Over the past few years, we’ve embraced ride-hailing services so fully that it’s hard to imagine a time when our only options to get around a new city were public transportation or calling a taxi.
But as convenient as they are, services like Uber and Lyft can get expensive. Fortunately, ride-hailing services have become a common bonus category for both travel credit cards and cash-back credit cards, and many cards offer specific credits and benefits when you book a ride via an app.
Let’s break down the best Uber and Lyft credit cards to help you maximize your earnings on each trip.
Overview of the best credit cards for Uber and Lyft
*Valuations are based on TPG’s April 2025 calculations and are not provided by card issuers.
**The information for the American Express Green Card and the Apple Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The best credit cards for Uber and Lyft
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Annual fee: $550
Rewards on ride-hailing: 5 points per dollar spent on Lyft purchases through Sept. 30, 2027 and 3 points per dollar spent on travel, which includes Uber.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: The Chase Sapphire Reserve — one of the best travel credit cards on the market— offers 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases and a solid 3 points per dollar on Uber expenses, which code as travel on your statement.
The Lyft and Uber benefits with the Sapphire Reserve don’t end with the earning structure — there’s also the $300 annual travel credit that comes with the card; because Chase considers ride-hailing services to be a travel expense, you can also potentially get up to $300 off your rides every year thanks to the travel credit. Chase automatically reimburses you in statement credits for your travel purchases.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
For more details, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Annual fee: $95
Rewards on ride-hailing: 5 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides through Sept. 30, 2027 and 2 points per dollar spent on travel which includes Uber.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: While it has a lower earning rate than the Sapphire Reserve (and no travel credit), the Preferred is a good choice if you prefer not to pay a steep annual fee.
Additionally, for a limited time, the Sapphire Preferred has its highest welcome offer in over three years. New cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. According to TPG’s April 2025 valuations, this welcome offer is worth a whopping $2,050.
For more details, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred
American Express Green Card
Annual fee: $150
Rewards for ride-hailing: 3 points per dollar spent on transit, including Lyft and Uber.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: When Amex relaunched the Green Card a few years ago, it added expanded bonus categories to the benefits list — including 3 points per dollar spent on transit (Lyft and Uber purchases fall into that category). The card earns Membership Rewards points, which TPG’s April 2025 valuations peg at 2 cents apiece. That’s a 6% return on all of your Uber and Lyft spending.
For more details, read our full review of the Amex Green Card.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Annual fee: $0
Rewards on ride-hailing: 2% cash back on Lyft rides through Sept. 30, 2027, along with 1.5% cash back on all other nonbonus category purchases.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: The Freedom Unlimited is the card for you if you prefer cash back over points and miles (and enjoy not paying an annual fee).
However, you can get even more value from the card when you pair it with a premium card like the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve. Chase allows you to combine your Ultimate Rewards points into a single account, effectively converting your cash-back rewards on the Freedom Unlimited to fully transferable points.
For more details, read our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Apply here: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card
Annual fee: $95
Rewards for ride-hailing: 2 miles per dollar spent on ride-hailing services.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: Alaska Airlines miles are the most highly-valued airline miles on TPG’s April 2025 valuations, providing a solid rate of return on your spending and miles that you can redeem for aspirational flights.
For more details, read our full review of the Alaska Airlines Visa card.
Apply here: Alaska Airlines Visa card
Citi Double Cash Card
Annual fee: $0
Rewards for ride-hailing: Earn 2% cash back on every purchase — including ride-hailing services — broken up as 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay your bill.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: The Citi Double Cash offers up to 2% across every purchase, including Lyft and Uber purchases. This is one of the highest-earning, flat-rate cash-back cards on the market, and it’s a common choice for those who want a straightforward way to earn rewards across every purchase without needing to keep track of activating rotating bonus categories.
For more details, read our full review of the Citi Double Cash.
Apply here: Citi Double Cash Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee: $95
Rewards for ride-hailing: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on transit, including ride-hailing apps like Lyft and Uber.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: The Venture Rewards offer simple miles earning with no bonus categories to remember with a modest annual fee.
The Venture Rewards remains a strong option for all transit expenses, including Uber and Lyft. You’ll earn Capital One miles, which can be redeemed for travel purchases at 1 cent per point or transferred to one of Capital One’s 15-plus transfer partners to receive maximum value.
For more details, read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95
Rewards for ride-hailing: Earn 3% cash back on transit, including ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber.
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: The Blue Cash Preferred is another Amex card that received a makeover in 2019, adding expanded earning categories.
One of those additional categories was transit, which includes Lyft and Uber purchases. This card remains a strong option to use on all of your transit expenses including Uber and Lyft. Cash back is received as reward dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
For more details, read our full review of the Blue Cash Preferred.
Apply here: Blue Cash Preferred Card
Apple Card
Annual fee: $0
Rewards for ride-hailing: Earn 3% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats (must use Apple Pay).
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: In 2019, Uber became one of the vendors to earn 3% cash back (Daily Cash) on the Apple Card.
The truth is, this card is best for true Apple loyalists since you only earn the highest Daily Cash at select merchants like Apple, Uber and Walgreens. You receive Daily Cash right after each purchase. That’s good if you’re a fan of simple cash back, but if you’re going for points or miles, this card isn’t the best choice.
For more details, read our full review of the Apple Card.
The Platinum Card from American Express
Annual fee: $695
Rewards for ride-hailing: Earn 1 point per dollar spent on ride-hailing services, plus, get access to various benefits (see below).
Why it’s great for ride-hailing: While you’re not earning bonus rewards on Uber or Lyft purchases, the Platinum Card is one of the best options out there for Uber perks.
The highlight of those benefits is up to $200 in Uber Cash to use annually (for U.S. services), which is broken down as $15 each month, plus a $20 bonus in December ($35 total for this month). Uber Cash will only be deposited into one Uber account when you add the Amex Platinum as a payment method and redeem with any Amex card.
To get the credits, you need to add your Platinum Card as a payment option in your Uber app — the monthly credits will then be loaded into your Uber Cash account automatically at the beginning of each month. As an Amex Platinum cardholder, you’ll also get Uber VIP status, which allows you to request top-rated drivers in select cities.
Just note that this Uber Cash doesn’t roll over from month to month, but it’s also valid for Uber Eats orders in the U.S. Be sure to use it before the last day of the month so it doesn’t go to waste.
For more details, read our full review of the Amex Platinum Card.
Apply here: Amex Platinum Card
Another option: Gift cards
Gift cards earn a special mention in this article.
That’s because you may earn a better return when purchasing Uber gift cards instead of paying for Uber rides directly. There are some caveats: Uber gift cards can only be used for rides or UberEats orders in the country where the gift card was purchased, and they can’t be used for family profiles, scheduled rides or university campus card rides.
Buying Uber gift cards can be a good way to earn a solid return if you have a credit card that offers high bonus earnings for merchants where you can purchase gift cards, such as grocery stores, gas stations or office supply stores.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to find a store in your card’s bonus category that sells Uber gift cards and allows you to purchase gift cards with a credit card.
Bottom line
With ride-hailing an integral part of modern travel, it makes sense to maximize your credit card benefits when booking a ride-hailing service like Uber or Lyft. The trick is to find the card or cards that work for you — and as you can see, there’s no shortage of solid options available.
Related: The best cards for every bonus category
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, click here.
Source link
