What is Uber Fuel Card?

A lot of companies provide various perks to their employees; Uber is no different. Uber offers it's drivers the Uber fuel card. This card provides Uber drivers with $200 a week of gas for no fees. Here is a breakdown of all the Uber fuel cards uses and features.

To start, go into your app and check your rewards section, you will find at the bottom of the right side of the app appears your latest reward, the Mastercard Fuel Card. This card is offered to all drivers through Uber and to use it you need to have taken at least 100 rides a month, although some drivers have received one by doing less than 100 rides a month, so try applying for it anyway.

The second issue to pass is the fact that it is not a credit card, you are not being charged interest, and you will only be charged for your gas via your income from Uber meaning, you will pay for your gas when you get paid. This is a great feature since some drivers can be hard-up for cash in the middle of the week and be able to top up gas and then pay when you get paid which is a great assistance.

The third good feature is the savings you make on every purchase, according to Uber, fuel card saves you 15 cents per gallon. Since ‘Gas’ is our second largest overhead (after car depreciation and purchase cost), but the only cash overhead we feel on a daily basis, every saving we can make on it is great.

Using the Card
There are some basic practices you have to adhere to, to assure you maximize your cards usage. The first practice is to make sure the card is on you at all times. Without it, you cannot top up gas and get the discounted price or pay for it when you get paid by Uber. Since it is a Mastercard, you get an additional 1.5% discount at the gas station. The card can be used to buy other items at the gas station, and you will enjoy the 1.5% on all those items as well. Just make sure you don't go over the card's limit set by Uber. Otherwise, you will end up paying interest.

Eligibility
To be eligible, you need to drive a minimum of 100 rides a month and then go online to Uber's store or in the app and register for the card. The card takes around 5-7 days to arrive and if it takes too long before you contact Uber support, just check to see if you actually subscribed properly, sometimes applicants forgot to complete the subscription. Only after you ascertain that the subscription was successful, then you should contact Uber support to find out the reason.

Card Activation
Once you receive your card, and before you can use it, you need to activate it. If you don't activate it, it will not work. You activate the card in the account holder screen; this is also the place you will find the cancel and replace card options.

Activation is a step by step process:

  1. Log in to your account in www.uber.com
  2. Click on the "rewards" button on the left part of the screen.
  3. Click on the Card Icon that states "Activate."
  4. Type in the last four digits of the card to complete the process. In this screen, If you cannot remember your pin code, click on "Show pin code."

Using the Card
Now that you have activated the card it is time to use it. You can use the Uber Fuel Card in any gas station that accepts Mastercard, remember, it is a Mastercard first and an Uber gas card second. Make sure you have a photo ID at all times when using the card, you will be asked to verify its ownership, and we suggest you have the current mileage of the car, which is used to follow up its usage.

The card has a weekly spend limit of $200, try to use it only for gas. If you end up spending on sundry items, you might find yourself without a limit, and then your card will charge full interest. One important fact to remember, the card can only be used three times a day. That's three transactions within twenty-four hours.

Tracking Usage
Another amazing feature that this card provides is easier gas spend tracking. If you use the card solely for gas, then every time you check its usage you will know how much gas has been spent a month. You can track your cards usage in the account dashboard, and you will be able to see details of every transaction including; Transaction Date, description, the amount spent and the discount. You will also see the remainder of the card. We suggest you add up the discount column to see how much this card actually saves you.

Intelligent Usage
Using a gas card should be done with consideration of your driving environment. This means, don't just go out and use it blindly. Check out all the gas stations in your area. Check out which ones accept Mastercard and then check out which ones give a bigger discount than the one provided by the card. Once you do that, you will be able to maximize your cards usage and gain the most out of it. One good way of securing the most discount is through the Uber map; the app includes a list of Uber friendly gas stations that are part of their interactive map. You just enter the state and your zip code and the map generated will show you where all the discounted gas stations are situated.

Conclusions
The Uber Fuel Card is a great utility to have, it provides a good discount and is another "gadget" to have in your arsenal of gadgets. Since driving for Uber is not as lucrative as marketing, it is imperative that drivers cut expenses down as much as possible while maintaining a safe and comfortable ride for their passengers. The Uber Fuel Card is one such device, and we recommend you apply for it immediately.