Processing fee passed along by Uber for Veterans Day donations

Uber is getting backlash for charging donors a processing fee on Veterans Day donations. (Photo by Martin Ollman/Getty Images) Uber is getting backlash for charging donors a processing fee on Veterans Day donations. (Photo by Martin Ollman/Getty Images) Photo: Martin Ollman, Getty Images Photo: Martin Ollman, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Processing fee passed along by Uber for Veterans Day donations 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Some social media users aren't happy about Uber collecting donations to help homeless veterans -- then dumping the processing fee on those donors.

The ride request company sent an email to users on Veterans Day announcing that it would let riders and drivers give back to those who've served in the military. For riders, there was an option to put their app in VETS DAY mode. Riders who chose that option would be charged $5 for the donation, in addition to their regular UberX fare.

At the end of their UberX ride, riders would receive a text message from Uber about their donation. They would say YES to complete the donation, then receive an emailed receipt.

In the fine print, there's a note saying: "$0.25 of the $5 will go to a processing fee." Observer reported that Twitter users called this tactic "shameless."

It turns out, none of the processing fees goes to Uber. They pay that to the credit card processing companies, and do not receive any revenue from it.

But, the fine print doesn't always sway public opinion on social media, however, where critical Twitter users likely would have preferred if Uber had paid that fee instead, so vets got the entire $5 donation.

@Uber claiming to support #Veterans and #VeteransDay by asking YOU to donate money and taking a "processing fee" pic.twitter.com/2UdrQdQ27H — Kristof Puchner (@KristofPuchner) November 11, 2015

As part of Uber's announcement, the company said it would donate 10,000 rides to organizations affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program to help homeless veterans get to jobs, interviews and employment events.