Uber restores Visa payments in Kenya after eight-month pause
The move reverses a decision that had pushed Visa users to rely on M-PESA, cash and other payment methods. It comes as Uber reviews costs across its business, including a global restructuring that will cut about 3,300 jobs.
Uber has reinstated Visa card payments for riders in Kenya, following an eight-month hiatus due to increasing payment costs. This decision reverses a previous move that forced Visa users to resort to alternative payment methods such as M-PESA, cash, and others. The change comes as Uber evaluates costs across its business, including a major restructuring that will result in layoffs of around 3,300 employees.
Upon returning, Visa cards are now displayed alongside M-PESA, PayPal, and Airtel Money within the Uber app. The company had initially suspended Visa payments in January, citing rising global payment costs as the reason. However, the exact amount Uber paid for processing Visa transactions or why Visa was singled out while other card options remained available was not disclosed.
Uber's spokesperson stated that payment costs are on the rise, prompting the company to regularly review its payment methods on a market-by-market basis. This reversal of Visa card payments in Kenya follows a broader cost-cutting strategy by Uber, which includes laying off about 3,300 workers, approximately 10% of its global workforce of 34,000.
The latest change restores the option that had been inaccessible for most of the year, alongside Mastercard and local payment methods that continue to function on the platform. The move also coincides with Uber's decision to withdraw from Nigeria and Uganda on September 2, with the company attributing the decision to a review of its business in those markets.
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