Can you get free Uber Eats for having the vaccine?

To increase uptake among younger people, the government are launching incentives – such as free Uber Eats deliveries – for those having the Covid-19 vaccine. 

It’s not the first scheme of its kind, with Uber offering free rides to vaccination centres to help encourage people to have the vaccine and ease any travel difficulties. However, with concerns remaining over the new Delta variant and a drop in testing over the last few weeks, the government have reignited the incentive scheme to encourage anyone who hasn’t already had the jab to book one in.

But with a large proportion of young people already vaccinated, some have criticised the scheme for coming too late.

Can you get free Uber Eats for having the vaccine?

Yes! The government have confirmed that Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo are just some of the companies who will offer discounts and incentives to customers who opt to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Uber will remind all users in August to get the jab and in turn, will offer discounted Uber rides and meals on the Uber Eats app to young adults.

When the offer begins,  students will be the first ones to luck out as they’ll be able to claim £10 in credit from the company to have either a free trip or a meal delivered to them.

The government will also give Uber-provided awards to people who post a selfie outside a vaccination centre, the company have confirmed.

Bolt, another ride company, will similarly offer free ride credit to any vaccination centre. Much like Uber, the company gave £250,000 in free ride credit to Londoners earlier this year to help the vaccine rollout.

These are just the offers on the table at the moment. The government have confirmed that other incentives may be up for grabs, including vouchers for entertainment centres such as Vue Cinemas. Discount codes will also be available for those getting the vaccine at pop-up sites and booking through the NHS. Social media competitions and promotional offers for restaurants – including McDonald’s – are being discussed too.

Founder of Pizza Pilgrims, Thom Elliot, hinted that his restaurant chain would also be getting involved with the scheme. He said, “We are excited to do our bit in the push to get every adult in the UK vaccinated against Covid-19.

“By making getting your jab as easy as grabbing a pizza, hopefully we can help our teams and our customers get both their first and second doses as easily and quickly as possible. Watch this space for more details.”

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said, “It is great to see the strong enthusiasm among young people so far to get their vaccines. Getting both doses of the jab is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself and avoid unknowingly passing the virus on to someone who may be more vulnerable to COVID-19.

“Thank you to the businesses who have backed this mission – please get your jabs as soon as you can and grab a bargain.”

Do you have to show proof of vaccination to get the deals?

It’s not known how – or even if – people have to show proof of their vaccinations to get access the deals.

However as concerns remain over the so-called ‘vaccine passport‘ and the need to prove a double vaccination in some venue spaces, the government have stressed that companies “won’t ask for, or hold any health data for the incentive scheme.”

It’s not clear whether those looking to access discounts and deals would have to prove that they’d just been vaccinated. Or, whether they have been vaccinated at all.

There is further criticism of the scheme already as well. Almost 90% of adults under 30 have already had the vaccine. Up to 70% of those aged 18-29, thought to be the age group most at risk for spreading the virus, have also already had the jabs. With the scheme rolling out soon, some people could be irked that by taking up the vaccine when they were called has meant they’ve missed out on financial incentives.