The arrival of the ice cream truck is usually signaled by a tinny, sing-song chime, but today only (July 24), the glowing Uber logo is the harbinger of frozen treats. Yup, it’s Uber ice cream day!
For the fourth year in a row, Uber is tying in with National Ice Cream Month and helping satisfy customers’ sweet tooths. Just open your Uber app, set your location, enter the promo code “ICE CREAM” and you’re all set for a cool delivery of Uber ice cream.
The ride-sharing company may also be attempting to sweeten its public perception, which has seen some trouble around the globe as of late (even though national ice cream month applies just to the United States, Uber ice cream is happening across six continents, 57 countries and 252 cities.
There has to be a catch, right? Well, sort of. When users send an ice cream request, the appropriately equipped driver comes along with 5 ice cream treats—for a $25 charge. That’s a little on the pricey side for an ice cream bar (though each city delivers a different type of ice cream, typically in partnership with a local vendor), even if splitting among five friends or co-workers.
There’s a loophole, though. Uber customers who have a Capital One credit or debit card set as their payment method get their ice cream gratis. Almost makes it worth it to go through the trouble of going into the Uber app, changing your payment method and changing it back right after.
Uber’s website claims that the ice cream “will be delivered curbside in minutes,” but Twitter is already filled with unhappy users saying their ice cream has come after long delays or even not at all. To be fair, there are even more tweets of people excited about their ice cream deliveries, even snapping photos with the Uber drivers who have saved them from a warm summer day.
Also read: Uber and Lyft Pickups Coming Soon to LAX
