Uber Introduces a Credit Card Because Data

This push into payments comes as the battle for customized shopping experiences for consumers heats up. Amazon already has so much data about what its customers are doing that it can offer a compelling argument to be the main (potentially only) retail outlet for a consumer.

Also worth mentioning is that this push into credit is the opposite path that Uber’s big emerging markets rivals have taken with their own payment features. Southeast Asian ride-hailing platform Grab bought Kudo earlier this year as a way to get its customers access to basic digital financial services, and Ola built out a standalone app for the same reason. It’s a different path, but same goal to be more relevant and “top of mind” for users.