the end of your ride that card on file will be charged. There is no cash exchanged, and gratuity is automatically added (of 20%). I personally have had great experience using this car service in NYC – cars are cleans, drivers are friendly, and I personally love that you are given the drivers name in advance so there is that extra security.

What FREE promotion codes can I use? So this is where most people had their question last week. Uber essentially has three different free credit promotions:

  • Referral credit – When you sign up for your account through another Uber member you will get $10 in free credit. This members referral code must be included when setting up your account in the Promotion Code field on the sign up page. The easiest way to do this is have your friend send you their link and upon clicking on their specific link the referral code will be automatically populated.
  • First time user credit – Uber has offered many free credits for first time users. These promotion codes can be found via a Google search, but many times are offered through a deal-a-date site offer (i.e., Living Social, Groupon, Bloomspot, vente-privee, Gilt, etc.). Once you apply one of these to your account, you will NOT be able to apply another, unfortunately.
  • Available to all user credits – Uber runs promotions every now and then that give new and existing users free offers in various cities. These offers typically run in parallel with events happening in various cities or through partnerships. You are able to apply as many of these offers to your account as they appear.
How do I set up my account from the start to maximize my free credits? Some people were wondering why certain codes weren’t working since they never actually used Uber and still considered themselves first time users. However, Uber sees it differently. The best way to maximize your bonus is to follow these steps in order:
  • First, sign up with a referral code – this will give you $10 credit right off the bat.
  • Second, add a “first time user code” to your account. Codes can be added in the Promotions tab once signed into your account. As previously mentioned, first time user codes are typically found through a deal-a-date site, for example buy a $40 Uber credit for $20. Currently, the deal-a-day site Gilt City is offering an offer to just give you $25 for free. Even though it is free, you still must purchase the offer and then apply the voucher code to your account.
  • Lastly, add any codes that are available to new and existing offers. If you add one of these offers first, you will no longer be considered a first time user and will miss out on a $20ish credit that you get from one of the deal-a-day purchases.
If you add credits in this 1, 2, 3, order you will fully maximize your free credits! If you have already messed up your free credits, you can sign up for another account, you just need a unique email address and cell phone number.
How do I maximize my free credits using the current Gilt City deal? If you do not currently have an account, follow these steps (in the correct order!):
  • Sign up for an Uber account using a referral from an existing user. In your Promotions page you will see $10 in credits.
  • Purchase the Gilt City deal by May 29, 2013. The offer could potentially sell out sooner, so I probably wouldn’t wait. This will give you $25 in free credit. The Gilt City voucher will take about 30 minutes or so to get emailed to you – if you do not receive it by then, check your spam folder or sign into your Gilt City account and you might be able to view the voucher in your account. Once you receive that voucher, enter the number in the Promotions tab in your account. You will now see $35 in credits in your account.
After you receive those two free credits, you can then add any additional promotion codes you find/I blog about. Afterwards, if a promotional code is for first time users, the system will tell you this. You can read my prior post to see the current codes for all new and existing users.
Any other Uber questions?!
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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Dave Golden
Dave Golden
10 years ago

I cannot get Uber to validate my phone number because it says it already exists as another account. Is there any way to bypass this? Frustrating while on a trip this past weekend trying to use the credits.

romsdeals
10 years ago

I got my $35 uber, ready to use it soon for an airport transfer!

trackback

[…] This was originally posted a few weeks back, but since it seemed to be such a hit, I wanted to make sure to repost as TODAY, June 5, 2013 is the last day to get on this deal. Uber runs promotions quite often through many of the deal a day sites, but not as good as this promotion listed below, IMO. Also, make sure to read my post from last week on “How to Maximize Earning Uber Credits“ […]

CL
CL
10 years ago

My referral code is vhhqy. Gives you $10 credit on signup – no expiry on this. Thanks!

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