It’s looking like I will need to have my car fixed. Last time I did this I rented a car for a
day and found it to be rather expensive. This time around I’m thinking of signing up
for Uber. I am curious about what others have experienced with Uber. What
has been your experiences - good or bad.
A few questions perhaps you might be able to answer:
Can you pay cash?
Do you have go online and give uber your credit card number when you register?
If I need to make a run to the grocery store will the Uber driver wait while I’m inside
the store shopping? (Come to think of it perhaps it would be better order separate rides - one to get there and a second one to get back).
How it tipping done - cash or can you charge it to your credit card?
Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.
I don’t believe so; payment is done through the app, and it has to be using a credit or debit card, or some other online payment method (like Venmo). It doesn’t look, to me, like you can pay with cash in the U.S.
Yes, that is part of what you do when you set up an account on the Uber app.
If you have multiple payment methods on your Uber account (for example, I have both my personal credit card and my work Amex on my account), you can choose which method to use when you request a ride.
You might be able to convince the original driver to wait, but it’ll almost undoubtedly be cheaper to get two rides.
The ability to tip is built into the app (so you would, yes, be tipping with the same credit card), and I believe that that is the preferred method for tipping.
You can do round trips on an Uber, but they ask that the wait time be less than three minutes. I’ve done this a few times when I needed to pick up a prescription; one time there was a line at the counter so the wait was a bit longer, but the driver was very understanding. (Of course, I did tip him a bit more because of the wait.)
There are also car rental apps where you rent a person’s car. Turo is one. There are others you can Google for. If you have a lot of trips to make, it can be cheaper (if available in your area).
Former Uber/Lyft driver here. Most drivers will not wait while you shop as they get paid less when not moving. Better to call the store ahead and have your order waiting, or better yet use another service to deliver it to you. The driver has no idea what it means when you say just going to be 10 minutes.
My own ride-share experience is with Lyft (very similar, but IME cheaper and I have reliable info the drivers have tougher background checks, which makes a middle-aged woman with bad vision and occasional mobility issues feel a bit safer).
Taking your questions in order:
No, they don’t take cash to the best of my knowledge.
You do need to have their app, set up an account, and have a card on file for payment (I use a debit card and that works fine. Maybe get a prepaid if you don’t want to put your real card on file?).
I do not know about the wait time question.
I suppose you could tip the driver cash if you’re so minded, and I’m sure they’d accept it :). I typically do not carry much cash, so I add the tip at the end of the ride, when the app prompts me to do so.
Other: you can schedule rides in advance, which seems to work well if you have that much lead time.