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Heads Up: Uber Adds New Fee on Rides Abroad (But You Can Avoid It)

Forget just your ride from home to the airport and back: You can call an Uber in 70-plus countries and counting. But soon, hopping in an Uber overseas may cost you a bit more.

The rideshare giant sent an email to users late Thursday announcing its new “Preferred Currency Pricing,” a feature set to launch on Feb. 27 that will automatically convert the local price to U.S. dollars (or your home currency). But this is Uber, so it's not free: The company will add an automatic 1.5% “currency conversion fee” to your final fare … unless you opt out.

At launch later this month, this new preferred currency payment system will only be available for rides in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and the rest of the Eurozone. But it's likely only a matter of time before it spreads to Mexico and the rest of Central America, Africa, Asia, and beyond.

 

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uber email explaining currency conversion program

 

The way the company explains it, it's all for the privilege and convenience – sarcasm very much intended – of doing the currency conversion math for you. Rather than seeing the price of your ride in London or Paris in pounds or euros, you'll be able to see it in dollars instead.

“Preferred Currency Pricing (formerly Home Currency Pricing) will automatically show prices in your home currency when you travel to select countries to help make your international travel smoother and more convenient,” the company wrote in its email to users. “You’ll be charged in your home currency unless you opt out.”

This new system could be a positive for Uber riders who don't have a credit card that waives foreign transaction fees. Then again, that's also incredibly easy to avoid with the right travel credit card.

 

How to Opt Out of Uber's New Fee

Lucky for all of us, there's an easy way to opt out of this automatic conversion and escape the 1.5% fee altogether. 

In your Uber app, click your account details in the bottom right, then select “Wallet” at the top. From there, scroll down below your payment method(s) and you should see “Preferred Currency.” In there, you'll see the option to select U.S. dollars, Euros, Canadian dollars, or Great British pounds. 

But by selecting “No preferred currency,” you'll continue paying for each ride in the local currency – thereby avoiding this new 1.5% fee. 

 

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uber payment settings showing no preferred currency selected

 

Uber warns that “you may be charged additional fees by your payment provider” … but again, that's not an issue if you have a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.

 

Bottom Line

Uber is adding an automatic 1.5% fee to foreign rides in many countries to convert the price to your home currency. But you can easily avoid that additional fee by opting out.

Set your currency preferences now to avoid it … before you forget.

 


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