Uber Relaunches Visa Rewards Program

On Wednesday (Aug. 23), ridesharing platform Uber announced the relaunch of Visa Local Offers, a rewards program giving Uber riders around the country the ability to earn Uber credits by using the Visa card attached to their Uber accounts when spending at restaurants, shops and local businesses.

In a news post announcing the reintroduction of the rewards service, Uber said Visa Local Offers is available from the Uber app, where riders can explore thousands of offers from featured merchants. There are no promo codes or coupons to manage. Once enrolled in the program, Uber credits will automatically start to add up in their Uber accounts when users spend with their eligible Visa cards at featured merchants.

Uber said riders will need the latest version of the Uber app and an eligible U.S.-issued Visa card on their Uber accounts to enroll in Visa Local Offers. Some of the merchants participating in the program include Dunkin’ Donuts, Neiman Marcus, QDOBA Mexican Eats, Regal Cinemas, Steak ‘n Shake, Walgreens, Wingstop and Yard House, among others.

According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal citing Uber, the ride-hailing app company is launching the credit card for its customers with Barclaycard, a unit of Barclays, the credit card issuer.

“This partnership represents a unique opportunity for Barclaycard to work with a globally recognized disrupter,” a spokeswoman for Barclaycard said in the news report.

The credit card is slated to be available in the fall, reported the WSJ. A person familiar with the deal told the paper Visa is the likely network for the card, which is the first to come from a ridesharing company. Offering customers a credit card could help enhance the relationship Uber has with customers at a time when Lyft, Uber’s rival, is raising new funding and expanding into new markets around the U.S.

The Wall Street Journal reports Lyft is also working on launching a co-branded credit card. The paper cited sources familiar with Lyft’s plans without providing more details.