11 Clever Tricks To Save Money On Uber That Actually Work

Uber as a business entity has courted controversy in the past, mainly having to do with how it has operated the business. That includes running afoul of state and national jurisdictions for operating without agreements or permissions. That hasn't stopped Uber from being a ride-sharing empire on the rise as evidenced by the $37.2 billion revenue it generated in 2023, representing a rise of 16% from the previous year. In the third quarter of 2024, the company reported a 20% increase in revenue, with estimated future gross earnings from bookings in the fourth quarter to land between $42.75 billion to $44.25 billion.

Although Uber has competition from the likes of Lyft and Waymo, Uber still lays claim to 76% of the U.S. market for ride sharing. Services that include commercial freights, UberEats food delivery and takeout, and a delivery service, add to that market share in costly ways to app users who rely on Uber for all of these services. Considering that riders spent 17% more on Uber rides in the first quarter of 2024 than Lyft riders — Uber riders represented an average $67 worth of revenue per rider, versus Lyft users $58 — considering ways to save money on Uber rides is something worth thinking about. Fortunately, we've compiled a list of clever tricks you can use to save money on your next Uber ride, and better still, they actually work.

If you want to save on your next Uber ride, the first thing to be aware of is surge pricing. Surge pricing occurs when the demand for rides is higher than normal, and there aren't enough Ubers available for everyone who needs one. For instance, a Taylor Swift concert can lead to surge pricing. Surge pricing occurs in real time and as a rider, you can choose to pay more to get to where you need to or wait until the surge pricing goes down. In 2024, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, demanded more transparency around surge pricing, which indicates surge pricing is enough of an issue for Americans that even the government wants to get involved.

Like most tech today, there's an algorithm that dictates when and how much extra you'll pay based on factors like rush hour traffic, so planning ahead can save you money. Attending a dinner on the same night as the aforementioned Taylor Swift concert? Uber somewhere nearby before the streets are packed with concertgoers in cars. Download the driver app, which will display both the upfront fare for a ride and the surge price. Drivers are alerted to the busiest areas where surge pricing is a factor courtesy of a color code located in the driver app's map display. You can use the driver's app to your advantage if you're willing to wait.

Whether shopping for groceries or a ride to a bar, comparing prices before making a purchase is always a good idea. With Uber and Lyft brewing the most popular ridesharing apps, it makes sense to download both so you can manually check pricing between the two when you need to. In the U.S., according to app developer aPurple, that can differ between states and cities — Uber in Chicago is 90 cents per mile versus $1.75 per mile in Dallas — however, Lyft has a standard 90 cents per mile in 350 major cities. That doesn't always translate to savings however, since Uber has more offerings that can actually be cheaper than Lyft depending on the service you require. Lyft also has surge pricing, so depending on how busy the roads are in the neighborhood you're headed to, this can also affect your price comparison.

Using other apps to beat the other, like a price comparison app like RideGuru, may be your best option. RideGuru provides comparison pricing for several ride-share companies including Lyft, Uber, Didi, Ola, and Curb, as well as local taxis and limousine service companies. So now, instead of asking "is Uber cheaper than Lyft?" you can instead consider a wider field of options that may actually be cheaper than both. There's a reason Uber has threatened to block the usage of its developer tools to price comparison apps, and attempted to shut down others like Ride Fair in 2017. They work in the consumer's favor.

Another great way to save money on your next Uber ride is carpooling, which allows you to split the cots of your ride with other riders. Uber makes that easy with UberX Share, an in-app option where you can confirm your wish to carpool with others after inputting where you want to go. Although you can only reserve a single seat for yourself, as long as you plan ahead with friends along your route, you can share a ride with as many as six people to your shared destination. You may wait up to an extra six minutes for a shared ride and only have a two minute window to get to your Uber, but you could also save up to 20% on your fare compared to a traditional Uber ride.

