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

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

Updated August 22, 2023 By Doug H112 Comments

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.

List of the current fees on Uber

Click each fee for more info.

  • Cancellation fee: Approximately $5 if you cancel 2 minutes after requesting a ride or if you take longer than 5 (or 7) minutes to come out to your driver
  • Cleaning & damage fee: $20–$150 fee for causing a mess in a driver’s car
  • Wait time: Around $0.30 per minute if you take longer than a few minutes to reach the driver’s vehicle
  • Booking fee/marketplace fee: A variable fee charged on economy rides that scales with the ride distance
  • Lost item fee: $20 if your driver returns a lost item. Full fee goes to the driver
  • Airport surcharge: For getting picked up or dropped off at an airport
  • Toll charges: Passengers pay for tolls. Toll costs are typically included in the fare you pay to Uber
  • California fees: California riders pay the Access for All Fee and CA Driver Benefits

How to dispute a fee and get a refund

Inside the Uber app, tap Activity on the bottom menu of the app, then select the trip in question. Scroll to Get Trip Help and find the menu item about your fee. Or, select More options > Review my fare or fees

To dispute a fee, select Activity, then select the trip in question. Scroll to Get Trip Help

Steps in the uber app to dispute a fee. Select 'Get Help' and find the best option

Go to Activity, find the trip and scroll to Get Help

More tips for Uber users

  • Overcharged by Uber? What to Do
  • How to Contact Uber Customer Service
  • How Much Does Uber Cost? Get an Uber Fare Estimate

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.

An uber trip receipt showing several fees

Example of the marketplace fee, and other California-only fees

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.

Uber trip receipt with a button that says 'find lost item'

Report your lost item in the trip receipt. Lost your phone? Use riders.uber.com

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.

A message from Uber letting a customer know that they were charged $150 for a cleaning fee

This passenger got the maximum cleaning fee, $150. Ouch.

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.

message from uber support to a driver that says 'you are not eligible to receive a cleaning fee at this time'

This driver couldn’t request a cleaning fee because of frequent requests

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.

323 shares

Originally Published August 22, 2018
Filed Under: Uber

About Doug H

Gig economy driver, writer, and expert since 2013. I created Ridesharing Driver to help drivers navigate all of the challenges we face in the on-demand world!

Comments

  1. Cara says

    September 24, 2023 at 12:07 am

    I requested an UberXL tonight for me and 3 elderly passengers. Tropical Storm Ophelia was raging with pouring rain and 30mph winds and the other passengers have mobility issues so I made sure the pick up address was correct. The driver went to the wrong location, couldn’t tell me where he was and when I asked him to come to the correct address, he hung up and canceled the ride. I was subsequently charged almost $13 for canceling, even though the driver canceled, not me, after going to the wrong location and refusing to come to the correct one, where I was still waiting. I’m trying to get Uber to refund the charge, via the dispute charge feature and messages, and both times was told no refund. What are my options here? I have a 4.85 rating, have never disputed charges before and have been an Uber rider here in Manhattan for almost a decade. I’m not at fault – any suggestions on how to escalate this to a Supervisor or someone? Sorry for the long explanation

    Reply
  2. Colleen says

    September 13, 2023 at 3:01 pm

    I canceled a ride before 24 hrs because they couldn’t find any driver and they charged my card, and I requested a refund and it’s taking forever. I need my money asap

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    April 7, 2023 at 2:06 am

    I’ve been charged TWICE since January of 2023 for a cleaning fee of $150 for a ride I’d set-up for my boyfriend.The ride was from Dec of 2021 and they took the payment info from my card used for an UberEATS subscription that I’ve had for a couple of months.I didn’t have an account with my current bank in 2021.
    I disputed The charge from January of 2021 thru Chime. The dispute is still pending and they charged my account for a second time on April 6th. Is this even legal???

    Reply
  4. Timothy Beaudoin says

    February 4, 2023 at 10:29 pm

    I tried to cancel by calling the driver but he still showed up.. I told him that I didn’t want any ride, and he was very rude and disrespectful towards me! You should have drivers take a politeness test before you hire them.

    Reply
    • Doug H says

      February 6, 2023 at 9:02 am

      It’s not great that the driver was rude to you, but it’s up to you to cancel if you decide you no longer want a ride.

      Reply
  5. Pete aldrete says

    January 2, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    I tried to get two Uber’s but no cars were available so I cancelled them. I hope that my account will not be charged for any of these fees.. but it looks like I have been so let’s figure this out please

    Reply
  6. James says

    October 17, 2020 at 7:21 pm

    Also if you don’t want a cancellation fee then BE READY when we get there. I used to wait over the 4 minutes but many people will try and take advantage and act like our time doesn’t matter. Now I will send a text at 2 mins and if no reply then at 4mins I am gone with app of for a few so I don’t get matched with the person I just cancelled on. Today my first ride on the day at 7am I drove 25mins to pick them up, I was in the driveway and they never responded, $11 fee and I don’t feel bad one bit as they had plenty of time to be ready.

    Reply
    • Beckie says

      February 16, 2021 at 12:15 pm

      What happens if you order a ride in advance ( the day before) but when it’s time to ride there are no drivers available? Are you still charged a cancellation fee?

      Reply
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