This Was the Best Credit Card Perk Added in 2022

It's a good time to celebrate the wins.

If you've ever heard the expression, "giving with one hand while taking with the other" -- well that, my friends, is the world of credit cards. Or, more specifically, the world of credit card perks.

Often, when an issuer adds a fun new feature to their cards, it's because something else is getting cut. Sometimes it's an even trade -- other times, not so much.

This seeming inevitability is one reason why my absolute favorite perk of 2022 wasn't something big and flashy, like the revamped Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and its new Platinum Elite status. (That card was a mixed bag in a lot of ways.)

No, in my opinion, the best perk added last year was actually something small, but useful -- and that didn't take away from anything else. That's right, I'm talking about Capital One and Uber.

A free subscription and 10%?!

When you first read about the new perk, it seems a bit too good to be true. Not only do eligible cardholders get complimentary Uber One membership credits -- through Nov. 14, 2024 -- but you also get 10% cash back on your Uber and Uber Eats card purchases.

I mean, come on! If you're already using Uber (perhaps because you have some Uber credits from American Express cards?), then this is an easy decision.

All right, so it's only a short list of cards that are eligible for the Uber One credits for the next couple years. Specifically, you'll need:

• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card

If you think about this list, though, with the exception of the first card -- they're all no-annual-fee rewards cards. Which makes the Uber One credits pure profit. And even if you have the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card with its $95 annual fee, well, you're easily covering the annual fee, and then some, with your new credit.

A few other Capital One cards are eligible for a bit of a deal, albeit not as good as the above offer. You can get up to six months of complimentary Uber One membership, with no 10% back, if you have one of these cards:

• Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card

Again, the three cards on this list are without annual fees, making this perk all the more valuable.

Oh, and perhaps my favorite part: You don't have to activate or track anything. Just use your eligible Capital One card to pay for things, and you're good to go.

Now, I will mention that the credit can take a while to post. Like, three to six weeks. But, in my book, free is free, even if it takes a little while to get there.

Honorable mention: Amex and Disney

While the Capital One and Uber deal was my favorite perk -- it gave new life to my Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card -- there was another change that I think is worth mentioning: American Express and Disney.

More specifically, last year American Express began offering credits for the Disney Bundle on several of its cards. (Terms apply; enrollment required.) For example, the Disney Bundle (and the individual streaming services) was added to the list of eligible services for the streaming credits for The Platinum Card® from American Express. This was met with near-universal approval from cardholders like me.

But that wasn't where they stopped. Amex also extended similar benefits to two other cards:

• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

In particular, with these two cards, you can get up to $7 a month -- that's $84 a year -- towards your Disney Bundle subscription when you spend at least $12.99 a month. That's more than half off the no-ads Disney Trio Premium bundle, which runs $19.99 a month, and it completely covers the ad-supported Trio Basic option at $12.99 a month.

Please, sir, may I have some more?

More and more, the best rewards credit cards are becoming about more than simple purchase rewards. Instead, they're becoming fun little bundles of perks -- and rewards. Which, if you ask me, is pretty awesome.

Or, at least, it is when card issuers give us perks without taking away something else. Given how rare that actually seems to be, it's nice to take a moment to recognize a great perk when we see one. Shoutout to Capital One and Amex for giving us some fun perks in 2022. Hopefully they keep it up into the new year!