Uber Hopes to Hail New Riders in Mexico with Debit Card
Ride-hailing service Uber has partnered with Mexico-based digital bank Bankaool to launch a new debit card to reach riders without access to a bank account. Linked to an account with the Mexican online bank, the Mastercard-branded UberCard could help drive ridership of Uber among consumers in Mexico who don’t have a traditional payment card to link to the app. Uber has been live in Mexico since 2013, and currently is available in more than 30 cities across the country. The UberCard offers users a free first Uber ride, along with free money transfer, online account management and two free ATM cash withdrawals a month.
Uber previously has struck similar deals with financial services providers to reach unbanked consumers in emerging markets. Last year, the company partnered with Mumbai-based ItzCash Card Ltd. on a program to enable users outside of India’s major cities to access the ride service through ItzCash’s various prepaid payments products. In the U.S., Uber has a partnership with Green Dot that enables Uber drivers to get paid through Green Dot’s Pay Award-winning GoBank mobile checking account via a special GoBank Uber debit card. Uber also has partnered with PayPal and American Express on payment and rewards initiatives in the U.S.
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