10 BEST CREDIT CARDS FOR UBER AND RIDESHARING OF 2024

Best Credit Cards for Uber & Ridesharing of 2024

Best overall: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Why We Chose It: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a premium travel rewards card that lets you earn Ultimate Rewards points on every purchase—but we love the 10X points you can earn on qualifying Lyft rides. You also get a Lyft Pink All Access membership for free for two consecutive years when activated by 12/31/2024 (then automatically enrolled half-price the third year and full price after unless canceled). If Uber is your rideshare service of choice, you can still benefit by earning 3X points on other travel purchases, including Uber rides, after the Reserve’s $300 annual travel credit is spent.

Best for Uber Rewards: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Why We Chose It: Uber riders will benefit from the enhanced benefits offered by the Capital Savor Cash, which provides 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases through November 14, 2024. You’ll also get your Uber One membership covered as a statement credit each month until November 14, 2024. The Savor card also offers solid cash back rewards on dining, streaming, entertainment and at grocery stores.

Best for Uber Rewards with No Annual Fee: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Why We Chose It: If you want the Uber perks you get with the Savor card but with no annual fee plus an introductory APR offer, the Capital One SavorOne Rewards card has you covered. You’ll get 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases plus the monthly statement credit for the complimentary Uber One membership when charged to your card until November 14, 2024, giving you extra discounts including no delivery fee on Uber Eats groceries and food delivery.

Best for Uber Credits: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Why We Chose It: With the Platinum Amex in your wallet, you’ll get $15 in Uber Cash each month that you can put toward your eligible Uber rides and Uber Eats orders, plus a bonus $20 Uber Cash in December. That’s up to $200 a year in Uber Cash annually, plus all the other luxury travel perks and statement credits you’ll get as a Platinum card member.

Best Rewards for Uber Foodies: American Express® Gold Card

Why We Chose It: The American Express Gold Card offers up to $120 in Uber Cash per year, which you can use toward Uber rides in the U.S. or Uber Eats purchases. You’ll also earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide, plus on takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year in spending, then 1X).

Best for Lyft Rewards: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Why We Chose It: If you’re a regular Lyft rider, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers extra rewards for you. You’ll earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on eligible Lyft rides (until March 31, 2025), which is a remarkable rate—plus you can redeem points for 25% more value when you use them to redeem for travel through Chase Travel.

Best Lyft Rewards with No Annual Fee: Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Why We Chose It: Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve cards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited offers special Lyft rewards, too. But unlike the Sapphire family of cards, the Freedom Unlimited comes with no annual fee. You’ll earn 5% total cash back on qualifying Lyft rides through March 31, 2025 when you purchase in the Lyft app with your Unlimited card.

Best for iPhone Users: Apple Card

Why We Chose It: You’ll get 3% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases when you use Apple Pay and set your Apple Card as the payment method. For Lyft rides, you’ll earn 2% Daily Cash back when you use your Apple Card and Apple Pay to make your purchase. You’ll need an iPhone, though, to use Apple Pay.

Best for Ride-Share Flexibility: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Why We Chose It: You don’t have to declare allegiance to a certain ride-share company if you carry the Blue Cash Preferred from American Express. You’ll earn 3% cash back on eligible transit purchases, including Lyft, Uber, taxis—even subway, bus and train fare.

Best for Flat-Rate Rewards: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Why We Chose It: When simpler is better, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card delivers. It offers a flat-rate 2% cash rewards on every purchase—no rotating categories, no complicated redemptions. You’ll earn the same whether you use Uber or Lyft for ridesharing, and few other flat-rate cards offer 2% back like the Active Cash does.

A Closer Look at the Best Credit Cards for Rideshares

Best overall: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Why we love this card: Though it carries a hefty annual fee of $550, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers so many perks that frequent travelers will find it easy to get at least that much value from the card. Lyft riders especially will benefit from the card’s bonus earnings on Lyft rides (10X points on qualifying Lyft rides through March 31, 2025), not to mention the two free years of Lyft Pink All Access membership.

Who should have this in their wallet: This card is best for Lyft riders and frequent travelers who can get the most value from the card’s steep annual fee.

Other cards to consider: For 5X points on qualifying Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025), numerous travel benefits and a $95 annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred makes a sensible alternative.

Best for Uber Rewards: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Why we love this card: If you live to eat instead of eat to live, then the Capital One Savor Rewards card was made for you. You’ll get a relatively unbeatable 10% cash back on Uber rides to your favorite restaurants (until November 14, 2024), plus 4% cash back on dining when you get there. Eating in instead? You’ll still get 10% cash back if you order delivery or pickup with Uber Eats (through November 14, 2024), and 3% cash back at grocery stores to cook (excluding superstores like Target and Walmart).

Who should have this in their wallet: This card could be a great pick for foodies with excellent credit who use Uber regularly.

Other cards to consider: If you don’t want to pay the $95 annual fee and don’t mind earning 3% instead of 4% back on dining, the SavorOne is an easy swap. If your rideshare service of choice is Lyft, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers perks you can use for the same $95 annual fee.

