If money is tight, one of the first budget items you should consider cutting out is delivery services like Uber. Depending on how much you use the service, you could be saving a ton of money every year. If you’re ready to slash your spending, your first step is to delete your Uber account.
Uber is super convenient when you need a lift or have a craving for a menu item from your favourite eatery. But that convenience comes with a cost, and if you’re not careful, you could easily be spending hundreds — or even thousands — of dollars every year.
How To Delete Your Uber Account
You can cancel your Uber account on a web browser or on the Uber app. Do note, that if you delete your Uber account, your associated Uber Eats account will also be deleted and vice versa.
How To Delete Your Uber Account From The Web
- Sign in to your account on the Uber website
- Click the “Help” section at the bottom of the homepage
- Choose “For Riders”
- Click “Account”
- Click “Delete” to finalize the process. Uber will send you a verification code to your attached number to the account. Enter the code to finalize the request to delete your account.
How To Delete Your Uber Account As A Driver
If you work as an Uber driver and want to cancel your driver account, you need to contact customer support:
- Log in to your Uber account
- Choose the “Help” tab
- Select “Contact Support” from the drop-down menu
You can also email customer support at support@uber.com.
Why Can’t You Delete Your Uber Account?
There may be multiple reasons why you can’t delete your Uber account, including the following:
- Problems with payment. If there are any issues with your payments on previous orders or rides, these will need to be resolved first before you can delete your account.
- Technical problems. Sometimes the Uber app or website is glitching, which could prevent you from navigating the site and cancelling your account.
- Your account has been restricted. A restricted account will make it difficult to access your account settings. This may be caused by a temporary suspension of your account due to some violation. These restrictions will first need to be removed before you can cancel your account.
- You Have Active Trips Or Orders. Perhaps you’re still considered to be in the middle of a trip. If so, that trip will need to be completed first before you can delete your Uber account.
If none of these issues apply to you, reach out to customer support.
How To Cancel Uber One
To cancel your Uber One membership, open the app and follow these steps:
- Tap on the account icon
- Choose “Uber One”
- Click “Manage Membership”
- Click “Next”
- Tap on “End Membership” twice to cancel your membership
Uber One Cancellation Policy
To avoid getting charged again, you must cancel your Uber One membership no later than 48 hours before your next payment is scheduled. Otherwise, you’ll be billed for the billing cycle.
When you cancel your Uber One membership, you’ll continue to have access to your membership until the end of the billing period. However, if you’re on a free trial, your membership benefits will end as soon as you cancel.
How To Delete Uber Eats Account
You’ll need to cancel your Uber Eats account via the web browser, as you can’t do it on the app.
It’s important to note that when you delete your Uber Eats account means your main Uber account will also be deleted.
- Sign in to your Uber Eats account
- Click your account name in the top-right corner and choose “Help” from the drop-down menu
- Click “Account”
- Click “Delete my Uber Eats account”
- A list of all of your connected Uber services will be shown
- Click “Continue”
- Explain why you’re deleting your account
- Click “Delete account”
How Much Does Uber Cost?
If you use both Uber and Uber Eats, there are several fees you should be aware of. These fees can slowly and easily eat away at your savings if you’re not careful.
Service Fees
When you place an order on Uber Eats, you’ll be charged a service fee. These fees depend on the store category you make an order from. For example, if you make a purchase at a restaurant, you’ll be charged 10% of your subtotal, between $2 and $4. On the other hand, if you place an order from a retail store, you’ll be charged 13% of your subtotal, between $4.99 and $14.99.
Delivery Fees
These fees vary and are based on the specific service, the merchant, your location, and the availability of delivery people. These fees will always be displayed upfront before you choose a merchant.
Moreover, if you want your order to be delivered to you first, you’ll be charged an additional fee of $1.99 to $3.99.
Tips
Whether you use Uber or Uber Eats, it is generally expected that you provide a tip between 15% to 30%. While you can choose how much to reward your delivery person or driver, it’s still an added cost you need to think about.
Food Price Markups
Pricing is determined by restaurants, who typically add markups to their regular prices to accommodate deliveries. These markups vary a great deal and can range from as little as 7% to as much as 91% more than what you’d pay if you bought your food directly from the restaurant.
How Much Can You Save In A Year When You Delete Your Uber Account?
If you’re the type to use Uber all the time, the cost savings can be substantial at the end of the year. But, ultimately your savings will depend on whether or not you have a Uber One membership and how frequently you use the app.
Savings On Uber One Membership
While Uber One is meant to provide discounts on deliveries and trips, there is a fee for that too. A Uber One membership costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year, plus tax. As such, cancelling your Uber One membership will save you nearly $120 per year (when subscribed monthly).
Depending on how much you use their service, you’ll be either saving money, breaking even or losing money.
Savings On Uber Eats
The amount you can save every year by reducing or eliminating your Uber Eats orders can be significant. Let’s say you tend to order out once a week.
On the lower end of the scale with a minimum $2 service fee on your order, you’d save $104 per year ($2 x 52 weeks) just in the service fees alone, not including the cost of food. And if you’re spending $4 in service fees every time you order, you’re saving $208 per year. Again, cutting out the cost of your meal will add hundreds more to your annual savings.
Savings On Uber Ride-Sharing
According to data collected by Statista, 34% of Canadians say they use Uber and/or taxis. Those aged 18 to 34 years are more likely to use car services like Uber (40%), followed by those aged 35 to 54 (35%), then over 55 years (29%).
The average Canadian spends just over $88 per month on car services like Uber. Just cutting out this specific service would result in saving more than $1,056 every year.
If you frequently use all the services Uber offers, you could realistically be spending thousands of dollars a year. Imagine what you could do with that money if you cancelled your Uber account!
Where Should Use The Money Saved From Cancelling?
Deleting your Uber account could potentially leave you with a ton of extra cash each year that you can put toward a variety of other things. Here are a few smart ways to use that new-found money that will improve your financial health:
Build An Emergency Fund
Everyone should have an emergency fund. If you come across an urgent expense, the money will be readily available when you need it, rather than having to scramble to take out a last-minute loan.
Pay Off Your Credit Cards
The interest you pay on your outstanding credit card balance is probably among the highest out of all your debt. Credit card rates can be as high as 24.99%, which can add up to be quite a bit if you carry a high balance month-over-month.
Consider using your Uber savings to pay down this high-interest debt. Not only will you be out of credit card debt faster, but you’ll also improve your credit utilization ratio, which may have a positive impact on your credit scores.
Pay Off Other Debts
Paying down as much debt as you can will not just cut down on your monthly bill payments, but it will also improve your debt-to-income ratio. The lower this ratio, the better your odds of getting approved for loan products at affordable rates.
Final Thoughts
Uber is convenient. Which is great since we all live such busy lives. But, using Uber even a handful of times per year can really add up. By skipping these unnecessary conveniences, you can free up a lot of money that you can use to improve your cash flow, cut down on debt, and even invest. Choosing the less convenient option can be difficult, but ultimately you will have the opportunity to improve other areas of your life.
