Uber riders can now pay cash for rides on board uberX and UberExec
By Nicole-Marie Ng
From left to right, a step by step guide to check if Uber cash payment is available for you.
After being the first city in Asia to welcome Uber, Uber Singapore is set to launch another first. Singapore will be the first developed city in the world to offer cash payments on board uberX and UberExec, beating out other developed cities like New York and London.
Mr. Warren Tseng, the General Manager of Uber Singapore, shared that the feedback collected from users will then be used to launch the programme in other developed cities. He also stated that they felt the need to bring cash payments to Singapore as cash payments still make up over 30% of all transactions in Singapore. This is despite the fact that credit card penetration is high here, at over 90%.
Previously, cash payment services were only available in cities with relatively low credit card penetration. The cash payment experiments started in Hyderabad, India in May 2015. Today, that number has grown to include all cities in India as well as other major Southeast Asian hubs like Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, Philippines. While these cities are structurally developed, they still have relatively low credit card penetration rates, with only 8% of the population using credit cards in Jakarta.
Cash payments make it easier for riders like students who do not have a credit card to experience Uber. It is also a great alternative for people who are afraid of revealing their credit card information or are simply used to paying in cash.
Uber cash payment is currently in its experimental stage, it will gradually be rolled out to all riders over time. For now, to check if you have the option of paying in cash, simply download the Uber app and look at the “Payment” option in the sidebar. If there is an option labelled “Cash”, select it as your preferred payment method and you’ll be able to pay in cash for your Uber rides.
If you are new to Uber, enter the code CASHSG in your app to enjoy $20 off your first ride.
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