Best for Uber Rewards with No Annual Fee: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Why we love this card: As far as rewards go, it’s tough to beat the 10% cash back on Uber purchases that you get with the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card (until November 14, 2024). We love that the 10% extends to Uber Eats purchases too—combined with the complimentary Uber One membership when you charge your monthly membership fee to your card (through November 14, 2024), you can save a lot (whether it’s you or your food that’s getting a ride). And there’s no annual fee with this card, either.

Who should have this in their wallet: The SavorOne could be a great pick for you if you’re a regular Uber rider or you order on Uber Eats frequently. You’ll also rake in cash back if you frequently dine out and spend money on entertainment.

Other cards to consider: If you love the card and want the Uber benefits but don’t have excellent credit, check out the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards for Good Credit or the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, which is geared towards applicants with fair to good credit. You’ll miss out on an introductory APR offer with these cards, though.

Best for Uber Cash: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Why we love this card: The hulking annual fee of the Platinum Card from American Express starts to look much more reasonable as you add up the available perks, benefits and credits, including up to $200 in Uber Cash each year.

Who should have this in their wallet: Jetsetters with a taste for the finer things will appreciate the global airport lounge access, Platinum travel service, elite hotel and car rental status and many other luxury travel perks extended to Platinum card members.

Other cards to consider: The $695 annual fee may still be too steep for some Uber riders, making a card like the American Express Gold Card ($250 annual fee) a better pick.

Best Rewards for Uber Foodies: American Express® Gold Card

Why we love this card: Add the American Express Gold Card to your Uber wallet to receive $10 monthly in Uber Cash; add it to your regular wallet to earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide (plus on takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points).

Who should have this in their wallet: The Amex Gold Card will be a good fit for Uber riders who spend a lot on food, whether at U.S. supermarkets or restaurants worldwide.

Other cards to consider: If you’re skittish about the $250 annual fee, consider a card that offers similar food perks but with a $95 annual fee: the Savor Cash Rewards card, which lets you earn 4% cash back on dining and 3% back at grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart), plus 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats through November 14, 2024.

Best for Lyft Rewards: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Why we love this card: For just $95 annually, we think the Sapphire Preferred offers a number of useful benefits for Lyft riders beyond the 5X points they can earn on qualifying rides through March 31, 2025. You can protect your purchases for 120 days against theft or damage with purchase protection, plus extended warranty protection extends the time period of eligible warranties an additional year. You’ll also get travel protection and benefits that come in handy even if you don’t travel often, such as 2X points on other travel purchases, an up to $50 annual hotel credit on hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Who should have this in their wallet: Lyft riders who travel will get the most value from the Chase Sapphire Preferred with the points boost, but Uber riders can also enjoy 2X points on their rides, too, as they’ll count as travel.

Other cards to consider: For a higher annual fee, you could choose the Chase Sapphire Reserve instead to receive complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership (valued at $199 per year) and $300 in annual travel credit, which more than covers the cost difference. If you’d prefer no annual fee instead, you’ll still earn 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025 if you go with the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

Best Lyft Rewards with No Annual Fee: Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Why we love this card: This card offers a solid, unlimited minimum of 1.5% cash back on purchases, but sweetens the deal for Lyft riders with 5% total cash back on qualifying Lyft rides through March 31, 2025, plus you’ll get 3% cash back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service) and drugstore purchases. New cardholders can also take advantage of 15 months of 0% intro APR from account opening on purchases and balance transfers (balance transfer fee applies), then 20.49% – 29.24% variable APR after that.

Who should have this in their wallet: Lyft riders who don’t want to pay an annual fee and who value a decent intro APR for balance transfers will appreciate this card. It also makes a nice companion card for someone who holds the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, because you may be able to transfer points to your Sapphire account for boosted redemptions.

Other cards to consider: Other Chase no-annual-fee cards that earn 5% total cash back on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025 include the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and the Chase Freedom Rise℠ Credit Card. The Flex offers 5% cash back in bonus categories you activate, while the Rise offers 1.5% cash back on every purchase.

Best for iPhone Users: Apple Card

Why we love this card: As long as you have an iPhone and are comfortable using Apple Pay, the rewards on the Apple Card will earn you 3% Daily Cash on Uber rides plus 2% Daily Cash on other purchases, which are solid rates. We also like the card’s financial tools for tracking spending and no annual fee.

Who should have this in their wallet: This one’s for Apple enthusiasts; you’ll need an iPhone to get the boosted rewards and other benefits, plus that’s how you’ll activate the titanium physical card. You’ll also need to make sure you can use Apple Pay to get the most from this card.

Other cards to consider: If you have an Android or don’t use Apple Pay, the Wells Fargo Active Cash is an alternative that lets you earn 2% cash back on rideshares and other purchases without the iOS restrictions.

Best for Ride-Share Flexibility: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Why we love this card: You can get 3% cash back on rideshares regardless of which company you’re loyal to. The Blue Cash Preferred also offers an outstanding 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), plus 6% on select U.S. streaming services, too (you can redeem cash back as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout). Though there’s a $95 annual fee, you can offset it with the intro offer if you earn the $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.

