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Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread

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arkane
Established Contributor

Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread

Not sure how many people will benefit since the Barclays Uber Visa is still very new (and issued by *gasp* Barclays Smiley Tongue), but thought I'd start a thread to share what counts and doesn't count for the bonus categories. Will hopefully try to update OP as I swipe the card more and accumulate more data.

 

4% Dining

Anything with the following Visa MCC's:

5812 - Restaurants

5813 - Bars/Taverns/Lounges/Discos

5814 - Fast Food Restaurants

 

Starbucks DOES code as 5814 - fast food and gets 4%, and interestingly the comedy clubs I frequent also get 4% since they code as either 5812 - restaurants or 5813 - bars. But I believe this is highly YMMV and possibly even terminal dependant.

 

NOT included

Anything coding for 5499 - "Misc Food Stores" earns only 1%!! This unfortunately includes pretty much any "dessert food place" (ice cream/froyo/tea places, most bakeries etc). When in doubt, hit up the Visa Supplier Locator and check what codes for MCC 5499 in your area.

 

3% Travel

TBD

 

2% Online Services

- Uber rides (obviously)

- Paypal gets 2% if paying for actual merchandise/services; if using CC to send money you only get 1% (I should probably count my lucky stars it didn't get categorized as a cash advance)

Update 2/19/18

- Fastrak (e-toll in SF Bay Area) Smiley Happy (appears as tolls, road and bridge fees, MCC 4784 most likely)

Update 2/3/18: Unfortunately Comcast no longer gets 2% and instead is the default 1%. Smiley Sad I might've accidentally tipped off Barclays lol

- Interestingly Comcast gets 2%, but T-Mobile doesn't.  Comcast under merchant category is listed as "Cable, Satellite, and Other Pay TV/Radio Svcs", so MCC is possibly 4899 - Cable/Pay TV Services. Whereas T-Mobile is "Telecommunication serv. includ. local/l. dist. calls, CR card calls", so likely 4814 - Telecommunication services

 

 

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6/8/20:

Message 1 of 46
45 REPLIES 45
imaximous
Valued Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread

One thing about Starbucks that I experienced is I only got 2% when I used the Starbucks app to reload my card. I do this all the time instead of paying with a credit card in the store to get points, etc.
I thought I’d read in the terms and conditions that if an online purchase is also restaurant, you’d get 4%.
I wonder if I’d get the same result if I ask a cashier to reload my Starbucks card at the register since I’ll be at the actual store.
By the way, the description on my account didn’t show “Fast Food” but “Misc Food Stores... etc.”
Message 2 of 46
SBR249
Established Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread


wrote:
One thing about Starbucks that I experienced is I only got 2% when I used the Starbucks app to reload my card. I do this all the time instead of paying with a credit card in the store to get points, etc.
I thought I’d read in the terms and conditions that if an online purchase is also restaurant, you’d get 4%.
I wonder if I’d get the same result if I ask a cashier to reload my Starbucks card at the register since I’ll be at the actual store.
By the way, the description on my account didn’t show “Fast Food” but “Misc Food Stores... etc.”

It could be that online reloads (or any reload) of gift cards would not be coded as a restaurant purchase. As a DP, when I used the McDonald's app to purchase food, it does credit with 4x points so there's definitely no blanket exclusion of online dining purchases from the 4% CB category. 

Message 3 of 46
arkane
Established Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread


wrote:
One thing about Starbucks that I experienced is I only got 2% when I used the Starbucks app to reload my card. I do this all the time instead of paying with a credit card in the store to get points, etc.
I thought I’d read in the terms and conditions that if an online purchase is also restaurant, you’d get 4%.
I wonder if I’d get the same result if I ask a cashier to reload my Starbucks card at the register since I’ll be at the actual store.
By the way, the description on my account didn’t show “Fast Food” but “Misc Food Stores... etc.”


Yes you're right that online purchases that also code as restaurants will give you 4%. If it shows as "misc food stores" instead of "fast food" then you won't get the 4% as explained in my first post. Sounds like when you use the Starbucks app it doesn't code as restaurant, so you're not getting the 4%.

Active:

Closed:


6/8/20:

Message 4 of 46
imaximous
Valued Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread


wrote:

wrote:
One thing about Starbucks that I experienced is I only got 2% when I used the Starbucks app to reload my card. I do this all the time instead of paying with a credit card in the store to get points, etc.
I thought I’d read in the terms and conditions that if an online purchase is also restaurant, you’d get 4%.
I wonder if I’d get the same result if I ask a cashier to reload my Starbucks card at the register since I’ll be at the actual store.
By the way, the description on my account didn’t show “Fast Food” but “Misc Food Stores... etc.”

