Get 50% off your first Uber ride

Uber, the ever-expanding taxi / ride sharing / call it what you want car service, is spreading across the UK at a furious pace.

I was amused to see last week that it has now launched in Rotherham (Rotherham is generally not an early adopter – we didn’t get any branded fast food restaurants until 1986).

It has not yet been added to the official cities list, but it shows that Uber is now operating in:

Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool / Merseyside, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Wakefield

There are another 66 countries outside the UK where it also operates.  I have used it in Canada, Dubai and Singapore so far.

The key point is that the same app works in every country.  It doesn’t matter if you are in Sheffield or St Petersburg – you book in the same way and the ride is charged to your stored card.

The services offered vary by country and city.  In London you can choose from four options (five if you include some of the black cabs which also work for them) varying from a Toyota Prius to a Mercedes S-Class.  In Sheffield, as I found out last week, there are only two options – the Prius (or equivalent) and a Mercedes E-Class or equivalent.

I have offered Uber referrals using the standard ‘refer a friend’ scheme for a couple of years.

Uber has now offered me an exclusive Head for Points sign-up deal.  If you download the Uber app and sign up with the promotional code HEADFORPOINTSUK you will receive 50% off your first ride, up to £10.

This is more generous than the standard ‘refer a friend’ bonus which is £3 off your first ride.

Note that the code is only valid for rides taken in the UK.

This is a permanent offer, not a temporary promotion.  If Uber is not yet in your city, bear this code in mind for when it launches.