Who should have this in their wallet: We think this card would be a good fit for anyone who regularly uses Uber or Lyft in conjunction with public transportation. If you tend to cook at home (spending up to $500 a month), we think you’ll also get a lot of value from the boosted 6% cash back on up to $6,000 on U.S. supermarket purchases (then 1%).

Other cards to consider: You can also earn 3X Membership Rewards points on transit purchases, including rideshare services with the American Express Green Card®, though you’ll earn 3X Membership Rewards points on dining at restaurants worldwide instead of 6% cash back at U.S. Supermarkets. The Apple Card also offers 3% back, but only on Uber (and only if you use Apple Pay).

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Newsweek.com. The American Express® Green Card is no longer available through Newsweek.com.

Best for Flat-Rate Rewards: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Why we love this card: We love the easy, no-frills 2% back you earn with the Active Cash card. It simplifies earning credit card rewards on rideshare purchases because it doesn’t matter whether you use Lyft or Uber, and you’ll earn the same great cash rewards rate on all of your other purchases, too.

Who should have this in their wallet: If you’re a set-it-and-forget-it type, the Active Cash card lets you earn solid cash rewards with no fuss. It’s also a useful card to carry when you want to maximize your cash rewards, because you can use another card for boosting rewards in certain categories and this card for 2% cash rewards on everything else.

Other cards to consider: The Citi Double Cash® Card also gives an unlimited 2% cash back, although you’ll have to pay for your purchases before you earn the full amount. The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a flat 1.5% unlimited cash back on purchases, no annual fee and a 15-month 0% intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers (then 19.99% – 29.99% variable APR after that).

How To Choose the Right Credit Card for Ridesharing for You

The best card for ridesharing is one that earns rewards and fits your lifestyle. Before you choose, keep in mind your typical monthly spending, your preferred rideshare service and how you prefer to redeem rewards. Then, look for a card that meets those criteria and also provides the kind of benefits you’ll actually use.

Note Your Preferred Rideshare Service

Which do you use (or use most): Uber or Lyft? How much do you spend on ridesharing? Will benefits like Uber Cash help you? Make sure the card you’re considering rewards your preferred rideshare service, ideally with boosted points, cash back or membership perks.

Track Your Monthly Spending

In addition to your monthly rideshare spending, where else does your money go? For the best value, pick a card that rewards categories you already spend in, whether that’s groceries, restaurants, transit or something else.

Strategize Around Rewards Rates

Consider the potential rewards earning rate on both your rideshare spending and other category spending. Will you be able to maximize your earnings in a particular category with that card? Or will it make more sense to choose a flat-rate cash back card instead? Only you know your tolerance for tracking rewards by category.

Know How Often You Travel

Do you travel a lot or fly frequently? Cards that offer points that you can redeem for miles with your preferred airline or transfer to travel partners will likely be a good fit for you. You’ll also get more use out of a card with travel benefits (such as trip protection or airport lounge access) than someone who rarely travels.

Decide Whether You’ll Carry a Balance

If you tend to carry a balance, be sure to carefully compare annual percentage rates (APR), including penalty APRs and any introductory APR offers. You might also get more value out of a balance transfer offer with low fees if you need extra time to pay down a balance.

Determine your Tolerance for an Annual Fee

Will the annual fee be worth it? Calculate whether you’ll earn enough in rewards or use enough of the card’s perks and credits to offset the annual fee. If it’ll cost you more to carry the card than you’ll earn in benefits, consider a different card instead.

Alternatives

A new credit card isn’t the only way to benefit from your many Uber or Lyft rides. Review the cards already in your wallet for more ways to earn rewards or connect your account to other loyalty programs for boosted points or miles.

Buy Gift Cards

If you already have a rewards credit card, check what categories give you increased rewards. If they include supermarkets, gas stations or office supply stores, use that card to buy Uber or Lyft gift cards and load them to your account. Your gift card spending will earn you added rewards for that spending category.

Use Your Mastercard

If you already have an eligible Mastercard, you can earn a $5 or $10 Lyft credit each month when you take three or more rides with Lyft. World Mastercard®, World Elite Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive Mastercard® are eligible. You can also score a 10% discount on scheduled airport rides with a World Elite Mastercard®, World Elite Mastercard® for Business or World Mastercard® for Business.

If you have a Bilt Mastercard®, you can earn 3X Bilt Points on your Lyft rides when you pay with your Bilt card and 2X points when your Lyft account is linked to your Bilt Rewards account and it’s selected as your loyalty rewards partner.

The PayPal Cashback Mastercard lets you earn 3% cash back when you add it to your PayPal account and use PayPal to check out. You’ll also earn 2% cash back on other purchases.

Connect a Loyalty Program

If you’re a Lyft rider, you can connect your Delta SkyMiles®, Hilton Honors® or Alaska Mileage Plan® accounts to your Lyft account to earn 1x, 2x or 3x points or miles with each ride.

As an Uber rider, you can earn 2x, 3x or 6x Marriott Bonvoy points when you connect your accounts and take eligible Uber rides or place eligible orders with Uber Eats.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

The post 10 Best Credit Cards for Uber and Ridesharing of 2024 first appeared on Newsweek Vault.

2024-04-22T19:36:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd