Uber Argentina sent out a tweet today announcing that all Uber users in the country can start paying for Uber rides with the Xapo card, which can be loaded via bitcoin.
Uber tweets: Pay your trips with Bitcoin! Loading your @Xapo get $ 30 off on your next trip card without code.
¡Pagá tus viajes con Bitcoin! Cargándo tu tarjeta @Xapo obtenés $30 de descuento en tu próximo viaje sin necesidad de código.
— Uber Argentina (@Uber_ARG) July 3, 2016
While there hasn't been an official statement from the Switzerland-based payments firm yet, Xapo did send an email a few days ago to some customers that outlined the new partnership. Xapo also provided some special discount codes that can be used by new and existing Uber users in Argentina, "Our special alliance with Uber Argentina gives you important discounts. Add your Xapo card in Uber and use this codes to get discounts," reads the Xapo email.
"Now Uber also supports Bitcoin, and with your Xapo card you can ride inside or outside Argentina."
View post on imgur.com Existing Uber users in Argentina may use the code "BTCBA" to get a 30-peso discount on their next ride, while newcomers to Uber may use "UBERconBTC" to get 100 pesos off their first ride.
Uber's foray into the Argentinian market has been a fraught with legal complications from get-go. In April, a court in Argentina ordered authorities in Buenos Aires to clamp down on Uber after taxi driver unions staged a protest in the capital, claiming that Uber would effectively kill the taxi industry in the city. Similar protests against Uber have also occurred in Mexico City and Paris.
While local officials in Buenos Aires have officially banned Uber in the capital city, the company's app has been downloaded more than 550,000, with about 37,000 drivers working in the country, according to a recent LaNacion report.
Credit card companies allowing Uber to conduct business in Argentina were also threatened by lawmakers, however, Uber's partnership with Xapo essentially lets consumers in Argentina to vote with their wallets, without interference from local payment companies and politicians. Bitcoin's anti-censorship features are indispensable to forward-looking companies itching to challenge the status quo.
