Barclays is launching a Uber Credit Card, and it looks to be a pretty good one!
This credit card carries no annual fee, and the rewards are actually pretty enticing, dare I say even innovative in some areas. The card has quite a few spend category multipliers, as follows:
- 4% Back on Dining
- 3% Back on Hotel and Airfare
- 2% Back on Online Purchases
- 1% Back on Everything else
These bonus categories are actually pretty good, considering that even “flagship” credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve only offer 3x on dining (though I value Ultimate Rewards points more than 1 cent each).
Essentially, you are earning “points” for your purchases, which you can then redeem for cash back, gift cards, or Uber credit. You will need at least 500 points ($5) to redeem Uber credits, or 2,500 points ($25) to redeem cash back or gift cards.
Interestingly, Uber doesn’t really come into play all that much when it comes to bonus categories. UberEATS will earn you 4% cash back, while Uber rides will earn you 2% cash back. Neither is all that spectacular, since Uber rides count as a transportation bonus with some cards, and tons of other cards offer dining bonuses. I suspect they are banking on people just redeeming the “cash back” on Uber rides, which looks to be pretty simple to do.
Barclays is launching a co-branded Uber Credit Card
The card also comes with a number of other benefits, which include:
- $50 “Subscription Credit” for online subscription services after spending $5,000 on your card in a year
- $600 Mobile Phone Damage/Theft Reimbursement if you pay your mobile phone bill with the card
- Invitation to exclusive events in various US cities
- No foreign transaction fee
The subscription credit essentially amounts to an extra 1% cash back annually, if you (1) spend exactly $5,000 and (2) approach the credit at face value. The credit can be used on Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Music, Audible, Sirius XM, Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, DirecTV NOW, Amazon Prime, and Shoprunner.
The mobile phone insurance is also a nice and useful feature. The insurance is active every month you charge your wireless phone bill to the card, and there is a $25 deductible. The only notable other cards that offer something similar are Wells Fargo’s cards and Chase Ink business cards.
The fact that this card has no foreign transaction fee is also outstanding, considering most cards without one usually carry an annual fee instead.
Overall, I think the Uber credit card is a really strong offering. For most people, this covers some of the more popular categories of bonuses, and the redemption scheme is relatively straightforward. I suspect Uber and Barclays are going for a card that can potentially be “top of the wallet,” and I think this is one that will appeal to many people who are simply looking for cash back.
Applications open on November 2, 2017. There is an introductory offer of 10,000 points after $500 spend within 90 days of card opening.
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2 comments
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Since it says it applies when the incident is not otherwise covered by another insurance policy , does that mean that if my homeowner s insurance theoretically covers it, then the credit card s policy does not apply?