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Lyft Tipping Etiquette – Do You Tip Your Lyft Driver?

If you haven’t taken a Lyft, you’ve probably got a few questions about how it works. Below we answer some of the most common Lyft rider questions that new passengers have.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a Lyft code good for free ride credits, simply click the button below for between $5 and $20 in free Lyft credits (amount determined by your city).

 

What’s the tipping etiquette for Lyft?

We’ll open with the million dollar question. Should you tip your Lyft driver? And when you do tip, how much money should you give them?

Lyft offers in-app tipping options, although it can be very easy to forget about your tip, as payments are generally handled automatically. It’s an unfortunate quirk and one that many drivers are less than thrilled about. Factor in that Lyft does not reimburse drivers for maintenance, gas, and other expenses incurred while driving, and it’s easy to see why. Fortunately, Lyft is rolling out a few features to make tipping easier for passengers.

As with servers and bartenders, many Lyft drivers rely on tips for a large portion of their income.

With that in mind, a good rule of thumb for tipping your Lyft driver is to offer them the same amount you would a taxi service. Generally, that will be around fifteen to twenty percent of your total fare.

If your driver provided exceptional service – good conversation, music, amenities, etc. – you might even consider tipping more.

 

Can my Lyft driver see how much I tip?

Yes. Lyft drivers receive a weekly earnings report every Tuesday summarizing the trips, fees, and tips they made the previous week.

They can also examine  their ride history in the driver app, which shows details such as pickup point, destination, trip time, and tip total for each job. This is one of the reasons tipping is a great way to be a five star passenger.

Should I sit in the front seat or backseat as a Lyft passenger?

You can sit where you feel like sitting. However, if you are by yourself, most Lyft (and Uber) drivers would prefer that you sit in the back, behind the passenger seat.

Does Lyft charge per person?

It does not.

The number of riders on a particular trip generally has no bearing on how much you pay for a trip – provided you aren’t requesting a ride for more than three or four people. For larger groups, you’ll need to order a Lyft XL.

This will connect you to a driver with a larger vehicle capable of fitting up to six people.

Lyft XL rates are slightly higher than the rates for a standard Lyft, owing to the fact that larger vehicles tend to have poorer gas mileage than small or mid-sized ones.

How much does Lyft cost?

The short answer is ‘it depends.’ As with Uber, Lyft prices are different from city to city.

There is also a large variance between the different types of Lyft you can select. We have already mentioned Lyft Plus, which offers larger vehicles – Lyft also features a number of other options that you can select:

Lyft Line costs less than a standard Lyft and works by connecting you with other passengers along the route to your destination. Essentially, it’s an option to carpool and save money doing so.

Lyft Lux provides you with a late model luxury sedan that seats up to four passengers.

Lyft Lux Black is one step down from ordering full limo service – Lyft describes it on its website as being “limited to only the most luxurious makes and models.” It’s also important to note that Lyft Lux Black exclusively features drivers with a high rating.

Lyft Lux Black XL features premium SUVs with space for up to six people. Aside from this, it’s the same as Lyft Lux Black.

 

Your ride type aside, there are a few things that go into your pricing when you call for a Lyft.

The distance between your pickup point and destination. The per-mile rate varies by city, but it’s usually somewhere around $1 for Lyft, and as much as $5 for Lyft Lux Black.

The amount of time it will take to reach your destination, calculated as a per-minute cost. Again, this varies wildly by city and time and may range from $0.10 per minute to $0.50 per minute.

All rides booked through Lyft also have a service fee attached to them. The fee varies by city.

The minimum fare. Generally speaking, this is around $3 for a standard Lyft. Depending on which service you use, it can be as high as $25 or $30.
There is an additional fee if you get picked up at an airport.

Get A Lyft Fare Estimate

To receive a fare estimate for your city based on your pickup location and destination, simply visit Lyft’s Fare Estimator.

Does Lyft have surge pricing like Uber?

Yes. This is known as Lyft Prime Time. During periods of especially high demand, your ride price will be higher. Prime Time price increases are usually done in 25% increments.

As this can get very expensive very quickly, it may be better to wait a few minutes and see if demand goes down before ordering.

Is it possible to use Lyft without a credit card?

Yes. In addition to accepting all major credit cards, Lyft also accepts any debit card tied to a checking account, as well as most prepaid cards.

Passengers can also pay through PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Per Lyft’s website, all payments made through the platform are processed through third-party payment service Stripe.

Note that you can also add multiple payment methods to your account, and you can create a business and personal profile. Should you do so, you’ll be able to choose which one to use on a per-ride basis.

Unfortunately, there is no cash payment option for Lyft at this point in time, though some passengers do choose to tip their drivers with cash rather than through the app.

How do I add my debit card to Lyft?

Adding a debit card to your Lyft account follows the same process as adding a credit card. Simply open the Lyft app, tap on your photo, and tap “Payment.”

