'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Uber's new $9.99 monthly subscriptions offers ridesharing and delivery perks, priority access
Uber debuted a new $9.99 per month ($99.99 per year) subscription for its ridesharing and Uber Eats services.
Dubbed Uber One, the offering provides a continual 5% discount on rides, deliveries, and order pickups, with unlimited $0 delivery fees on eligible delivery orders over $15 and grocery orders over $30. Should any of these discounted deliveries arrive later than Uber's estimated delivery time, subscribers will also receive a $5 credit for future use on rides or deliveries. While this is a nice backup, the company clearly expects it to be an infrequent requirement since it is also guaranteeing that Uber One requests will be fulfilled by "top-rated drivers" backed by "elevated member support."
To enhance the feeling of exclusivity provided by the service, Uber also plans to create exclusive perks, promotions, and members-only events in the future, although it did not provide any information on what form these bonus offerings might take.
Uber's attempt to lock users into a new loyalty program comes at a time when an increasing number of individuals may be turning to ridesharing services to avoid the ongoing spikes in fuel prices and car shortages impacting so many wallets. The company's most recent financial release showed it has already rebounded to pre-pandemic levels of ridesharing use, and trends in its Mobility and Delivery businesses suggest it's poised to continue setting new financial and user records in the coming quarters.
It's worth noting that Uber is not the first ridesharing company to launch a loyalty program like this. Lyft introduced its Lyft Pink service in 2019, offering a 15% discount on all rides and a similar list of priority services for twice the price at $19.99 per month.
Uber one signups are available now, with the company offering a free, one-month trial for new subscribers.