If the biggest cost was the foreign transaction fees, then the author should get a credit card without foreign transaction fees. Which seems like decent advice

If the biggest cost was the foreign transaction fees, then the author should get a credit card without foreign transaction fees. Which seems like decent advice in general. And to be fair to Uber, they don't have control over foreign transaction fees or changing forex rates. This just as well might have worked out in the author's favor. Uber could curry some goodwill by covering the forex losses and transaction fees in this case, especially since it came out to about $20, but God knows that that's not their MO.