Last week I was greeted by a great email from Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG). They were announcing a partnership between themselves and the ride share group, Uber. Uber started in Chicago in mid 2011 and I’ve been using them nearly exclusively since late 2011. I usually just use UberX, which is where a private car, driven by the car’s owner picks you up and drops you off at your desired location. This is the cheapest Uber option and usually works very well.
With this new partnership you will earn Starpoints for every dollar you spend with Uber. This means that in addition to the points you earn from the credit card you use to pay for Uber (I use either an AmEx Platinum card or a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – each of which earn 2 points per dollar spent with Uber) you also earn Starpoints – effectively double dipping the points.
If you take Uber while staying at an SPG Property, you’ll earn even more points per dollar spent with Uber. As a Platinum member (with only 50 nights per year), I will get 3 points per dollar while staying with SPG. Take a look at the chart below to see the earning schedule, based on your status.
SPG and Uber Link Up and Give You Bonus Points.
As luck would have it, I was traveling shortly after this new link up was announced and was taking Uber for all my ground travel needs. I spent about $60 on various Uber trips over my two days in Nashville, which means I earned an additional 180 Starpoints ($60 x 3 points as a Platinum member) plus 120 Ultimate Reward Points ($60 x 2 points by using my Sapphire Preferred Card).
Bottom line – this isn’t a game changing point earning opportunity, but it is one of my favorite ways to earn points — by doing what I normally do and not having to jump through hoops. It’s not like shopping through an online portal where you have to remember to start your online shopping at that portal then click through a few links to get to your actual shopping site then complete your purchase. Once you sign up and link your accounts everything happens automatically. I don’t know how long it takes for these points to post — I’ve already received credit for my actual stays in Nashville, but not my Uber rides yet.
So, how do we reap these benefits? Simple, follow this link to the Starwood Promotions page and you can click to link your Uber and your SPG accounts. This is a one time linkage and not something you need to do every time you want to use Uber. Even if you aren’t a Starwood guy (I am, of course), go sign up anyway. You’ll quietly earn points and before you know it, you’ll have enough points for a free hotel stay. Win-Win.
Are you as excited about this hookup as I am?