Ridesharing services have boomed all over the world and Australia is no exception. At the last count, there were at least half a dozen of these services frantically ferrying passengers all over the place. Some of the most prominent one’s are:
- Uber
- Ola
- Didi
- 13Cabs
Then you have the aggregators such as Placie which allow you to check and compare prices without having to flick between various apps. Lastly, there is the women-only rideshare called Shebah. Like they say the more the merrier.
When it comes to earning points, only Uber and Ola offer that opportunity. Let’s take a look at these in detail.
Earning Points with Uber
Uber and Qantas have a longstanding partnership whereby Qantas Frequent Flyers can earn 1 Qantas point per $1 on Uber trips to and from most Australian airports. If you are new to Uber, there is also the opportunity to earn 2,000 bonus Qantas points after your first Uber ride.
Earn Qantas points on Airport Rides with Uber
To earn points, you must have your Uber and Qantas accounts linked. If you don’t yet have an account with Uber, you can sign-up here. Its quick and free to set up.
The account linking process must be initiated from your Qantas app. To link, tap Uber in the Qantas app and follow the prompts. Once the accounts are linked, this is how it will appear in the app.
I must say, while its nice to be able to earn points, the earning rate of just 1 Qantas point per $1 is pretty underwhelming. Also, points cannot be earned on any non-airport rides which is quite a dampener.
Earning Points with Ola
Ola started services in Australia in 2018 and have since expanded to most Australian cities and towns. They kicked off their partnership with Velocity in June 2019, and improved it further in February 2020.
As things stand, all Velocity Frequent Flyers earn ;
- 2 Velocity Points per $1 on rides to and from most Australian & New Zealand Airports.
- 1 Velocity Point per $1 on all non-airport rides in Australia & New Zealand.
See this link for a list of all eligible Airports in Australia and New Zealand.
Earn Velocity points on your rides with Ola
For those with elite status in Velocity Frequent Flyer Program, the returns are even better. Silver, Gold and Platinum Velocity Members will earn bonus Velocity Points spent on Ola Airport Rides on top of the base Velocity Points earned, at the rates of 50%, 75% and 100% respectively. This means that:
- Silver Velocity Members will earn 3 Velocity Points per $1 on Airport rides.
- Gold Velocity Members will earn 3.5 Velocity Points per $1 on Airport rides.
- Platinum Velocity Members will earn 4 Velocity Points per $1 on Airport rides.
If you are new to Ola, you can also earn 1,000 bonus Velocity points after your first Ola ride.
Velocity Platinum elites earn 4 Velocity points per $1 on Airport rides with Ola
To earn points, your Ola & Velocity accounts must be linked. If you don’t have an account with Ola, you can create one via this link.
The account linking process must be initiated from the Ola app. To link, open the Ola app, tap on your name and follow the prompts. Once the accounts are linked, this is how it will appear on the app.
Both Uber & Ola accept payments with all major credit cards including American Express which is great.
In Conclusion
Australian Frequent Flyers can earn points with both major airlines on ridesharing services. Looking objectively, Velocity Frequent Flyers have the edge over Qantas as they can earn points on all rides with Ola, and at a far superior rate. Even so, it’s a good idea to always compare prices before you make the decision on who to ride.
Personally speaking, I mostly ride with Ola as I prioritise earning Velocity points over Qantas. That said, Ola are way behind Uber when it comes to the number of cars and pick-up times, so it really is a trip by trip decision.
Do you earn points on Rideshare? Leave a comment below.
