I've had no problem getting an Uber pickup at 5am in the USA (multiple cities, exactly the sittuation you described)... I just double-check the arrival time as soon as I wake up (say 4am) and keep watching it as I'm getting ready to make sure I hail at the right time.

So you can't really prebook, you just rely on there being available drivers at whatever time of the day?

For instance, I booked a trip between Prague and PRG for a 7 AM flight. The booking indicated the driver will meet me at 4:30 AM.

Going to cost about $25.

I didn't say that you CAN'T pre-book (I don't know one way or another), just that I haven't felt the need to with several early flights in large US cities... outside the US could be a different story.

Yes, can prebook - she gave 72 hr notice.
Yes, my wife's BR flight arrived 5 am, driver was in terminal with sign, so no reason to assume can't pick up in town for airport run.

What level of Uber service was this with? I don't see the option to prebook with UberX (no Black/SUV cars in the area to test).

I would pre book. I haven't seen the option with uber. In Prague just recently and not a ton of uber cars. Most I ever saw at once was 4. I would chance it. Thought we took it to the airport and the price was 467 Czeck crowns, which is about the same.

Fdw

Pre-booking Uber is definitely not a feature I've seen anywhere. It goes completely against their operational model. It's possible they're experimenting with it somewhere though?

Is UberX and UberXL the same in essence as Lyft? Meaning regular drivers looking to make some side money, as opposed to taxi/limo/private car drivers?

UberPop is more or less the Uber equivalent - UberX are usually a very narrow range of allowable cars and drivers put in a minimum number of hours.

But unlike UberBlack/SUV/Van, with X/XL, can the drivers be regular drivers? I thought with Black/SUV/Van, they're required to be licensed as private/taxi/limo drivers, and not any Joe could drive them. Or am I misunderstanding this?

I think the subtlety of what's completely legal and what is a grey area might have different shades in different cities!

UberX/XL is regular (unlicensed) drivers for hire. The acceptable range of cars is fairly wide, but I know Crown Victorias (and possibly Grand Marquis) are not allowed to prevent old Taxis & Police Cars from being put into Uber service.

Black/SUV is made up of licensed limo/taxi drivers with a car type requirement, though every time I've used it I've received a Lincoln Town Car.

Uber Plus is being tested in a a few markets (I know LA, for one) which is basically UberX with much tighter car requirements, mostly luxury sedans and SUVs.

Ofcourse, this is just the breakdown in the major US markets... they differ in foreign markets to a wide degree, often dictated by local Taxi/Limo laws.

My bad, just clarified th Mrs. She prebooked by calling the uber driver directly and not via Uber. Apologies for incorrect info!

No :(

Of course when you get the dreaded "No cars available" you're stuck. Unless you're confident you'll have service within a few minutes at any time of the day I wouldn't risk it.

Wow, I was just about to post this. JINX. lol

I used it all weekend in Toronto. Most of the UberX's were Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas and equivalents - was picked up in a Range Rover from C'est What, which was a pleasant surprise. I only turned on data roaming for Uber using my normal AT&T Puerto Rico sim card.

Woke up this morning at 0530 wanting a taxi about 6AM to get my 0645 flight. Say several taxis milling about the airport (10 minutes away), so jumped in the shower. Got out at 0540, and they'd all gone :( Had to use mantax instead, arrived 0558, out at 0607, then 13 minutes in "fast track" as the wheelchair brigade were pushed through. Sigh.

I am looking to use Uber in Warsaw. As I will be in Poland for 3 days visiting family, there is no reason to get a SIM. Any luck on hailing via WiFi here?

The one flaw of Uber to my findings thus far! Maybe they should have a computer version for when you are leaving the hotel room, saying what your wearing and your baggage etc. :)

if i use uber with my US sim card oversea, when I call uber driver or he calls me, will I incur international roaming? It is hard to avoid communicating with uber dirver before we can locate each other

also can uber credit (in dollar amount, not free rides) be used oversea?

Most drivers don't like calling international numbers, but you can call them (roaming charges apply). Here in China, SMS is also a contact method, but it is not widely used.

Of course. Why would it be any different than any other call you placed or received on your phone?

