This post marks the new series launch: “One Trick I Use”
Because good money moves shouldn't be gatekept. 💼💡
Let’s start with one of my favorite ongoing tricks:
💡 How I get 20–27% off Uber — every single time — while stacking points or cashback to fund future travel ✈️🌍
🔍 Step One: Costco + Uber Gift Cards 🎁🚗
As a Costco Executive Member 🖤, I get access to their online portal, where I regularly buy:
➡️ $100 Uber gift cards for just $79.99
That’s an instant 20% off, with no codes or hoops.
📦 Limit: 2 per order, and this usually resets every 2 weeks.
But here's where it gets better…
🎉 On Holidays, It’s Even Crazier
During major sales (Black Friday, Memorial Day, etc), Costco drops the price even more:
There's a sale right now! As depicted below from 06/03/2025 - 06/08/2025
➡️ $100 Uber gift cards for just $75
That’s a flat 25% off, no strings attached 🎊
💳 Step Two: Strategic Payment = Bonus Points 💥
I don’t just buy the cards and stop there — I stack bonus points on the payment side too, using:
🟦 Chase Ink Business Cash
→ Buy Visa/MC gift cards at Staples (5x points)
→ Use those to pay at Costco.com
→ Earn 5x Ultimate Rewards, perfect for Hyatt, United, etc.
OR
🟢 Citi Double Cash
→ Simple 2% back or 2x ThankYouPoints
→ Great for transferring to Eva Airlines mostly for me, back to Taiwan!
🎯 I decide based on what I’m saving for:
More Chase UR points for hotels? → go 5x
Need Citi TY points for a flight? → go 2x
💎 Bonus Layer: Executive Membership Cashback 🖤
Since I’m a Costco Executive Member, I also get 2% cashback annually on all Costco purchases — regardless of which card I use.
✅ That means:
2% cashback from the membership
PLUS 5x or 2x points from your payment method
PLUS 20–25% gift card discount
🔁 It all stacks. Every time.
📊 Total Breakdown (on a $100 Uber GC):
$79.99 paid → $20 discount up front (or $25 on holidays)
5x UR points (or 2x TY/cashback)
2% back from Costco Executive tier
📈 = Effective savings of 21.6–27% every single time
🧠 TL;DR:
🎁 Buy $100 Uber GCs from Costco.com for $79.99 (or $75 on holidays)
💳 Pay with 5x Chase Ink Cash (via gift cards) or 2x Citi Double Cash
🖤 Get 2% cashback from Costco Executive Membership
🛍 Stock up every 2 weeks
📲 Load into your Uber account
➡️ Result: Lifetime Uber savings + travel points