Uber is a pretty awesome app. I’ve done day trips to cities like Chicago and NYC without having to rent a car thanks to UberX rides that are cheaper than a taxi and far more convenient. And while people wait for an hour in the taxi line I breeze right into a waiting car.
You can get a free $20 Uber ride via this referral link.
Uber is also fantastic for food delivery. Stuck in Miami airport during a delay or connection with no kosher food? Make an order with a restaurant on 41st st in Miami Beach and pay for it over the phone. Just confirm with them that you’ll be using Uber and ask if they can bring it out to the Uber driver when you call them back.
When the food is ready just have Uber go to the restaurant address and text or call the Uber driver to let him know what you’re trying to do. When the driver is at the restaurant just call the restaurant and have them bring the food out to the driver. Food delivered from Shemtovs, House of Dog, or Miami Beach Chocolates to the airport will run you just $15 (free for new Uber users). I’ve done that flawlessly in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and NYC.
My grandparents just flew in from Florida for my youngest brother’s bar mitzvah this past weekend. They got a ride in a UberX Cadillac XTS from Cleveland airport to their snowy Cleveland home for $30, half the price of local car services. From Fort Lauderdale to their home in Boynton Beach they got a ride in a Lincoln MKS. It was rush hour and the 36 mile ride took an hour and 12 minutes, but the ride cost just $45, also a fraction of the price of a taxi or local car services.
It gets sweeter. Now you can link your Starwood account with your Uber account to earn Starpoints when you Uber.
Your email address on your Starwood account must match the email address on your Uber account. Mine didn’t match but after changing my Uber email address I was able to link the accounts together.
You need to have had 1 paid stay in a Starwood property in 2015 to start earning points. Once you’ve had a single stay you’ll earn 1 Starpoint per dollar spent with Uber all year long, up to $10,000 in Uber spending per year. (If you have only had award stays or credit card stay credits and still earn points with Uber please post a comment!)
If you use Uber during a stay at a Starwood property then non-elites will earn 2 Starpoints per dollar spent with Uber, Gold and Platinum Starwood elite members will earn 3 Starpoints per dollar spent with Uber, and 75 night Platinum elites will earn 4 Starpoints per dollar spent with Uber. Points will post to your Starwood account 2-4 weeks after the ride.
For 2016 you’ll be able to earn points in January as long as you had a stay during 2015. From February 2016 until the end of the year you’ll need to have had a 2016 stay at a Starwood hotel to earn Starpoints for Uber rides.
These Starpoints come on top of bonus points you can earn with your credit card. All American Express Membership Rewards cards earn an additional point per dollar on Uber spending (hence the 3 points per dollar earned on Uber with Everyday Preferred). Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also earns double points for Uber spending. In fact you shouldn’t use a Starwood AMEX for Uber as other cards are more valuable and you can earn these bonus Starpoints no matter what card you use.
This Saturday in Dubai, London, Mexico City, New York, and San Francisco between 2pm-7pm there will be the option to select an SPG vehicle. Many will request it, but few will actually get it. If you are able to land a ride from an SPG vehicle you’ll get 15,000 Starpoints and other freebies!
According to Chabad.org, shabbos ends at 6:26pm in NYC this week. Post a comment if you’re actually able to land an SPG ride!
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24 Comments On "Ride Uber, Earn Starpoints!"
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Just to clarify, if I booked a stay with starpoints that wouldn’t make me eligible to earn starpoints with Uber?
I don’t understand are you earning an extra point if you use uber? Or the same point that you would have earned anyway using your spg card??
Wow. I didn’t realize Chabad does melacha 40 minutes after 5:46 sunset.
For those who wait until 60 minutes, Shabbos doesn’t end until 6:46, and for those that wait for 72 minutes, the zman would be 6:58.
@DK23:
According to the terms it does not.
However what actually happens in real life isn’t clear yet, so if you try it let us know!
@Eli:
You earn Starpoints for using Uber, these points are on top of any points you get from your credit card.
@deal guy:
It’s based on the Alter Rebbe’s calculations. It’s not a flat 40 minutes year round, it varies based on the proportional hour, etc. Thus in the summer it would be greater than 50 minutes.
I thought you can earn double points for uber on the regular amex card.
@Meir:
You sound confused, read the post again.
I took an Uber from LGA to BP yesterday, there was traffic on the BQE and ended up paying $97 for that ride, next time flat rate taxis it is. And Uber also paid for many free rides too… you win some you lose some.
@boro park:
Did you do UberX or Uber Black?
I’ve done that ride in UberX before and it’s been about $46.
Base ride is $3 in NYC
The distance cost for that rids is $32 ($2.15 per mile in NYC)
If it takes 30 minutes the time adds $12 (40 cents per minute in NYC)
For it to cost $97 it would have to have taken you 2.5 hours!
Seems highly unlikely to me if you chose UberX…
Crazy how much cheaper other cities are compared to that though.
-Miami base is $1, miles are $0.95 and time is 16 cents/minute.
-Chicago base is $1.70, miles are $0.90 and time is 20 cents/minute.
-LA base is free, miles are $0.90 and time is 18 cents/minute.
Dan,
Mazel tov on the recent simcha!
@Dan: NYC is more expensive than most other places because all Uber drivers must be licensed by the TLC. Unlike other cities (e.g. Chicago and Miami) anyone could be driving for Uber.
Dan, I used UberX and it cost me $70 from LGA to flatbush via Jackie Robinson. But seeing the prices you just posted it makes sense why it’s so much cheaper in Miami than in NYC.
@Dan: we were 6 people UberXL is 1.5 times the price and the ride took over an hour…
@zow:
Thanks.
@boro park:
Gotta say that, can’t compare apples to oranges.
Dan-
If you pay with Sapphire you get 2x points..which is worth more?
@AHB:
You don’t have to pay with Starwood AMEX to get this, please read the post again.
Dan- saw this news this morning and was waiting for it to be posted on this site. How can I send you news like this earlier?
Dan,
I recently started using Uber more often and love it, only using uberX since that is the best price.
I do wonder how many free rides you got while other people using your promo code.
I have had many UBER rides since December. A total of about $400 spent. Called SPG to ask if they could retroactively award the points to me and they said they could not. However they did give me 500 point loyalty credit to make up for what I am losing out on.
Hey how can I create more uber accounts?? I tried and they ask me to send copy of ID and google voice not allowing me to create another account. Any tips?? Thanks
Random UBER-related question, but one which someone here may be able to answer — does anyone know if Uber Family is expanding to other cities? I contacted Uber here in L.A., but never heard back from them. I’ll explain why I’m asking. Say I want to get picked up from my house to go to the airport and I’m traveling with my toddler daugther. Well, it turns out she obviously needs a car seat for the ride to the airport. If I had already planned on renting a car seat at my destination when I pick up the rental, then it really creates a need for Uber drivers w/pre-installed car seats. So they’ve done this in NYC, but I don’t think anywhere else. I see a lost business opportunity here. Anyhow, does anyone know if they’re going to expand to other cities? Traveling moms want to know. –end of question/rant–
What about cash and points? Can I earn spg points for uber based off that?
Dan, is the Saturday promotion open to people who haven’t had an Starwoods stay in 2015?
@Dan: @boro park: I agree. Seriously if you want to state your opinion on something at least state the facts. Sheesh.
@zow:
Mazal tov! Nice:) Where did you get it?