If you're headed to the airport or a concert venue, another form of car pooling offered by Uber is Uber Shuttle service. Uber Shuttle allows you to reserve seats for up to five people in a vehicle that may hold anywhere from 14 to 55 passengers headed in the same direction. This offers service free of surge pricing at just a fraction of the usual fare price. This service is currently limited to Chicago, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, and Miami, with plans to expand across the country. 

Gift cards can also save you a little cash, especially if you can get those gift cards at a discount. For instance, CardBear provides leads on many different discounted gift cards, including Uber gift cards with an average discount of 7.6% and a current offer of 14.5% off. You can use an Uber gift card for more than rides, as UberEats is also a valid way to use the gift card. Another online offer at Techbargains had two $50 Uber eGift cards with a total value of $100 on sale for $74.99. Although that offer has expired, it gives you an idea of the sort of bargains you can find if you're willing to look.

In November 2024 on the CMForum, moderator AskTriMan shared some of their favorite ways to score discounted Uber gift cards. Using apps like Tata Neu can take a tiny 2% off the cost of your gift card, which isn't amazing, but it's something. The GCX gift card exchange offers another way to save on an Uber gift card. Currently, cards valued anywhere from $20 to $500 have discounts of 2% to 7.5% off. Considering all the ways buying gift cards from a store display rack can get you scammed, maybe purchasing an eGift card is a better option anyway.

One little known credit card perks you should take advantage of is credit card rewards. Credit cards can offer you rewards for specific transactions. Right now, some of the best credit cards for Uber rewards are offering hundreds of dollars in Uber credits. The American Express Platinum Card gives card users up to five credits for every dollar spent, as well as 80,000 credits if you manage to spend $8,000 in the first six months. Ultimately, this adds up to as much as $200 in Uber credits per year. The American Express Gold Card is a tiny step down from its platinum counterpart but the benefits are still decent. This card gives you up to $120 in Uber credits per year or the equivalent of $10 per month, and you these credits also count towards UberEats. By spending $6,000 in the first month, you earn 60,000 points you can use to book flights and hotels, dine out at restaurants, or just do your groceries.

If, instinctively, $6,000 to $8,000 sounds like a whole lot of money to spend in a six month period, you probably shouldn't spend it to get Uber credits. Beware holding huge unnecessary balances, as this is one of the dark truths of credit card rewards many people aren't considering.

Coupons aren't just for groceries anymore, nor are they all printed on paper. Like gift cards, coupons sourced online can be an excellent way to take the financial sting out of your next ride. There are a number of coupon sites that have the potential to get you cashback and other perks with Uber. The Ibotta app will give you a list of cashback coupon offers through specific dealers, and you can gain access to them by creating an account and logging in. PayPal Honey will not only source coupon codes, but can save you time by testing to see if they're legitimate or not. It can also locate what purchases qualify to earn reward points on PayPal, which can in turn be used to earn cashback rewards.

For the month of January 2025, Coupon.today is offering a few Uber related coupons. On offer are coupon codes that can earn you 40% off your next Uber ride or 50% for new Uber users. There are also dollar discounts, offering anywhere from six to $20 off your next ride. If you're a new user, you may be able to take advantage of 25% off your first ten rides with the ridesharing app. Other sites include Couponfollow show coupon codes for two dollars off your first three rides, a 50% off offer for students, and up to $3.50 cash back. Of course, old standbys like Groupon are always worth checking out for deals. 

Sometimes Uber will offer its own deals and discounts for users. You can look for any current promotions by logging into your app and clicking on your profile at the bottom end of your screen. Go into your wallet and tap on your promotions where any available promotions will appear with an expiration date and the regions in which they can be used. One of the best things about Uber promotion is that you can stack your benefits as you see fit. You can take advantage of the option to collect several promotions at once, and even though you can only apply one to each ride, you have the option of choosing which to apply to a certain trip. Just remember you need to enter the specific code for the ride you want or the app will automatically apply the highest promotional discount to the trip. You can do this in your wallet by entering the promo code and tapping the "add" function.

