following lyft’s lead, uber recently began offering rental cars on the uber app through its new service called uber rent. The company does not rent cars directly, but allows you to reserve cars with major car rental companies such as Hertz and Budget. in some cities, uber will even deliver your rental car to your door.
Here, I’ll show you how to use uber rent to rent a car through the uber app. I’ll also discuss why you might want to rent with uber instead of renting directly with a rental car company.
Reading: Uber rental car program reviews
let’s get started!
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why you might want to rent a car with uber
so you can rent a car with uber, but why would you want to? After all, you’re basically using Uber as an intermediary to link you with a local rental car company that will actually rent you the car. That being said, there are some benefits to renting via Uber – let’s take a closer look.
easier rental experience
quite frankly, renting a car is a confusing experience. car rental companies are not known for having the best websites, so uber tries to fix this problem through their app. As you’ll see in the next section, renting a car with Uber is almost as simple as requesting an Uber ride. just enter your pickup and drop-off locations, and you can rent a car with a few taps.
uber cash promo
through September 1, you’ll get 10% back on all rental cars in the form of uber cash. you can use this credit for uber rides and uber eats deliveries, so it can be more valuable than rental car points in many cases.
plus, uber will give you a $10 trip credit to help you get to your rental. Uber claims that this promotion is for a “limited time” but does not specify an end date for the promotion. Just keep in mind that this is limited to rentals in the US. USA, and you are only eligible for the $10 credit once a month. this is a nice touch, especially if you need to go to a local airport to pick up your rental.
soon you will be able to pay with uber cash
Currently, you can book your rental through the uber app, but you must pay for most rentals at the rental counter. The company told tpg that it plans to add the ability to pay rent with uber cash by the summer, which can be a great way to use uber cash that certain american express cards offer.
uber valet in washington d.c., more cities coming soon
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uber also launched a new feature called uber valet that will drop off and pick up your rental car at your home, hotel room, or wherever you need a car. This allows you to bypass the car rental counter entirely and makes the rental process smoother than ever. uber valet feature launches in washington d.c. this can and will expand to other cities throughout the year.
Related: Why renting a car now can be the hardest part of your trip
how to rent a car with uber
To rent with uber, launch your uber app and click the rent button in the center of the home page. this will take you to the booking screen.
From here, enter your pickup and drop-off locations and when you want to pick up and drop off your car. then tap the find cars button at the bottom of the screen.
You can see all the rental options in the center of the screen. There are filter options at the top of the screen that you can use to sort rentals by price and distance.
touch a car to see the rental details. You can view the car’s specifications, cancellation policy, and outfit your rental with add-ons like a booster seat or ski rack. when you’re ready to book, read and agree to the terms and conditions and tap the book button. uber will then confirm your rental with the car rental company.
Related: Here’s everything you need to know about Uber’s revamped rewards program
how do the prices compare to direct booking?
I have found that the prices on the uber app are largely consistent with booking direct with the successful rental company. For example, a Sixt SUV weekend rental near New York-JFK costs $382.74 at the end of May when booked through the Uber app. I found out that sixt charges the same price if you choose to pay your rental at the time of pickup.
same goes for a week long rental near miami (mia). uber is listing $569.43 for a mystery rental through thrifty, which is the same price as booking directly with thrifty if you pay at the airport.
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Don’t forget your rental also includes a $10 uber trip credit and, through September, a 10% uber cash back. these benefits actually make it beneficial to book through uber instead of directly with the rental car company. That being said, one downside is that you may not be eligible to earn rental car points or use your rental car elite status benefits if you book with uber.
Another thing to keep in mind is corporate and university codes. if you are eligible, you can reduce the cost of your rental when you add one of these codes to your reservation. Plus, you may be able to get a discount by using the auto bar to find a better rate. always compare the price in the uber app with the direct rental cost and use any available discounts.
Related: How to Never Pay Full Price for a Rental Car
can I use my credit card rental damage waiver?
Many credit cards will cover damage to your rental car as long as you pay for the rental with that card. According to Uber, this coverage is available on rentals booked through the Uber app. this makes sense since you still have to pay at the rental car counter for most rental cars booked through uber.
If you’re looking for a credit card that offers rental car damage waiver, consider applying for one of these chase cards:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- chase sapphire reserve: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Related: Can’t find a rental car? here are 7 secrets that can help
end result
It’s great to see uber adding new features to the uber app, especially as travel needs change and rental cars are harder to find. I’m excited to see how uber changes the car rental business for the better with uber valet. car rental lines are long these days, so having a car delivered to your home or hotel is a game changer for frequent renters.
That being said, always compare prices with direct booking and with services like autoslash. You may be able to get a better deal this way, especially if you can use a corporate or university code to lower the cost of a rental. That being said, current uber cash promotions can make booking with uber more profitable if you can use credit for uber eats rides or deliveries.
featured photo from fahroni/shutterstock.com
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