Deceptive Patterns
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Bay Area traveler says Uber gift cards boosted fare

Author
Keith A. Spencer, SFGate
Date
21 Apr 2025
Category
Journalist or Media

Summan said “like nine times out of ten” he saw more expensive prices on his phone with gift cards loaded, compared with in his wife’s app. Summan insists that he tested this in the same location, at the same time, for rides headed to the same destination. He added that he doesn’t have premium subscriptions to either service.

Last year, Bay Area resident Rupinder Summan was planning his honeymoon in Southern California when he purchased Uber and Lyft gift cards in preparation for the trip, intending to streamline traveling. Instead, Summan said, he stumbled onto a surprising pricing inconsistency.

“We were going to San Diego after we got married, and I loaded up my Uber account with a couple of those gift cards from Costco,” the San Jose resident told SFGATE.

Summan said “like nine times out of ten” he saw more expensive prices on his phone with gift cards loaded, compared with in his wife’s app. Summan insists that he tested this in the same location, at the same time, for rides headed to the same destination. He added that he doesn’t have premium subscriptions to either service.