Earn Uber Credits With Visa Local Offers

Uber launched Visa Local Offers as part of their Uber app in August 2016, but it’s so hidden inside the ride-sharing app that not a lot of people know it even exists. I’ll share everything you need to know about this free feature. Don’t miss your chance to earn free Uber credits with Visa Local Offers!

What is Visa Local Offers?

Visa Local Offers is a free rewards program located inside the Uber app. The program, which is a partnership between Uber and Visa, rewards you with Uber credits for making purchases online or in person at featured stores and restaurants with an eligible Visa card on your Uber account. Now, you can turn everyday spending into an easy way to get around town.

If you’re 1 of the 3 people in this world who hasn’t used Uber yet, you can download the app and enter the promo code UBERAZURIK to get discounts off your first three rides.

How do I enroll in Visa Local Offers?

In order to enroll in Visa Local Offers, you have to opt-in through the Uber app. You’ll need to have a Visa credit card or debit card connected to Uber, so if you haven’t done so already, add a Visa card (or as many Visa cards as you like) as a payment method.

Once you connect your Visa card, opting in is simple and fast. Launch the Uber app and click on the top-left menu bar. Scroll down the menu and select “Settings”. You’ll find Visa Local Offers inside here:

With your Visa card connected, you should see a screen come up that gives a short explanation on what Visa Local Offers is and how you can earn Uber credits when you shop or dine out with the program. At the bottom of the screen, click on “Count me in”. The next screen will confirm your enrollment and the Visa cards that’s now connected to Visa Local Offers.

What places participate in Visa Local Offers?

There’s a lot of places that participate in Visa Local Offers, but Uber doesn’t make it easy to find out. There’s no logic in where they decided to place it in the Uber app. Of all places,

To get the list of restaurants and stores that are part of the program, click the menu button again on the main screen of the Uber app and go to “Payments”. Inside there, go down until see see the subtitle “Payment Offers”. You should see “Earn Uber Cash With Visa” under this section. Select this and you’ll get a list of nearby places that you can earn Uber credits at and the amount you’ll earn in credits:

Although you can search by categories or places, it won’t allow you to search specific areas – it only shows places around your current location. That’s kind of a bummer at times, like when you’re planning to travel somewhere, but can’t find out what places are available until you get there.

On the plus side, there’s plenty of restaurants and stores, even if you don’t live near a major city. If you do live in a metropolitan area though, you’ll have a ton of choices. I find the cities below to have to biggest number of places:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Charlotte
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Cleveland
• Columbus, OH
• Denver
• Honolulu
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New York City
• Orange County
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Seattle
• Tampa
• Washington, D.C.

How long does it take for the Uber credits to show up?

In 99% of the cases – almost immediately. I usually get a notification on my phone the moment the waiter or cashier charges my credit card:

You can check your current Uber credits balance under the payment section of your Uber app. It’s called “Uber Cash” there. Uber Cash also includes any gift cards you have credited, so you may have a higher credit than what you’ve originally expected.

How do I use my Uber credits (Uber Cash)?

Using your Uber credits that you’ve earned is super easy! Next time you’re ordering a ride through Uber, change the payment method to “Uber Cash” before you confirm your ride. The drop down menu to choose a payment choice is listed below the Uber ride types (UberX, Uber Comfort, Uber Black):

Related:

• Earn cash back for shopping at over 3,000+ stores
• Get rewards for taking a picture of your restaurant bill

The Bottom Line

Whether it’s cash back, miles and points, or credits – free is free. And free is even better when it’s actually useful like the Uber credits you’ll earn with Visa Local Offers. Just be sure to use the Visa credit cards and debit cards that you linked to your Uber account. Uber also adds new shops all the time so check back on their app often.

I love stuff like this because it pays me back on things I’m already going to buy. Sometimes, there’s lucrative deals that you can take advantage of. For example, the program listed Whole Foods as a partner (since removed) with a 10% Uber credits earning rate.

Well, it just so happened that Whole Foods has a gift card rack with Amazon cards. I went bonkers and bought like $5,000 worth of Amazon gift cards for essentially 10% off. Amazon is like 75% of my online shopping and an extra 10% off on their already competitive prices is a hot deal!

Have you used the Visa Local Offers in the Uber app? Did you know it even existed? Let me know down in the comments!