8 Money-Saving Ways to Hack Your Next Grab Ride in the Philippines

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When it comes to getting around the hustle-and-bustle of the Philippines, Grab’s taxi and car services give us the peace of mind that we know weโ€™ll get home safely after a night out with friends, or a long day at work, at the touch of a button without the stress of grabbing a taxi in Metro Manila, Cebu or Davao from the street the old fashioned way.

As a matter of fact, Grab says riders in the Philippines have experienced the biggest time-savings in Asia. So, as long as cars are available on our Grab mobile app to connect drivers with rides on a cheaper platform than traditional metered taxis, weโ€™ll be glad to take a Grab instead.

However, many people don’t know are these little-known money-saving Grab hacks that can be used by anyone to save on your next ride from any Android and iOS mobile devices. At Mango Ave, weโ€™re huge fans of Grab, especially with their mission to ‘drive Southeast Asia forward’, but now here’s 8 more reasons to love using Grab a little more!

โณ 8. Avoid Surge Pricing by Waiting it Out …

The primary complaint about ride-sharing apps is surge pricing. Surge pricing occurs when the demand for Grab services are high in a specific area of the city. When demand rises, Grab’s ride-share platform will increase the standard fare rates to encourage more drivers to get on the road and meet this demand, so you (the riders) don’t have wait so long for a ride. The price increase may be as little as 10%, or can even go up to as much as 10x the standard fare in certain areas.

What to do: Open up the Grab app to see if there’s a surge notification. If there is, try again in a 5-10 minutes until the surge pricing has ended.

If you donโ€™t have the freedom to wait, you could try our next Grab hack to avoid surge pricing.

๐Ÿ“ 7. … Or Changing Your Pick-up Location

If waiting out surge pricing doesn’t work, move the pick-up area a few blocks away and see if it changes the fair rate. The strategy is to remove yourself from popular surge pricing areas, such as malls, food courts or restobars. This may seem inconvenient, but simply walking just one or two blocks from your current location may be enough to exit the surge area and save yourself some money.

What to do: First, open up the Grab app to see if there’s a surge notification from your current location. Next, try to grab a car from a location around you that’s outside the price surge area. For example, if you are at a large mall, try checking the rate if were to be picked up a block or two away. If the estimated fare is lower and you’re willing to walk a required distance, book the ride.

grab special discounts
Avoid surge pricing by changing your current pick-up location.

๐Ÿ‘ฅ 6. Try Car Pool or Ride Share Options

If you want to save money by riding with Grab, there are several options available to meet any budget, outside of the regular on-demand taxi or car services designed for one person to use. Ride pool (multiple passengers) and ride share (2 persons only) are great ways to not only keep your rides affordable but also help do your part to keep the earth green!

Ride Pool โ€“ Take advantage of Grabโ€™s ride pooling with other passengers headed in the same destination, as the cheapest option to enjoy lower fares on daily commuting! By car-pooling, you’ll reduce everyoneโ€™s fare and carbon footprint!

For riders in Singapore, GrabHitch is your ride pool service.

Who needs this: Daily commuters

Ride Share โ€“ Save up to 30% on fares by sharing your car or taxi with another person headed in the same direction! With only two riders, Grab guarantees only one additional drop-off during your shared ride (so there wonโ€™t be any unnecessary detours).

For riders in Singapore, GrabShare will allow you to share your ride (and fare) with another person, while riders in the Philippines may avail GrabShare service in Manila only.

Who needs this: Taxi or Car users who want to save money

๐Ÿš• 5. Add an Extra Stop

Did you know that you can schedule multi-stop GrabCar rides? Ideal for picking up a friend or loved one before leaving for your destination, or dropping them off before heading home, GrabCar multi-stop rides are a great way to save time, money and stress of coordinating the transportation of multiple people without having to wait.

What to do: From the Grab app, simply schedule an additional stop to your booking of your GrabCar private car. You can estimate the fare ahead of time, and the driver will be notified of both stops when they receive your booking.

grab promo code today
Hop in and out when you go cashless by linking a bank or credit card.

๐Ÿฆ 4. Pay with a Bank or Credit Card

Go cashless instead of fumbling around for exact change on your next Grab ride. Simply link any accepted bank debit card or credit card to your Grab account and you’re ready to pay your fare with your chosen payment method!

In addition, Grab is know to offer bank promotions as an incentive to pay with specific banks. For example, Grab Philippines is currently offering a Bank of Philippines (BPI) promo for 70% off your first three GrabCar rides to encourage first-time users to avoid the hassle of looking for change at the end of your ride!

๐Ÿ’ณ 3. Sign-up for Grab Pay

Did you know that you can go cashless with Grab? GrabPay is a seamless and efficient way for passengers to pay for GrabCar rides. Hop in, hop out and get on your way, never dealing with cash.

Even better, Grab sends promo codes to encourage you to use this cashless payment method in Manila, plus, you’ll earn rewards points faster.

What to do: Setting up GrabPay is easy: simply link your Mastercard or VISA credit cards, plus selected bank debit cards, to your Grab account.

๐Ÿ’ฐ 2. Check for Grab Promo Codes

You never have to pay full price when traveling from home, to the mall, to work or school with Grab promo codes for first-time riders, existing users, bank or credit card promos and Grab Pay offers. (Note: Discounted promos are automatically reflected in the standard ride fare and exclude applicable booking fees, unless otherwise stated in the promo).

Be sure to check Grab’s blog and social media sites, and deal sites, including iVoucher, iPrice or Mango Ave’s deal site for the Philippines and Singapore to see what’s the Grab promo code today!

grab special discounts
Seniors, students and PWD’s are eligible for Grab’s special discounts.

๐Ÿ† 1. Activate Special Discounts

Did you know that Grab Philippines offers special discounts to senior citizens, students and PWDs? Thatโ€™s right, if you qualify, by simply filling out and submitting the form you can save 20% on ALL of your GrabCar and Grab Share rides.

โ€ข Seniors โ€“ Seniors over 60 with valid Senior Citizen ID may apply to receive 20% GrabCar and Grab Share rides.
โ€ข Students โ€“ Pre-collegiate to collegiate-level students (excluding those in Masters or PHD programs) with valid student IDs and current school registration may apply to receive 20% off GrabCar and GrabShare rides.
โ€ข PWDโ€™s โ€“ Individuals with disabilities with valid PWD IDโ€™s may apply to receive 20% off GrabCar and GrabShare rides.

You’ll have to sign-up for eligibility each year, but the money-savings will certainly be worth it for those using Grab service even a few times a month.

Right now, special discounts can only be availed to Grab riders in the Philippines. Be sure to check the serviceable country to see if there are updates affecting your country!

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And there you have it! That was our list of the best money-saving Grab hacks you’ll ever need to get the most out of your rides. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends on Facebook or Twitter, or re-post to your own personal blog.

(This post originally appeared on the Mango Ave Blog: 8 Money-Saving Grab Hacks You Probably Aren’t Using (But Should Be)

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