Octopus January Updates

Happy New Year from Octopus HQ! We hope you are having a safe and enjoyable start to 2022. 

Keep reading for some exciting Octopus company news, updates on brand new replacement 90 degree angle charging cables, and information on today’s Hustler’s Hour to help kick start your new year with Octopus. 

We’re thrilled to announce that Octopus Interactive has joined the T-Mobile family! T-Mobile has long been our connectivity partner – powering our LTE/5G data plans and partnering with our team on tablet sourcing and advertising sales – and we look forward to officially joining the T-Mobile team. We are excited to introduce Octopus to more rideshare drivers across the nation, while continuing to offer our driver partners the same great product and top-notch service you have come to expect from us.

All of the Octopus contact and support information remains the same, and the same helpful team will be assisting with all of your Octopus needs. We will continue to offer support via email contact@playoctstg.merge-digital.com and tickets playoctstg.merge-digital.com/help seven days a week. For more details on the acquisition, please visit the announcement here or reach out to the Octopus support team: contact@playoctstg.merge-digital.com.

After rigorous testing and thoughtful feedback from driver partners, we are now exclusively shipping brand new 90 degree angle charging cables! In testing, these cables both held in the tablet more securely than our previous cables and lasted longer.

Visit the new FREE replacement equipment order form on the Play Octopus Help Center (para español, haga clic aquí) to order a new charging cable, charging adapter, or mount without needing to contact support or use a coupon code. Whatever replacement equipment you need to keep your tablet active, we have you covered. 

Pro Tip: Most tablet charging issues are solved with a replacement cable. When the charging cable gets worn or damaged, it can create a loose connection with your tablet and prevent the device from remaining charged. If you ever have questions or issues, don’t hesitate to reach out so our support team can help! 

2021 Highlights 🎉

Check out this fun video with highlights from a busy fall and winter at Octopus! Thank you for your continued support and partnership. From Business Week to OctoWeen to Season of Giving, we have enjoyed the opportunity to both partner with you and get to know you better. 

2022 Taxes 🗓💰

With 2021 drawing to a close, we know that everyone has questions about receiving tax forms from Octopus. 

Your tax situation with Octopus will depend on the amount you cashed out in 2021 from your Driver Dashboard. You can find a breakdown of your 2021 cash outs with Octopus by logging on to your Driver Dashboard at: account.playoctstg.merge-digital.com and clicking the “Payments” button. 

• If you cashed out more than $600 with Octopus in 2021: You need to complete a W9 form by January 18th to receive a 1099 form from Octopus. Check if you have submitted your W9 here.
• If you cashed out less than $600 with Octopus in 2021: You will not receive a tax form from Octopus

Please note: We are unable to provide any tax advice, and recommend that you contact an accountant or tax advisor if you have any questions about completing your taxes. 

Congratulations to our 2021 fourth quarter $1,000 OctoPro Grand Prize Winner, Joseph I. in Philadelphia, PA. 

Each quarter, one Grand Prize winner is chosen from partners that have referred at least one new driver within the last three months. Our next quarterly $1,000 winner will be selected on March 31st, 2022. Keep in mind, referrals must currently be driving with Octopus for you to be eligible to win. To see if you are already included for next quarter’s drawing, check your Driver Dashboard “Referrals” tab for any referrals completed between January 1st, 2022 and March 31st, 2022.

Don’t forget, you receive bonus entries into the contest based on your current OctoPro level. So, if you’re close to the next level, push your pending referrals to complete their application and start driving NOW (your referral code: *|REFCODE|*)! 

Join us Monday, January 10th for Hustler’s Hour, a virtual driver meetup event! We’ll be chatting with fellow drivers on Zoom for our first event of the year, featuring updates from Octopus HQ, car and driver safety tips, bonus points and more. 

If you are planning on being off the road for longer than a week this holiday season, make sure to pause your account from your Driver Dashboard. You can find instructions on pausing your account at: https://playoctstg.merge-digital.com/help/account-pause/.

If you do not pause your account before you stop driving, our system will start sending automated low activity messages and may deactivate your tablet. 

If you’ll be off the road for longer than a month, please contact our support team to help determine the best next steps for your account. 

Visit our Help Center for immediate solutions to common problems!

Our support team is available 7 days a week for assistance:

• Email: contact@playoctstg.merge-digital.com
• Phone: 240-366-5877 (Mon-Thurs 9am – 6pm ET and Fri 9am – 4pm ET).

You can also adjust your account and tablet profile from your Driver Dashboard any time.

Please note our support team is not able to respond to your individual questions on social media.