Monzo + Uber =?

What could happen if the best in banking teamed up with the best in taxis?

Perhaps a bespoke monzo loyalty scheme? I’m excited for the possibility

Sent from my iPhone

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Apologies if this sounds harsh but you could name any big merchant & suggest that they create a loyalty scheme with Monzo. I’m not sure what makes Uber an exceptionally good prospect for this?

Having said that, I am keen to see an Uber integration for Monzo, which could look like this -

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That suggests Uber are the best in taxis…:flushed:

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Minicabs at best :joy: and arguably Lyft are better than Uber from the feedback I have read in business journals

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I’m in danger of being seen as an advocate for Uber, based on your selective quote. I much prefer Bromsgrove Taxis (but their’s is a small radius) :smile:

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I would have said yes to this a few months ago but after Uber basically blocked my phone for no reason I’m saying no also I went back to my old local cab company to find they are now £3 cheaper per local ride and basically cheaper on every other ride.

Personally I think everyone should compare with local companies before you Uber.

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I could indeed, but IMO these are two forward-thinking startups, both of which excel in their area of expertise.

If Uber can partner with Barclaycard and AMEX in the US, then definitely with Monzo!

Demand for Uber will always remain high. I don’t carry cash and so am unlikely to have any on me for a minicab.

A loyalty incentive scheme would benefit Monzo, Uber and the riders - everyone stands to gain and no-one to lose.

As for what makes Uber special - they are the best app-cab out there. I rarely have an issue, and their customer service is almost as good as Monzo’s - dare I say!

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Addison Lee being head and shoulders above Uber for both driver and vehicle quality. Though they don’t cover as big an area as Uber.

With Addidon Lee, Hailo, Wheely, DRiVR and erm Uber, rather than link up with one, why not all thru the marketplace planned by Monzo?

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A lot of local cab apps are usually better (cheaper/ more reliable etc) than Uber but I like having it as a backup in case I can’t find any other travel options, especially when you are overseas and travelling at a ridiculously late/early time. I made the mistake of getting a local cab in Copenhagen, though, and it was about 3x more expensive than what I’d pay with Uber.
I don’t really want to delve into the other social/ ethical problems with Uber- a lot of the cab drivers around here who aren’t with them bitch a lot about them, but the way I see it convenience is key right now- I think consumers don’t mind paying a little bit more for a snazzy app/ services that are easy to navigate. If Monzo teamed up with them it would be nice to see my trip when charged using Monzo.

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The only good about Uber is that they will pic you up at 4am on a Friday when local cabs are too busy and refuse.

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What you forget is big merchants already have their own bespoke loyalty scheme, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Nando’s, Starbucks, Costco etc.

Companies like uber don’t but instead built out strategic partnerships as they’ve done with barclaycard.

In this case, monzo might just be the type of partner they’re after.

I can see how Monzo would benefit if they agreed a partnership like the Barclaycard partnership and Uber agreed to market the scheme, while obviously Monzo users would get free rides.

So I’d be very happy to see a partnership. I’d just prefer it if the question was “which merchant’s do you want to see Monzo partnering with?” rather than users naming seemingly random merchants & creating topics for each one.
Again, if there is a particular reason why a certain merchant is a good fit, then the dedicated topic makes sense to me.

You’re getting closer here -

but that still sounds like a bit of a reach to me.

I’m sure this won’t be the last time that this happens :slight_smile: I just thought I’d share my thoughts on this since it came up & your topic was the first example, it’s nothing personal :v:

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The day Monzo partners with U*** is the day I cut my Monzo card up and delete the app. U*** is a vile, toxic, exploitative and tax-avoiding pile of scum.

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I would like to see a partnership with Uber. Okay, not everyone agrees with all their business practices but nobody is forced to use them.

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I don’t have opinion on this particular matter, never used Uber, I don’t plan on using Uber, I don’t care is Monzo has partnership with Uber. However, I don’t feel like it’s Monzo as a company that should receive this cold shoulder treatment though. Monzo has a duty, which they fullfill excellently, to listen to users. If Monzo users want Uber, and Monzo says “it’s bad company, nope”, they wouldn’t doing what they promised all of us. This is how I would perceive Monzo’s behaviour if Monzo would suddenly start to play moral judge on companies. It’s also dangerous game to play, if started we could have vegans wanting Monzo to boycott McDonalds due to unethical meat sourcing, or other movements boycotting Tesco because they waste food. There’s no line that applies to all users.

In a way, your problem is with Uber, not with Monzo. Monzo can’t solve problems that Uber has (or the problem that Uber ‘is’) by not integrating with them. :thinking:

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While I agree with Avishai, I can see the other side of the argument. If say Monzo linked to a popular sports shoe manufacturer and they were proven to use underage workers in a sweat shop to make their shoes (an imaginary example not based on a particular company) then Monzo may have image problems by association with such a firm.

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As long as it’s clearly opt-in (a toggle switch in the settings) I don’t think anyone will have a problem with it - if you don’t like Uber just don’t enable it.

Personally I am fine with Uber - it might not be the best company in the world but in the meantime it’s solving my problems just fine, and better than the other options.

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I see what you mean. But there are 2 steps or partnership:

  1. Monzo card can be used to make payments to another company

  2. Monzo goes above and beyond - there’s a tight integration allowing users to get more benefits or get things done easier with another company

I can see that serious scandals or extremely polarising company reputation can easily increase public demand to abrupt flow 2.

I never want to stop flow number 1, unless company is illegal or their products are strictly illegal.

Random examples:
Monzo has integration with Tesco (for whatever reason) and there was horse meat found in hamburgers. Should Monzo cut the cord for the integration?
Monzo has integration with Amazon, but some people hate Amazon for their policies.
Monzo has integration with Apple wearables, but Apple has been accused of exploiting child labor.

Each person will perceive examples differently, how can we conciliate when 100 users will want Apple Watch integration and 100 users will hate Apple? Why should Monzo need to make a decision?

@anon23935806 is right, Monzo gives a toggle.
Users shouldn’t be hating Monzo. Integration is far from endorsement. There are very few really clean companies and it’s a moral discussion that can’t be won.

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Uber is modern day slavery, they ain’t going to last, slowly running out of investors and the money they used to subsidise all your journeys. They have broken many rules and regulations, don’t think you want to be inclined with a company known for tax dodging etc

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