Uber’s New Prepaid P…
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With more companies requesting employees to return to the office, the daily commute can get expensive for those reliant on ride-hailing services. To help with that, Uber is rolling out a feature that lets you book rides in advance and save some money while at it.
With Uber’s prepaid passes, you can book five, 10, 15, or 20 rides of your daily route in advance and receive considerable discounts. The more rides you buy, the bigger discounts you get. A demo shared with PCMag shows savings of 5% on five rides and up to 20% on 20 rides.
(Credit: Uber)
Once the feature appears on your app, just set the route, choose a one-hour window for ride requests, select the number of rides you want to book, and complete the payment. Prepaid passes are valid for 30 days from when you purchase them, and you can share them with your family members as well.
These passes also come with surge protection, meaning you don’t have to worry about paying an exorbitant fare if your one-hour request window falls during peak hours. Additionally, if the actual fare turns out to be lower than the price you locked your passes at, you’ll only be charged the lower amount. We’ve reached out to Uber to clarify how any discounted amount will be refunded to customers.
(Credit: Uber)
At launch, prepaid passes will be available in over 75 cities, including Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tampa Bay. More cities will be added soon, Uber says.
With the new launch, Uber is also expanding its price lock pass to “every major city throughout the US.” By paying for a $2.99 subscription, the feature lets you lock in the price of a selected route for 10 rides. Like prepaid passes, price lock is just valid for a one-hour window you choose.
In another important update, Uber is making both these passes available for its teen accounts. This means students can pay for multiple rides to school, sports, or other outings in advance using prepaid passes, or at least lock in the fare using price-lock passes. Parents can also make these purchases on behalf of their teens.
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Sub-$15 Meals on Uber Eats
(Credit: Uber)
Once you get to your workplace, lunch is another necessity. According to a study cited by Uber, New Yorkers spend an average of $418 on lunches per month. With Uber Eats’ Meal Deals, you can save a bit on those, too. It is a new dedicated section that only shows lunch options under $15.
“Participating restaurants batch-prepare popular lunch and dinner dishes, helping to keep meals affordable. Since delivery is batched, the order may take a few minutes longer than usual to arrive,” Uber says.
At launch, Meal Deals will be available for Uber Eats users in New York City, Austin, and Miami, with Philadelphia set to be added soon.
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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
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