I guess each situation is different, but I've never had to talk with an Uber driver before pickup. I get their car make and model, license plate number, and picture on my phone before they arrive. When I spot them, if I'm not already obvious, I just wave to get their attention.

I used it a couple of times last week in Copenhagen and it worked wonderfully. No different than using it in the US, other than that the "standard" cars were tiny.

Yea you will incur roaming charges if you call the driver just as you would data roaming charges using uber app unless on wifi. If you are US based and travel internationally frequently look into getting a T-Mobile phone. Free data and 20c per minute calling in over 100 counties.

No you can not use USD credits internationally (at least not in countries not using USD)

Does anyone know if you can use a Debit card while using Uber overseas - or a Credit card is bare minimum?

My account is linked to a visa check card, and I've never had any problems.

Moving this to our new Ride Share forum...

I will be visiting New York next month at the end of a vacation from the UK.
I have just registered with Uber and verified my mobile and email.
I have a US sim card + data package which I will use in the US.
Can I change my mobile number in my Profile to the US number and be good to go having validating it?

You can do that, but opening a second account is probably easier, and you should be able to score a nice bonus.

OK, thanks for the info!

I used uber in China and all my uber USD credit disappeared from my account and uber CS did not want to help.. anyone had this experience?

BTW, if I log in to my wife's uber account on my phone where I normally login to my uber account, will Uber close either of our accounts? I remember I read some data points...

Uber charges in local currency. Pretty sure that your credits have to be in said currency so USD credit won't be applied in China.

USD credits used to work in China, but this is no longer the case because Uber China is a separate entity.

Used uber India:

New Dehli, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbay, form the airport to downtown and back. Worked like anywhere else in the world ^

Best to use an indian simcard to avoid roaming fees - the drivers will always call you to pick you up.

Payment with an oversea CC stored in your app was not a problem.

Just used Uber in Durban, South Africa. Perfect experience and great alternative to the clunky taxi system here. I highly recommend it! Seamless process just like in the US.

I'm Aussie based and plan to use Uber on an upcoming trip to South America and the USA. I won't be using global roaming as it's very expensive here. So assuming I can order an Uber using wifi, what happens if the driver tries to call the number and no one answers? What if they can't find you?

When you order an Uber using wifi, is there a comments section where you can tell them you don't have a phone and where they can find you?

I would recommend narrowing your location down as close as possible to where you will be. I don't think there is a comments section, though. You would want to call or text, but it sounds like you won't be able to do that.

Some folks are able to use wifi calling apps (outside of hangouts) , and if that is possible, this may allow you to reach your driver. On an android phone, u can use hangouts to call but the quality varies and if wifi is spotty, the call may not complete. Plus the Uber app seems to want to route calls through the native calling app, not hangouts (even if it is set as default).

That said, some things to keep in mind is that u won't be able to text from another phone (or have someone do it for you) since the driver's actual phone number is masked. I also couldn't text using the google voice app, although my google voice number is listed on my account because, again, Uber wanted to use the native messaging app. There maybe around this but I gave up. lol

I've been in your situation and I have often requested an uber with my tablet but did not have a phone (or was roaming). I simply requested the uber once I was in the spot so I would make sure not to miss them. A few times, the uber would cancel on me but I was always able to request another one. If I noticed that the driver had some trouble finding me or attempted to call, I always apologized and informed them that my phone wasn't working. Just be sure to avoid surge times if you can, and you should be good.

This was not an issue when I worked there a year ago. As an alternative, your wife (of you) can also log on to her account from her phone and request a ride for you. Just tell the driver who the rider is and you will be good.

My uber experience is limited solely to the US and China. In the case of the former, calling the driver isn't even an option in some cities, but it's nice for them to able to call you. Meanwhile, in China, I wouldn't dream of using uber without a working phone because getting picked up in crowded areas requires voice capabilities.

Uber in Panama
 

I recently used Uber in Panama City, from the city to the airport (thanks to a $20 credit for first use). The car was nicer than the regular taxis, and it was actually slightly cheaper than airport taxis.

I used my hotel wifi to get Uber, and the driver had no problems locating me.