Many people attracted by a career in ridesharing are on the hunt for a more non-traditional job, one where they can be their own boss while earning some serious cash.
Popular ridesharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, are interested in intrinsic growth, meaning that the more drivers they can recruit, the more passengers they must then accommodate.
In other words, the more passengers requesting rides, the more drivers (like you!) are needed to fulfill that increase in demand.
With this laser focus on growth come attractive driving incentives or “perks,” such as referral bonuses, as an easy way ridesharing companies reward their drivers.
Being a driver is an easy passive form of income, and who wouldn’t want to share the love? Some individuals end up relying solely on ridesharing to make a living.
Ready to make a few bucks this weekend? Get signed up to drive in just a few minutes.
As long as a driver meets all company sign-up requirements, they may soon be reaping the ridesharing rewards, too.
How the Uber Referral Code Works
In a nutshell, ridesharing companies provide all new drivers with a unique referral code to be shared with friends and passengers in an effort to recruit more drivers.
How can existing drivers share these referral codes with others?
- Personalized text messages and emails (tip: target your contact lists)
- Social media shout-outs or tweets (if you didn’t tweet it, did it even happen?)
- Referral business cards or through word-of-mouth (design a personalized card to give passengers, or casually chat about job perks while in transit)
- Embedded links (sharing these links can help prevent manually typing a referral code word-for-word, or even incorrectly)
- Virtual “reminders” through the ridesharing applications (think of the “poking” friends feature on Facebook)
The good news is that both existing and new drivers receive some form of bonus for their efforts.
Don’t forget – you must include the referral code (make sure to type it correctly unless automatically applied for you) when signing up for the first time to redeem your bonus!
How Do You Retroactively Apply a Driver Referral Code?
In the past, if you made the mistake of not entering an invite code, Uber would not provide you any assistance. It was a “you snooze, you lose” kind of deal. Thankfully, times have changed for the better (unless you’re using Lyft, who dones’t offer a retroactive referral).
In order to receive your sign-up bonus, you must complete these steps within 15 days of being activated and ready to drive for Uber.
If you do have any questions about your activation date or what your actual bonus amount would be for your respective city, shoot Uber a quick message.
Referral Bonuses may vary from city to city, as well as the trip requirements to receive the reward. You can find that out by visiting your local Greenlight Hub Uber office or by sending them an email.
Here’s how to retroactively apply an Uber driver referral code in 5 easy steps:
Step 1: Determine the Referral Bonus Amount
The first thing you should do is find out what the referral bonus is in your city.
As expected, reward amounts and redemption requirements (typically a required number of rides) vary from city to city. Contact the respective ridesharing company for more concrete details since bonus lists are not made available.
Bonus amounts are also entirely dependent on the existing driver’s city, not the new driver’s city.
Here’s a simple example to help clarify:
If the referral bonus for Los Angeles (your city) hypothetically stands at $500, but the existing driver’s city, Houston, only offers a hypothetical $100 referral bonus, then you’re just out of luck mate.
Step 2: Provide Existing Driver’s Contact Information
You will need to provide a name, email, and phone number.
Here’s an example
Name: Brandon Arnold
Email: [email protected]
For the phone number, just send me a quick email so I can keep that information confidential. You can contact me by using the form below.
Title the email “Retroactive Referral” so I know what the email is and it doesn’t accidentally get marked as spam.
Step 3: Sign In and Report a Missing Referral
Once you have gathered all the information required, you can then sign in to your account and Report a missing referral.
In the Uber Partner app, you can go to Account> Help> Payments and Rewards> Driver Referrals> Report a missing Driver Referral.
Make sure to contact Uber Support within 7 days once you’ve completed the ride requirements so the referral can still be honored.
Step 4: Fill Out the Form and Click Submit
You should come to a form that looks like the one featured below. Fill out the required information and hit submit.
Step 5: You’re Done!
You are all set! Just make sure to wait for Uber’s response letting you know that the bonus will be added.
Here’s a screenshot of Uber’s response when I recently helped another new Uber driver receive a referral bonus. Sharing is caring, right?
How Long Does It Take To Receive Your Referral Bonus?
Once you have completed the requirements for your Sign-up bonus, it usually only takes 1-2 pay cycles(You’re paid weekly) to receive your referral reward.
After the referee has completed the ride requirement for the bonus within 30 days, you should see the bonus credited to your account.
Click the “remind button” in any ridesharing applications to politely encourage new drivers to complete their ride requirements (so you both can enjoy the payoff!).
You should be notified by either email or push notification within 48 hours when the invitee has successfully completed these requirements.
What If You’re Been Active Longer Than 15 days?
If you’re 6 months late asking about your referral bonus, I doubt you’ll get it.
If you’re only slightly past the 15-day period, then I don’t think it would hurt to still try. You never know. Maybe Uber will splurge and give you the bonus anyway.
Why You Should Care About the Uber Referral Code
If you’re looking to breathe new life into your current work situation or to take a chance and try something new, maybe a career in ridesharing is for you.
Referral codes are a great way to earn extra bucks (every little bit helps!) while also giving others the opportunity to climb the ladder of self-sustained success.
Even if you can’t physically drive due to injury or other unforeseen circumstances, riders can instead focus their efforts on sharing referral codes to help pay the bills.
When you love what you do, you’ll want to spread the wealth. You’ll be rolling in the dough before you know it!
And if you forget to add a referral code the first time around, don’t fret. Uber’s got your back.
Let me know any other questions in the comments below!
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