Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave

In case this happens to anyone else, there is another solution: you can perhaps ring a friend or family member who uses Uber - ideally someone who has you already as a contact in their mobile phone - and then use the Account -> Family function to add you to their profile. Then in the classic Where to? area of booking a Uber, above the From / To lines, there is a "Switch Rider" line. You would get a text message with details of the Uber booked for you but paid by someone else.

Also useful if you are concerned about someone's safety (e.g. after a night out), so a very useful facility and worth letting your friends know that you would be very happy to do this for them.