Delta Switching from Lyft to Uber

 In case you missed the news, here's a reminder that Lyft is ending its partnership with Delta on April 7th.   Dollars spent on Uber rides will henceforth be able to earn Delta SkyMiles.  Lyft will continue to partner with Hilton offering hotel points for dollars spent on rides.  They also have partnerships with Alaska Airlines and Bilt Rewards, which I assume they are keeping.

For a while I've had it set so that my Lyft account fed Delta and Uber fed into Marriott Bonvoy.   The latter has been a good deal as I almost always book Uber Comfort (or above) and that gets triple Bonvoy points for every dollar spent.  However, double SkyMiles per dollar on Uber Comfort is tempting if you frequently fly on Delta (the Points Guy is currently valuing Delta points at 1.2¢ and Marriott Bonvoy points at .7¢). 

On a personal note vis a vis Uber: what I am sure of is that despite their pushing of Waymo, I will be sticking with human driven cars.  

Lyft Promotions

One Way to Spend Your $5

If you use Lyft, you may be interested in a couple of its current promotions:

• One is $5 back for three rides  (limited to one reward per month) you pay for using a "World Elite" MasterCard.  I wouldn't run out and apply for a new World Elite card to take advantage of this, but if you happen to have one then you're basically getting a free well drink/latte/Whopper/etc. on Lyft every month.  
• The other is Hilton Honors points at three per each dollar spent on rides.  

What’s next for Uber, Lyft and Austin’s fingerprint check...

What’s next for Uber, Lyft and Austin’s fingerprint check...

Troxclair: Don’t drive ridesharing out of Austin

Check out Austin City Council Member Troxclair's (District 8) defense keeping the status quo on TNC regulations:  Troxclair: Don’t drive ridesharing out of Austin

Third company to join ride-hailing fray in Austin

Third company to join ride-hailing fray in Austin

The Austin City Council will vote on TNC regulations this Thursday.  Uber and Lyft say they cannot operate in Austin under the proposed regulations, but the Dallas based Get Me says it can.

Austin Polled on Proposed Uber and Lyft Regs

Two competing polls have determined that in one case 70% of Austinites want the city to require enhanced regulations for Uber and Lyft while in the other case 70% don't want any changed.  Not surprisingly, the wording of the question has a lot to do with results.

I started using Uber in August and Lyft in November.  Both services have repeatedly given me prompt, friendly, and competitively priced service.  Personally, I have always felt safe in Uber and Lyft cars as both the driver's and my whereabouts were being tracked in real time by the ride service app, and because both Uber and Lyft already conduct background checks on their drivers.  

My biggest problem with cabs in the past has been lack of availability.  Considering that Austin has currently issued 750 cab medallions, it should be no surprise that cab service can be quite scare during peak times.  If the city is going to enact regulations that make Uber and Lyft unable to operate here, then something needs to be done in order to provide on demand ride options.   The demand exists, and being able to provide more rides helps to keep addition cars off the road as well as to help reduce drinking and driving.

List of proposed Uber, Lyft rules gets longer - Austin Monitor

List of proposed Uber, Lyft rules gets longer - Austin Monitor