Combine Amex Uber Credits – Why & How to Consolidate into One Account
As out of control Amex seems to be with their temporary and ongoing credits, I largely consider them blessings. But I can certainly understand those who consider the credits as curses. One of the most frustrating versions are the monthly Uber credits, historically from personal Amex Platinum cards, and more recently from personal Amex Gold cards. Using them up without getting taken to the cleaners can take more time than it should. Fortunately, there’s an option to make it easier on yourself and any other Amex cardmembers in your household. Today, I’ll describe why and how to combine Amex Uber credits into one account.
Why You Should Combine Amex Uber Credits
Some cardholders may play a simple Amex game. Congratulations – this article is probably not for you. But many of us play a more complicated Amex game, involving multiple premium Amex cards and a “Player 2”, such as a spouse or domestic partner. My wife and I each hold multiple card accounts (more than I care to currently admit) earning Uber Credits: personal Platinum ($15 monthly, $35 in December) and Gold cards ($10 monthly). In the past, we had our respective cards and Uber credits associated with our own separate Uber accounts. That is, until a few months ago.
At that point, I took action on something I had known for some time. You can add Amex card accounts in someone else’s name (my spouse, in my case) to the wallet in your own Uber account. By doing so, you accumulate all credits, your own and Player 2’s, together! Here are just a few reasons why this is a good move.
Simplicity
Rather than jumping to multiple accounts to ensure you drain all credits each month, you can simply focus on one Uber account and methodically use them all. Then you’re done!
Going Bigger without Going Out of Pocket
You can splurge all your credits on one meal. Perhaps that’s a bigger meal for the whole family, treating friends, ordering higher quality fare, or simply tipping a deserving driver more. Also, you may have enough credits in one account to get an Uber all the way to the airport (and back). This addresses one of the toughest expenses to avoid for free travel – travel between home and the airport. What a concept! 😉
More Fun
Maybe this is a bit related to the first two. Regardless, I want to underscore how combining credits enhances your flexibility and make the credits a pleasure, rather than a pain, to use. After all, if the hobby isn’t fun, what’s the point?
Minor Downsides
The reason I put off consolidating our credits together into one account is not a huge one, but one that can’t be ignored. I enjoyed having Amex Uber credits in two different accounts to increase the likelihood of stacking periodic Uber promos with “free” Amex credits. After careful consideration, we decided the above three reasons for combining outweighed the “losing the promo” downside. At any rate, with how many credits we have now, effectively missing out on a promo here or there isn’t a big deal.
Also, depending on one’s household dynamic, sharing the same Uber account and credits may be difficult or impractical.
How to Consolidate Uber Credits
For the purposes of this article, I’ll refer to the account you want to move the credits from as the “old” Uber account. I’ll call the Uber account we want to move those credits to the “target” account. While this process may seem simple on its face, it must be done carefully. Otherwise, you may lose credits or wind up communicating with Uber customer service. And in my experience, Uber customer service is, ahem, unpredictable. Here we go:
Step #1
Consume all of the old account’s Amex Uber credits (from the current month). This may not be absolutely necessary prior to Step #2, but it’s a nice way to mitigate any credits possibly disappearing prior to moving forward.
Step #2
Within the same month after completing Step #1, delete all Amex cards providing Uber credits from the old Uber account’s wallet. If possible, reference your or Player 2’s records and take note of the full account number for each of these Amex cards. Amex unhelpfully issues different cards with account numbers containing the same last four digits, which is all that shows up once attached to an Uber wallet.
Step #3
At the beginning of the next month immediately after conducting Steps #1 and #2, add the Amex cards you previously deleted from the old account to the target account. Of course, you can do this any time during the month, but I recommend doing it sooner rather than later. Why? You’ll be able to add the cards and take advantage of the credits sooner. Also, you’ll have more time in the month to contact Uber customer service if there’s an issue.
Most importantly, there appears to be a velocity issue with adding multiple new cards and the credits appearing. Uber doesn’t seem to like (or at least can’t handle) many new cards in a short timeframe. I had no problem adding two new cards to the target account in one day. The credits appeared immediately. YMMV. Worst case, you add cards intermittently over the month to ensure you get all credits owed to you and Player 2.
Step #4
Do some simple math to ensure all Amex credits have appeared in the target Uber account. You can do this after each card you add in Step #3 or after you add them all. If there’s an issue, contact Uber customer service for assistance.
Step #5
Consume all of your newly consolidated Uber credits in the target account. This may seem obvious, but using the whole credit balance by the end of the month can take more effort. Yes, this is a good problem, but no one likes to lose credits!
Combine Amex Uber Credits – Conclusion
I’ve heard some postulate that a big Uber credit balance precludes, or at least makes it less likely, that one will be targeted for additional Uber promos. For what it’s worth, in a few months of three-digit Amex Uber credits, I’ve continued to receive such promos. Regardless, my wife and I have enjoyed all of our Uber credits existing in one place. The simplicity, fun, and more significant “free” purchases have made consolidation totally worth it for us. Do you consolidate your Uber credits with your Player 2? Why or why not?
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Hi so I did this with my Amex platinum and my Amex gold. No problem $25 automatically
But then I added my wife’s Amex platinum in as well after removing it from her Uber account. But still have not seen that extra $15 a month from her Amex??
Quan,
If it was the same month, you won’t get the credit on your Uber account. If you continue to have issues, maybe contact customer service.
Thanks for the article! Why is it necessary to delete the existing cards before adding a new amex with a credit? I just opened a platinum (and my P2 already has a platinum in her uber app). Would be great to get two monthly uber credits. Will it screw things up somehow if I just add my platinum to her app as is, without removing the existing amex cards in there? Thanks again!
Jon,
Thanks for reading! The sequential order made most sense to me, and it worked. Your order may work, too – do whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Cool — thanks, Benjy! I tried just adding it and that worked too. Makes sense to keep close track of the credits. If I also have uber gift card credits in there, do you know if it uses the $15 monthly (expiring) credits first, before it takes from the gift card credits?
It always uses the monthly credits first before gift card credits.