Uber, why is your rewards program so rubbish? #agencypublisher

I love Uber. Great app, swift service, swish cars etc. And that's why I use it. A lot. And because I use it all the time, it got me wondering about their loyalty scheme. Which, unlike it's service, turns out to be uber-crap.

They do have a loyalty scheme but for some strange reason they don't talk about it (maybe because it's so poor?). It is entitled 'UberVIP' and becomes available after you have taken 100 Uber rides.  Your account will be automatically upgraded and you will see a 'VIP' option miraculously appear in your Uber app alongside UberBlack, UberX and UberTaxi. That is if you are in one of the very few cities that its available, which, as far as I can gather is limited to New York, Washington and Denver. Seriously, just 3 cities? And all in North America?

So if you are 'lucky' enough to be in one these cities, what benefits can you hope to glean from your hard earned VIP status? Well, prepare to be hugely underwhelmed. You are guaranteed a driver with a 4.8+ status (ooh I hear you gasp). And what else? Well you get a (and I quote) "high quality car" (I know, I know, you can barely contain yourself right?). And the 'coup de grace' ? It's the same pricing as UberBlack. And that, dear readers, is it.  

I'm sorry but that's not exactly the kind of caché a loyal user would expect.

Interestingly though, they do partner with some of World's leaders in loyalty. For example, you can link your Uber account with your Starwood Hotels SPG account and accrue an SPG point on your account for every dollar you spend (although given that you need about 10,000 points for a stay at a decent hotel then spending $10,000 on taxi rides to get a free nights stay doesn't seem to such a great return on your investment). 

They also have arrangements with American Express (who know a thing or two about loyalty schemes) whereby you can earn 2x AMEX points whenever you ride and also Capital One who offer a 20% cash back if you pay for Uber using their card.

So come on Uber, wise up. Learn a little from your smarter partners and get serious about your loyalty program before some of your dedicated users decide to take their business to the likes of Lyft with the lure of free wi-fi and maybe even the occasional free ride...