Uber is offering free rides during the St. Patrick's Day Parade festivities, and all day from 8am–11pm Saturday. The only catch? You might have to pile in the backseat with a few Chicagoans who are worse for the wear: The deal is only for uberPOOL customers.
All you need to do is enter promotion code GOLDCHI and any ride up to $30 within the Chicago city limits will be covered free of charge. Splitting up into small groups is advised—uberPOOL only covers 1-2 riders. You don't need to be celebrating the holiday to use the promotion, but—curmudgeons be warned—some uberPOOL rides will be decked out in St. Patrick's Day gear for revelers to enjoy.
An additional promotion occurs Sunday the next day as well. From 11am to 2pm, you can get a hangover cure delivered for $5. This time enter promo code GREENCHI and request a "Fuel Pack." The package comes with a Pedialyte powder pack, a Pedialyte/Uber water bottle, a Green River Glazed doughnut from Stan's Donuts, Uber sunglasses and an eye mask. The deliveries are available between 11am and 2pm or until the care packages run out.
Don't thank the luck of the Irish for these free rides and cheap swag—it's all a marketing stunt by Pedialyte, which has been positioning itself as a cure for hangovers over the past few years. Whether or not it's more effective than plain old water has not been scientifically proven. Some scientists believe that simply because it tastes good and contains sugars and salts it encourages people drink more fluids. Regardless, a little bit of Pedialyte after a night of drinking certainly can't hurt.
