Uber Eyes Retail Delivery

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the ride-hailing company could potentially offer courier services for retail businesses in the future, according to a report by Reuters.

Khosrowshahi was speaking at a meeting at the Economic Club of New York, and he talked about his tenure at the head of Uber, a position he took in 2017. When asked about the future of the business, he said he could see it expanding into the courier sector.

“We can extend that [food delivery] model to essentially every single local retailer, so that anything you want in New York City can be delivered to you, hopefully in under 30 minutes,” Khosrowshahi said.

In October, Uber bought a majority stake in Cornershop, a Chilean online grocery provider. The company wanted to expand its delivery service to include groceries and other goods, although it’s not known whether that model will work in other places.

In other Uber news, Uber and American Express have partnered to offer businesses rewards whenever they pay for rides using a corporate American Express Card.

Riders who use a business profile in the Uber app and pay with their corporate Amex card will earn 2 to 6 points per dollar.

Under the partnership, reward benefits will double, jumping to two times on Uber Pool, four times on Uber X, and six times on Uber Black. After hitting 500 points, users can choose a reward, like $5 in Uber cash or no Uber Eats delivery fees.

Amex corporate Gold and Platinum cardholders will also get priority pickups at most U.S. airports. Platinum cardholders get an additional benefit of getting the most highly-rated drivers available.

Businesses with more than one corporate cardholder can pool the points earned, or allow employees to keep the points.

Uber points earned with a corporate card are also counted toward earning an Uber Rewards status. Gold status starts at 500 points and maxes out with Diamond status, which requires 7,500 points.