It could be that online reloads (or any reload) of gift cards would not be coded as a restaurant purchase. As a DP, when I used the McDonald's app to purchase food, it does credit with 4x points so there's definitely no blank exclusion of online dining purchases from the 4% CB category. 


Yes. They must have different codes for online vs in-store, and maybe others for type of purchase because I looked up the MCC for the Starbucks retail stores, they all show as "Restaurants / Bars - 5814" 

At least, I get 2% for the reloads and not 1%, which is essentially the same I was getting prior to getting the Uber card. 

I'm still going to try to reload my card at a local store next time and see how the transaction gets recorded. 

Message 5 of 46
imaximous
Valued Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread

Would you guys know if paying my auto insurance online would get me 2%? That online purchases category is a little tricky with the exceptions. This should bill as "FINANCIAL SERVICES / INSURANCE - 6300" so I'm trying to figure out if I should put my premiums on the card. It's a few thousand bucks I could get double points on. 

Message 6 of 46
arkane
Established Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread

My AAA insurance only gets 1%. If your insurance allows a Paypal option, just use that and it's pretty much guranteed 2%.

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6/8/20:

Message 7 of 46
SBR249
Established Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread


wrote:

Would you guys know if paying my auto insurance online would get me 2%? That online purchases category is a little tricky with the exceptions. This should bill as "FINANCIAL SERVICES / INSURANCE - 6300" so I'm trying to figure out if I should put my premiums on the card. It's a few thousand bucks I could get double points on. 


It seems unlikely. As Arkane mentioned, if you can use an online payment service, you'll be able to swing that 2%, but insurance companies don't really count as an online merchant. 

 

Very OT, but if you have a lot of these miscellaneous expenses, it may be worth it to just get a 2% general purchase card like Citi DC or Paypal CB. That way you know that no matter what happens the minimum CB you'd get on anything is at least 2%. 

Message 8 of 46
arkane
Established Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread


wrote:

wrote:

Would you guys know if paying my auto insurance online would get me 2%? That online purchases category is a little tricky with the exceptions. This should bill as "FINANCIAL SERVICES / INSURANCE - 6300" so I'm trying to figure out if I should put my premiums on the card. It's a few thousand bucks I could get double points on. 


It seems unlikely. As Arkane mentioned, if you can use an online payment service, you'll be able to swing that 2%, but insurance companies don't really count as an online merchant. 

 

Very OT, but if you have a lot of these miscellaneous expenses, it may be worth it to just get a 2% general purchase card like Citi DC or Paypal CB. That way you know that no matter what happens the minimum CB you'd get on anything is at least 2%. 


Agreed.

 

Although I will point out that if you have any "qualifying music/video streaming service" such as Pandora/Spotify/Hulu/Netflix OR you have Amazin Prime and think you can run through $5000 a year on the Uber card, then it's effectively +1% to all cash back categories since you get a $50 statement credit. This effectively makes the Uber visa a 2% card on the first $5000 spent, really increasing its appeal and value (and why it's become my DD since I have Amazon Prime).

Active:

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6/8/20:

Message 9 of 46
imaximous
Valued Contributor

Re: Uber Visa cash back categories DP thread


wrote:

wrote:

Would you guys know if paying my auto insurance online would get me 2%? That online purchases category is a little tricky with the exceptions. This should bill as "FINANCIAL SERVICES / INSURANCE - 6300" so I'm trying to figure out if I should put my premiums on the card. It's a few thousand bucks I could get double points on. 


It seems unlikely. As Arkane mentioned, if you can use an online payment service, you'll be able to swing that 2%, but insurance companies don't really count as an online merchant. 

 

Very OT, but if you have a lot of these miscellaneous expenses, it may be worth it to just get a 2% general purchase card like Citi DC or Paypal CB. That way you know that no matter what happens the minimum CB you'd get on anything is at least 2%. 


That's annoying because financial services isn't in the "excluded" merchants list, and they have a long list there.

 

Sorry for going OT here too... I actually have both the PayPal CB and Citi DC. Since I just got the Uber Visa, I'm trying to build history on it, and call them again to see if they'll upgrade my card to Signature from Platinum. I don't know why they won't do it if my credit line is $10k on this card. I'm annoyed that they said there was no such thing as Uber Visa Signature when I spoke to a rep and her supervisor. Then, I called again and another rep said to me that I needed to spend $25k a year to get the upgrade to Signature. Meanwhile, people here have posted they got Signature cards from the getgo.

Message 10 of 46
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