One of the benefits of the American Express Platinum card is that you get $200 in Uber credits, which are placed into your account each month. You get $15 in Uber credits for U.S. rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December (in other words, you get a $35 credit in December).
This new benefit was introduced right around the time that the annual fee for the Platinum Card went up $100 (from $450 to $550 a year). So while the card will cost more up front, there’s chance to get even more value from it. Well, that is, if you’re able to use all $200 of the Uber credits.
It’s important to know that these credits don’t carry over from month to month, so if you don’t use them in one month, they’ll disappear. AMEX is very specific about that in the rules:
Monthly ride Credit expires at 11:59 PM Hawaii Standard Time on the last day of each month. Unused Credit will not carry over to the following month. Credit will be applied for the month in which the transaction is completed
So that tells you when the current month’s credit will expire. But what about when the new month’s credit is added to your account?
This is based on just one experience, but it seems like the credits show up pretty darn quick. We decided to take an Uber from home to the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World on April 30th, the night of our epic dinner at Victoria & Albert’s. I knew that I’d want to get the wine pairing, and Sharon’s a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, so we had no intentions of driving home.
While we started eating dinner at 5:30PM, it wasn’t until around 11:45PM when I called for an Uber to take us home. Our driver arrived in less than 10 minutes, which was appreciated, as we weren’t far away from falling into our food comas.
We arrived home in about 25 minutes, which was an average time for the ride. I went to tip our driver in the app and it just seemed off; none of the numbers made any sense. I wasn’t worried, as I’ve had to let Uber know when my price was incorrect before. The big difference was that I was showing $15 in Uber credits in my account.
By the next morning, I received a corrected invoice by email. As it turned out, the new month’s $15 credit had already been deposited into my account by 12:18AM on the first of the month.
So there’s your answer. I’d feel safe to say that your AMEX Platinum Uber credit hits your account immediately. I also feel safe in saying that the credit goes by local time. So while it says the prior month’s credit is good to 11:59PM Hawaii time, I wouldn’t count on it being good until then if you’re in the Eastern time zone, but that’s only a guess.
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