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8 Uber Hacks You Wish You Knew About Sooner

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Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

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Whether it’s Uber or Lyft, more people are using ride-sharing services than ever. If you’re a frequent Uber rider, you should definitely know about these Uber hacks. They’ve saved me tons of money and often got me free rides for a limited period of time. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Note: Most of these tips apply to Uber. However, some of them may apply to Lyft as well.

Uber Hacks For Riders

Here’re all the Uber hacks you’ll learn about in this guide. Click on the links to jump ahead.

Uber Sign-up Promo Codes

If you’re a first-time user, you can earn your first ride for free. When you sign up with this promo link, you’ll get up to $25 off your first rides.

You’d be surprised that some people don’t take advantage of these easy savings. They just download the app, create an account and start requesting rides. Don’t be like them.

Use Uber Referrals

Uber has a nice referral program to entice more people to sign up with their services. Go to the menu within the app, find free rides, and tap on it. You’ll be able to invite your friends and families to sign up.

Every time a new Uber user sign up with your referral link, they’ll get $2 off their first three rides. You’ll automatically get $5 off your next ride.

If you don’t have an account yet, you can use this referral link to take advantage of this promotion.

Free Rides With the Freebird App

You probably may have never heard about this app. It’s one of the apps that deserve a spot on your smartphone if you want to save a few bucks on all your Uber and Lyft rides.

For existing Uber and Lyft users, use these promo codes: GEM and ZOOM to get $5 off your first three rides.

You earn points for requesting Uber and Lyft through the app, which you can cash out. The app also partners with a variety of selections of places to go to eat or drink for money back. You’re essentially getting money back for things you’d normally do.

If you’re a frequent Uber or Lyft user this app is life-changing. You should give it a try or you’re missing out.

Get $0.50 Per Ride With Acorns

You may have heard of Acorns. If not, check this great article to see why it made it to our list of the best budgeting apps.

Acorns has partnered with Uber to offer its users $0.50 every time they request an Uber through their app, which will be invested in your portfolio.

It may not seem like a great incentive. If you’ve been using both apps it would be foolish to not take advantage of this.

Avoid Surge Pricing

When demands increase, prices go up. The same rules apply to Uber. During rush hours, times of peak activity, and bad weather you’ll see higher rates. All you have to do is to close the app, wait for a couple of minutes then open it again.

If the price doesn’t go down, just walk a little bit to get off your location. You’re probably in a popular area where a lot of people are requesting rides.

UberPool

UberPool allows you to share the cost of a ride with other passengers who are going in the same direction as you. It’s a nice and smart way to save on rides. In fact, you could get rides for as low as $2.

But there’s a catch if you’re in a rush UberPool is not your best option. Because the driver has to drop off and pick up passengers along the way, it may take you longer than usual to get to your destination.

Sometimes, they don’t even pick up any other passengers and get to your destination just as quickly. But other times, you could be the last to get out.

Split Your Uber Fare With Friends

If you’re a budget-friendly rider, you’ll want to check out the Uber “Split Fare” feature. This allows you to divide a trip fare evenly between your account and your friends’ accounts. That way everyone pays an equal portion of the total cost. 

To split an Uber fare make sure your friends have an Uber account and a credit/debit card associated with it.

Before or during the ride, swipe up from the bottom of the app. Next, select your method of payment, then tap Split Fare to enter the names or phone numbers of other riders.

Each person will receive a notification of your fare split request and will have to accept your invitation in order to pay their portion.

They need to accept your invitation before the ride is over, otherwise, you’ll have to pay the full fare. You should note “Split Fare” is not available on UberPool, and each participating rider is charged a 25 cent fee.

Schedule a Ride in Advance

Did you know you can schedule an Uber ride up to 30 days in advance? Back in 2016, Uber has rolled out its Scheduled Rides feature as a response to Lyft who had made a similar announcement months before.

This feature comes in handy, especially when you’re flying or commuting you can schedule a ride ahead of your arrival time.

We’re not entirely sure if this depends upon the driver’s availability or if they preschedule someone for your ride. Anyway, it’s convenient to be able to schedule an Uber ride in advance.

Wrap Up

These were our top 8 Uber hacks to save money on your rides.

Do you know any Uber hacks or tips that we should have mentioned in this post? Please let us know in the comment section below.

If you found this guide helpful, please share and/or recommend it to your friends, so they can enjoy it too.

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

Herby Jasmin

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