Become your favorite friend in your group by paying a promotion forward to your bestie. You can invite friends and family to take advantage of your promotional discount by going to your menu icon in the Uber app, tapping the free ride function, and sending the promotion directly to whoever you like through text, email, or social media.

According to Backlinco, Uber has 58.6 million users in the U.S., representing a significant uptick from 54.4 million users in 2023. Membership has its privileges, and that's no different for Uber. Different tiers provide different levels of benefits, so long as you use Uber enough to make the cost of membership a benefit. At $9.99 per month, or $96 per year, If you use Uber several times the perks of an Uber One membership could be worth it. Included in the benefits are a waiving of delivery fees on food and groceries among other things. Another benefit along the same lines is a 10% discount on specific deliveries and pickup orders. Uber One also occasionally offers exclusive deals unavailable to other Uber riders, including the ability to save money on participating restaurants and shops. On average, the benefits of membership saves riders $25 per month, equating to $300 per year. Uber One is easy to unsubscribe from, but why would you want to? With 5% off most rides, as well as the ability to earn 5% credits on eligible rides, there's more reason to be a member than not.

We've already talked about surge pricing and how availability of Uber rides can impact the cost of your rides. By planning ahead to book rides through Uber Reserve, you can save a significant amount of money. How much money can Uber reservations really save you? You can schedule rides up to a maximum of 90 days ahead, which makes booking your car for the airport or a specific medical appointment all the more easy. Just remember you must reserve your ride at least two hours before you intend to ride, and you have up until one hour before the scheduled time of your ride to cancel without penalty. You can reserve a standard economy vehicle or a premium vehicle like an UberVan based on their availability.

While an economy vehicle reserved ahead of time allows for the standard five minute wait time, a premium vehicle reservation will wait up to 15 minutes for you to get to it. Airport pickups will offer you even more flexibility, with a 60-minute premium booking or a 45-minute economy ride. If your flight is delayed, remember you can cancel the ride up to two hours before your scheduled pickup, so you can still avoid any extra charges. If you've had a really great experience with a driver, you can save them in your favorite driver list and potentially book them for pickup in your reservation. 

Something a lot of people don't know about or take advantage of are ridesharing discounts on election day. This year, Uber offered 50% off rides to polling stations as part of its voting initiative. Uber installed a Go Vote function in the app that would cut your fare in half for up to $10. Uber also gifted Uber users 25% off on election day for people attending election day parties and events. This included up to a $15 discount on a minimum fare of $25. The latter option also extended to UberEats orders — after 6 p.m. on Election Day — which means you could take advantage of half price rides to and from the polling station to cast your vote, and then later, take advantage of a 25% discount on food orders up to $15 on a minimum $25 order. All of these benefits are available starting Election Day, and run until the next morning at 7 a.m..

While you would still have to pay additional fees and taxes, this is still a great way to save money and fulfill your civic duty.

Finally, maybe the best way to save money on Uber is to not use it. According to The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) via Bicycle Retailer and Business News, cycling added just over $4.3 billion to the U.S. GDP in the form of outdoor recreation. Aside from the overall financial benefit of cycling to the country, the individual impact on your bank account can't be overlooked. According to Vilano Bikes, the average road bike in the U.S. costs anywhere from $200 to $3,000, depending on the quality. Of course, unless you're competing in the next Tour De France, a decent used bike in the range of $200 to $400 should do the job. On the other hand, the bike experts at Vilano books recommend spending a minimum of $500 on a good new bike, since it will motivate you to use it, and will save you more money in the long run since it should be of higher quality.

Depending on where you live, the state may actually pay you to cycle. For instance, Georgia Commute Options has a clean commute program that promotes more environmental means of getting around. The program offers cash incentives where you can earn five dollars a day for up to $150 over a 90-day period. Every time you log your trip, the initiative automatically places in the running for an additional $25 reward. These cash incentives are included for car pooling, using public transit, cycling, or walking.