Charged a fee on Uber? How to get a refund on the cancel fee, cleaning fee, and more

If Uber has ever charged you a fee, you might wonder how you got the fee and how to get a refund.

Read on to learn all the fees Uber charges, how to avoid them, and how to get out of unjustified fees.

The Uber cancellation fee

Uber may charge a cancellation fee if you cancel more than 2 minutes after a driver accepts your ride request and if your driver cancels your ride after waiting more than 5 minutes at your pickup location.

The cancel fee is around $5, but the exact fee amount depends on your location and the ride type.

Cancel fee for regular Uber rides

You will be charged a cancellation fee if you cancel more than 2 minutes after a driver accepts your ride request and if your driver cancels your ride after waiting more than 5 minutes at your pickup location.

In some markets, your driver may wait up to 7 minutes before the cancel fee applies.

Cancel fee for shared Uber rides

You will be charged a cancellation fee on shared rides (UberX Share) if you cancel more than 2 minutes after a driver accepts your ride request, and if your driver cancels after waiting more than 2 minutes at your pickup location.

The cancellation fee for shared Uber rides is around $5.

Cancel fee for premium Uber rides (Uber Black, Black SUV, Lux)

You will be charged a $10 cancellation fee if you cancel more than 5 minutes after a driver accepts your ride request, or if your driver cancels your ride after waiting more than 15 minutes at your pickup location.

• What’s the difference between UberX, XL, Black, etc?

Can you get a refund for the cancellation fee?

It is possible to dispute a cancellation fee and get a refund, but Uber typically only reverses your first cancellation fee as a courtesy. Future cancellation fees will be harder to get out of.

Don’t expect Uber to refund the fee if you cancelled two minutes after matching a driver, or if your driver had to wait longer than the allotted wait time.

Uber is more likely to refund your fee if you successfully requested another ride shortly after cancelling.

Avoid cancellation fees with Uber One

You can also avoid cancellation fees with Uber One, a $9.99/month subscription that offers discounts on rides and flexible cancellations.

You can cancel without fees or penalties as an Uber One member.

Otherwise, the best way to avoid cancellation fees is to be sure you need a ride and be ready to go out to the driver as soon as they arrive.

Wait time fees

The wait time fee applies to your ride if a driver has to wait more than a few minutes for you to arrive at their vehicle.

Uber begins to charge a per-minute wait time fee if you don’t board the driver’s vehicle within 2 minutes—or 5 minutes on premium rides Uber Black.

Wait time usually costs around $0.30 per minute.

If a driver cancels your ride as a no-show after 5 minutes of waiting (or 15 minutes for Uber Black), you will only be charged the no-show cancellation fee. Any accumulated wait time fees won’t be added on top of the cancellation fee.

The wait time fee does not apply to airport and UberX Share trips because your driver can cancel after only 2 minutes after arriving at your location.

The booking fee & marketplace fee

The booking fee is a variable fee that scales with the trip distance, so a longer ride will have a higher booking fee. It is added to every economy Uber trip.

Uber says the fee covers ‘regulatory, safety, and operational costs such as commercial auto insurance and payment card fees.’

The booking fee is included in the upfront price estimate when you book a trip—it is not a surprise fee added after the ride.

The booking fee doesn’t apply to premium services like Uber Black, SUV, and Lux. And some states—like California—use the marketplace fee instead.

The marketplace fee is a variable fee that scales with the trip distance. It is included in the upfront fare estimate when you first request the trip.

No refunds for the Booking or Marketplace fees!

Booking and Marketplace fees are nonrefundable fees that cover Uber operational costs. You will only get a refund on these fees if the entire trip is refunded.

The fee for returning lost items

Uber charges a $20 fee when a driver returns your lost item. The entire fee goes to the driver.

Uber drivers aren’t responsible for lost items, so drivers are not liable if you lose an item in their car. Returning the item to you is a courtesy.

To report a lost item, open the Uber app and tap Activity. Find the trip where you lost the item and scroll to Find Lost Item.

Your driver will then contact you to arrange a time and place to retrieve your item. If you lose your phone, report it at riders.uber.com and use a friend or family member’s phone number as your contact number.

