How to make sure you’re getting your Amex Platinum Uber credits

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Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new card details and information.

Your credit card benefits help offset the cost of the annual fee (especially in a year when other perks may not be used with the pause on travel), but issuers don’t always make it easy to use these perks.

A prime example of a lucrative benefit is the up to $200 in annual Uber credits provided to cardholders of The Platinum Card® from American Express. This helps justify paying the Amex Platinum card’s $550 a year for the card (see rates and fees), which provides other great perks such as lounge access, up to a $200 annual airline credit and hotel elite status.

Amex Platinum cardholders also receive $15 in Uber credits every month except in December, when they get $35.

Amex Platinum Uber cash credit

In late 2018, Uber added an extra step that made redeeming your credits more difficult. In the past, credits would automatically be applied when taking a ride, but in October 2018, Uber started adding the credits to riders’ Uber Cash balance. Uber Cash consolidates all of your Uber credits in one place.

As TPG’s Zach Honig wrote following the change:

“Those $15 in Amex credits are applied to your Uber Cash balance, and you need to manually select Uber Cash as your payment method in order to use your credits. If your overall balance isn’t high enough to cover the entire ride, you’ll be prompted to add credits to your account, or you can scroll down and select a card to cover just the remaining amount.”

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How to get around the problem

To avoid this issue, you’ll want to select Uber Cash as your payment method before you order a car. Following these steps should ensure you’ll be able to use all of your Uber Cash:

1. Select Uber Cash as your payment method
2. Request a ride
3. If your ride cost exceeds your balance, click “refill options” when prompted
4. Add credit using a linked payment method, or select “just cover this trip”

If your Uber Cash balance isn’t enough to cover the ride, you can select a credit card to cover the remaining balance from the trip. Select “Just cover this trip” and then the remaining balance should be charged to a credit card of your choice. Make sure you use a card that earns additional rewards on Uber purchases, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve (which earns 3x on travel and dining purchases, including Uber rides and Uber Eats).

Remember that the credit is a “use it or lose it” benefit, meaning it won’t roll over into the next month. The good news is that Uber Eats orders qualify for the credit, so you can still get the most out of this benefit even if you aren’t taking any Uber rides during the month.

Related: 3 ways to use your Amex Platinum Uber credit while stuck at home

Additional reporting by Jason Stauffer and Madison Blancaflor. 

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.

Featured image by studioEAST/Getty Images.