Uber is discontinuing the 5% savings on eligible rides it previously granted subscribers of its Uber One subscription programme.
Beginning with the next billing cycle, users will receive 6% “Uber Cash” on eligible rides, which can be spent on Uber and Uber Eats.
Dropping the 5% discount may drive Uber consumers to Lyft, whose Lyft Pink membership still provides 5% off trips.
Other member incentives, such as the $0 delivery cost and up to 10% off qualified Uber Eats purchases, were not mentioned in the email, so those who signed up for the membership primarily for takeaway bargains should breathe a sigh of relief.
The change comes nearly a year after Uber discontinued its free loyalty programme, Uber Rewards, through which users could earn points for every dollar spent on trips or deliveries. The points would then be redeemed for future service discounts, access to highly rated drivers, free upgrades, and other benefits.
Uber did not comment on why the company decided to make this adjustment now, although a PR-sanitized remark from a spokeswoman does provide some hints.
“As Uber One is the best way to save across Uber and Uber Eats, we’re making it even easier to use your benefits on Uber’s full suite of products,” Uber consumer communications head Becky Katz Davis told TechCrunch.
“Uber One members are profitable,” stated Khosrowshahi at the company’s first-quarter earnings call.
“And what we find is it’s a very, very effective way, essentially, to draw frequency and higher engagement with our customer base.”
Uber One was officially introduced in 2021, but Uber began a subscription service named Ride Pass in 2018.