Secret Way for Free Uber Rides With Arrival Plus Miles

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Did you know there’s a way to use the rewards you earn from the Barclaycard Arrival Plus for Uber rides under $100?

The Barclaycard Arrival Plus is a travel credit card, with a sign-up bonus worth ~$525 toward travel.  But a major restriction is you can only redeem your rewards for travel purchases of at least $100.

But folks have figured out a way to redeem their Barclaycard Arrival Plus miles for inexpensive Uber rides by purchasing $100+ Uber gift cards through the United MileagePlus X app.

Arrival Plus For Uber
Use Your Barclaycard Arrival Plus Miles for Uber Rides Under $100 With This Simple Trick!

I’ll show you how you can do it, too!

How to Use Arrival Miles for Uber Rides Under $100

Link:   Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard

Link:   United MileagePlus X App

The Barclaycard Arrival Plus currently comes with 50,000 Arrival Plus miles after spending $3,000 within the first 90 days of opening your account.  That’s worth at least ~$525 in travel!  And you can redeem your rewards for lots of purchases, including:

But last year, Barclaycard made it more difficult to redeem Arrival Plus miles by raising the minimum redemption amount from $25 to $100.  That meant folks couldn’t redeem their rewards for smaller travel purchases, like Uber.  Because Uber rides do NOT normally cost $100 or more!

Fortunately, FlyerTalk users figured out a way around this rule when using miles for Uber.  They report that Uber gift cards code as a travel purchase when you buy them through the United MileagePlus X app.

I’ll show you how to do it!

Step 1.   Open the United MileagePlus X App

The United MileagePlus X app is the United Airlines online shopping mall for your phone.  If you don’t already have the United MileagePlus X app, you can get it here.

Just sign-in to your United Airlines account in the app, and you’ll see a list of nearby stores.  Click the menu in the top left corner.

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 1 – Open the App and Click the Top Left Menu

Step 2.   Press “Online Merchants”

By default, the app will show you the stores nearest your current location.  But the merchant you’re looking for is Uber!  Click “Online Merchants.

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 2 – Navigate the App to View Online Merchants

Step 3.   Search “Uber”

The app will give you a list of online stores.  Search for Uber, and click “Pay Now” when you find it.

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 3 – Find Uber and Select It

Step 4.   Enter an Amount

You can now purchase an Uber gift card between $15 and $200.

Remember, in order to redeem Barclaycard Arrival Plus miles, you’ll need to make a travel purchase of at least $100.  So make sure you buy an Uber gift card of $100 or more!

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 4 – Enter the Uber Gift Card Amount

Press the “Tap to Select” button at the top right of the screen.

Step 5.   Pay With Your Barclaycard Arrival Plus

Choose your payment method for the Uber gift card.  And make sure it’s your Barclaycard Arrival Plus!

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 5 – Pay for the Gift Card With Your Barclaycard Arrival Plus

Step 6.   Tap “Pay Now”

Once you’ve chosen your Barclaycard Arrival Plus as your payment method, all you have to do is tap “Pay Now.

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 6 – Pay for Your Uber Gift Card

That’s it!  Once the transaction posts to your Barclaycard Arrival Plus statement, you can erase it with your Arrival Plus miles.  You’ll have 120 days after your purchase date to redeem your miles for the transaction.

Just know that purchasing an Uber gift card from somewhere else, like Amazon, might NOT code as a “travel purchase.”  But purchasing through the United MileagePlus X app is confirmed to work.  Plus, you’ll earn some extra United Airlines miles!

Note:   FlyerTalk user Alexey reports it could take a day or so for the transaction to show up as “eligible” for reimbursement with Arrival Plus miles.

Apply Your Gift Card to Your Uber Account

Step 1.   Click “Payment”

After you have your Uber gift card, sign-in to the Uber app, and click the top left menu.  Select “Payment” at the top of the menu.

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 1 – Open the Side Menu and Tap “Payment”

Step 2.   Click “Add Promo/Gift Code”

At the bottom of the Payment screen, there’s an option to add promotion codes and gift cards to your account.  Click “Add Promo/Gift Code“.

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 2 – Press “Add Promo/Gift Code”

Step 3.   Enter Your Gift Code

Enter the code you received when you bought your gift card through the United MileagePlus X app and tap “Add“.  Your Uber gift card will be saved to your account!

Arrival Plus For Uber
Step 3 – Add Your $100 Gift Card Code and Get Ready to Ride

You can now use your gift card for Uber rides.  Even if they’re well below $100!

Want More Barclaycard Arrival Plus Miles?

You’ll earn 2 Barclaycard Arrival Plus miles per $1 with every purchase.  But, in practice, you can earn the Barclaycard Arrival Plus sign-up bonus more than once!  Though the terms and conditions give Barclaycard the right to deny you the bonus.

You can read my full review of the Barclaycard Arrival Plus here.

Bottom Line

When you use your Barclaycard Arrival Plus card to buy Uber gift cards through the United MileagePlus X app, your transaction will code as a travel purchase!  That means you can redeem Barclaycard Arrival Plus miles for Uber gift cards.  But because you can only redeem Arrival Plus miles for purchases of $100 or more, you’ll have to purchase at least a $100 gift card.

This is an easy way to use your Barclaycard Arrival Plus miles for Uber rides that cost less than $100.  Because you can buy a $100 gift card, and redeem it for a smaller amount!

Do you have any other tips for using Barclaycard Arrival Plus miles for less than the required $100?

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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