Ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft have drastically changed the way business travelers get around when they arrive in a new city. Before, you had to wait in long rental car lines and deal with the hassles of parking and then returning the car with a full tank of gas before your flight. It was a complete nightmare.
Now, you simply push a button for a car and it brings you to your hotel and you can get rides quickly to any meeting or event location while on the road. It’s a major convenience, but there are still ways to make the experience even more enjoyable if you take the following tips into consideration the next time you are traveling.
- Schedule rides in advance.
Sometimes, and especially at larger airports, it can take some time to get an Uber or Lyft. While you can’t use the advance schedule feature leaving, you can use it for rides to the airport, and this can come in handy especially if you have to leave your house early in the morning, when there aren’t a lot of Ubers on the road.
“You can always schedule rides in advance when you are traveling, and while not all airports will allow it, you can at least do it for rides to meetings. It’s nice to walk down to the hotel lobby and know that your ride is waiting,” says Chris Dziak, CEO of Pure Nootropics.
Uber has information available online about scheduling rides in advance that can be read here.
- Connect your American Express card.
American Express Platinum card holders receive free Uber credits to use every month, and all you need to do in order to take advantage of the offer is link your American Express card to your Uber account as the primary form of payment. Then, at the start of each month your credits will fill up and they will automatically be deducted from your balance.
“American Express Platinum is a great benefits card for business owners and the annual fee is justified based on the perks, with Uber credit being one of them. You can also use your AMEX points to pay for Uber rides once you exhaust your balance, so it’s very beneficial to connect the card to your account<‘ explains Jim Rafferty, CEO of Wabash Power.
- Always check for promos and brand collaborations.
Uber and Lyft will often collaborate with brands and issue special promo codes that can be used by anyone. These increase in frequency around major holidays and events, so always keep your eyes and ears to social media to see what is available.
“First, look at Uber and Lyft’s social media profiles to see if they mention anything or happen to retweet another brand that mentions a promo. Then, search hashtags #Uber and #Lyft to see if anything shows up. It takes a couple seconds and can easily save you $5 to $10,” says Michael Plaza, CEO of Compare the Financial Markets.
Ride share companies will often also partner with celebrities, and a quick Google search will often show you if there are any active discount codes available.
- Keep all receipts to deduct or expense.
“Every time you take a ride, you are emailed a receipt with trip details and cost. If you are self-employed, make sure to keep a copy for your records so you can write-off the travel expense, and if you are working for a company you will want to expense it so you are repaid,” suggests David Sessford, Managing Director of Ready Steady Sell.
Uber has a nice feature that allows you to split your profile into personal and business, and assign a different payment method for each. This can make expense reports and tracking much easier, as it clearly separates business rides. Make sure to select the correct profile before ordering your ride.
