Amex Changing Payment Method Rules on Uber Cash Perk

How you pay for your Uber rides and food deliveries is about to look a little different if you’ve got an American Express card and rely on monthly Uber Cash credits.

This change won’t make much difference if your Uber Cash covers the entire cost of your ride or food order, but it could affect your points earnings if the credits don’t cover the entire bill.

Here’s what you need to know.

Quick Recap on Uber Cash for American Express Cardholders

Those with the Platinum Card^® from American Express or the American Express^® Gold Card can get monthly Uber Cash added to their Uber accounts, usable for rides or Uber Eats orders in the U.S. To receive the credits, simply add your eligible Amex Platinum card or Amex Gold card as a payment method to your Uber account.

Once that’s done, you can use these credits to pay for rides or food orders over the next month. Just note that the Uber Cash does expire — whether you use it or not — at the end of the month, but you’ll receive a new allotment each month so long as you keep the eligible Amex card in your Uber account as a payment method and keep your card account open.

Changes to Amex Uber Cash Benefit

This message was on my Amex Platinum card statement yesterday:

Change to Your Uber Cash Benefit

Effective November 8, 2024, in addition to having Uber Cash toggled on, an American Express Card must be selected as the payment method for your transaction in the Uber or Uber Eats app to redeem Uber Cash received through this benefit.

-Language on recent cardholder statements

This change won’t make much of a difference if you’re placing a food order or taking a ride that costs less than your benefit amount. For example, the Amex Gold card provides up to $120 in Uber Cash annually — received as up to $10 per month. If you’re taking a ride that costs $10 or less, nothing will change except the requirement to select an Amex card as your backup payment method.

This matters, however, if your Uber Cash balance doesn’t cover the entire bill. If you have $10 in Uber Cash and take a $20 ride to the airport, you presently have the option of paying the remaining $10 with any credit card of your choosing. You could select the card that earns extra points on Uber, even if that’s not an American Express card. That option will end on November 8, 2024, however.

Luckily, you can choose which American Express card you want to associate with your ride. It can be any Amex card, not just the card offering the Uber Cash, as confirmed by a spokesperson from American Express. In this way, you can choose which Amex card will offer the best return on your purchase.

Final Thoughts

Starting on November 8, 2024, you’ll have to use an Amex card as your backup payment method if you want to use the Uber Cash that comes as a benefit of your Amex card.

This won’t affect anything for rides and Uber Eats orders where your Uber Cash balance covers the entire bill, but it can mean earning fewer points if you were previously paying the remaining balance with a card from another issuer.