• How to recover a lost item from an Uber

The cleaning fee & damage fee

Uber can charge you a cleaning fee if your driver reports that you made a mess in their car or damaged their vehicle.

The fee compensates your driver for the cost to clean the mess or repair the damage. Your driver receives 100% of the fee.

The cleaning fee is usually between $20 and $150, depending on the mess or damage.

Cleaning fee schedule

	Cleaning Fee
Small interior mess that requires simple cleaning or vacuuming	$20–$50
Minor vomit or spills on the exterior	$40
Moderate interior mess, such as vomit, large food/beverage spill	$80
Major bodily fluid mess, incident that requires cleaning inside of doors or air vents	$150

If your driver claims you left a mess in their car, you’ll receive an email explaining that a cleaning fee is being applied to your ride.

The most common cause of the cleaning fee is food stains, fluid stains, vomit, animal hair, sand, and dirt.

Can you get a refund for the cleaning fee?

Yes, but only if you didn’t leave a mess or if the mess wasn’t as serious as the driver reported.

How to dispute a cleaning fee from Uber: Open the trip receipt in the Uber app or visit riders.uber.com. Scroll to find Get trip help and find the item that says, “I was charged a cleaning fee.”

A text box will allow you to share details and dispute the charge.

• Drivers: Uber won’t pay for wear and tear damage to your car

Can drivers lie about messes and damage?

Can’t a driver lie and claim you left a mess in their car just to collect an easy fee? Yes, but it’s not that simple.

Drivers must send photographic proof of the damage to Uber before they can collect a cleaning fee.

In some cases, the driver is required to get an estimate for the cost of cleaning or repair.

Drivers are deactivated for taking advantage of the cleaning fee or could be restricted from receiving it if they request it too often.

If you receive a cleaning fee in error, contact Uber. There’s a chance that they will refund the fee, especially if the driver frequently tries to claim fees in a suspicious manner.

Airport fees & surcharges

Most airports charge a pickup fee for Uber rides. Typically, Uber will detect that your pickup is at an airport and include fee in the upfront price estimate.

You can view the full airport fee in your ride receipt after the trip is over.

Airport fees are nonrefundable. Airports charge Uber airport trips, and Uber passes that cost to you.

• A guide to using Uber at airports

Tolls

Uber passengers are responsible for toll charges, but you won’t have to hand cash to your driver.

The Uber app knows when your route includes a toll, so the cost is included in the up-front price you see when you first request the trip.

If your driver asks you to pay for a toll and you cover it, you can let Uber know after the trip is over by visiting your ride receipt in Trips section of the app.

Can you get a refund for a toll charge? You can only get a refund for a toll if you paid the driver in cash or the driver never used a toll road.

Temporary authorization charges

Uber may make a temporary authorization charge to verify that a new payment method is active.

Typically an authorization charge is around $5, which will disappear after a few business days.

• Unauthorized charge on Uber? What to do
• Uber payment options: How to select a different credit card

California fees

Uber riders in California pay several fees unique to the state.

The Marketplace Fee is similar to the Booking Fee. It supports operation costs at Uber and scales with ride time and distance.

CA Driver Benefits is a $0.79 fee to cover the driver benefits that California voters approved in Proposition 22.

The Access For All fee is a $0.10 that generates funds to expand the availability of ride options for riders who require a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

How to dispute fees, and how to contact Uber

You can dispute fees in the Uber app at help.uber.com, or riders.uber.com.

Inside the Uber app, select Activity on the bottom menu of the app. Find the ride with the fee you want to dispute.

Scroll to Get Trip Help and select the option that mentions the fee. Follow steps to request a review.

If you can’t find an option that mentions your fee, go to Trip Help > More options to find an option called Review my fare or fees.

At help.uber.com or riders.uber.com, log in and select the ride. Scroll to find Get Help, where you will find options to dispute a fee or request a fare review.

• The Best Ways to Contact Uber Customer Service
• What to Do about Unexplained Charges from Uber

Uber typically stands behind their fees and surcharges, but you can get your money back if the fee was in error or you can convincingly make your case.