Enter your debit card number and all other relevant information, and save it. and you’re good to go!

How do I add Google Pay to Lyft?

To add Google Pay to Lyft, you’ll first want to ensure you’ve configured Google Pay on your device. Luckily, this is pretty simple to do. Just launch the Google Pay app, verify the cards associated with your account, and you’re good to go.

From there navigate to the Payment section of your Lyft app and tap to add Google Pay. That’s it.

How do I add Apple Pay to Lyft?

If you have an iPhone or iPhone Plus that’s model 6 or newer, you can configure Lyft to use the new Apple Pay service. This one-touch mobile payment option works similarly to Google Pay, combining your credit cards, debit cards, tickets, reward cards, and other payment options in a single place.

Once you’ve configured it by adding your payment cards, you can then easily add it to your Lyft account through the Payment tab in the Lyft app.

How do I delete my payment info on Lyft?

To delete your payment info from the Lyft app, you basically just need to follow the same process you would to add new payment methods.

First, navigate to the Payment section of the Lyft app. Tap on the payment method you wish to remove, and tap “Delete Card.”

Note that if a payment method is the only one on your account, you cannot delete it.

How do I delete my Lyft account?

Unfortunately, deactivating your Lyft account is a bit of a process. You’ll need to contact customer support, either through the Lyft support page or by emailing support@lyft.com.

Should you choose the former, select “Delete Account or Unsubscribe” in the support page’s drop-down menu.

You are required to explain why you wish to delete your account, though what details you provide in this explanation are up to you.

Once you’ve submitted a support ticket, you may need to wait a few hours to receive a response from Lyft Customer Support.

If they take too long to get back to you, you can send additional emails to support@lyft.com. Once the process is completed, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, even if your account is deleted, Lyft retains certain information about you as a passenger. This includes your name, email, and phone number; any photos you added to the app, your payment information, reviews and ratings you’ve submitted about Lyft drivers, location information gathered by the app, and records of your communication with customer service.

The idea is that by retaining all this data, they make it easier to return to the service if you wish to reactivate your account in the future.

The second is that you will not automatically be unsubscribed from Lyft’s promotional emails – they may occasionally try to reach out to you with special offers and deals in an effort to convince you to return.

To unsubscribe from these emails, you’ll need to submit another support request. Alternatively, you can simply use the Unsubscribe feature in your email client.

How do I contact Lyft?

You can contact Lyft through the help section of their website. This allows you to report an accident or incident, report an issue with a driver, or report a lost item. You can also contact Lyft support directly through the rider app.

Can you use Lyft without a smartphone?

You can – but you’ll still need at least a cell phone. Visit ride.lyft.com and enter your phone number to authorize a new ride request. You’ll receive a text message containing an authorization code.

Enter that into your browser, and you’ll be able to configure your pickup point and destination. You’ll also want to make sure your payment information on the site is up to date.

 

How do I check my account for promotions or credit?

To check for any promotions on your account, simply open the app, tap on your profile picture, and then tap ‘Promos.’ Any active promotions will be visible on this page.

 

Can I pay for someone else’s Lyft?

Unless you add your payment information to their account, no. However, what you can do is request a ride for a friend through your own Lyft account. Should you choose to do this, Lyft recommends that you text the driver to let them know they’re picking up a friend instead of you.

You should ensure you enter in both the pickup point and destination for your friend before you request one.

Alternatively, if you and your friend both have Lyft, you can split the payment for your ride while en-route.

Where is Lyft available?

Lyft is currently available in over 300 cities in the U.S., as well as Toronto and Ottawa. Vancouver, Montreal, and other cities in Canada will be added in 2019.

 

To see if Lyft is available where you live, you can check the directory on Lyft’s website. Note that at the time of writing, Lyft is not yet available outside North America.

What is Lyft Line, and how do I use it?

Lyft Line effectively offers you the option to carpool with other Lyft passengers along the route to your destination. It’s available a discounted rate compared to other Lyft services – anywhere from ten percent to sixty percent. To use Lyft Line, simply tap “Line” when you’re requesting a ride.

From there, simply enter your destination as-normal and you’re good to go. Note that you may find yourself in a Lyft with other passengers at the moment of pick-up, or your Lyft may stop en-route to your destination to pick up additional passengers.

It’s generally a good idea to budget extra time for your Lyft Line, just in case more passengers join the trip.

That said, if there are no other passengers along your chosen route, you’ll still be able to use Lyft Line – you’ll just instantly get from point A to point B.

Lyft Line is only available for trips which include only a single stop.

If you’re using Lyft to run errands or making multiple stops along your route, you’ll have to settle for a standard ride. The same goes if you need to bring luggage or a heavy load with you on the trip.

What’s the cheapest time of day to get a Lyft?

Generally speaking, there are a few times throughout the day where Lyft requests surge into the stratosphere. Although it does tend to vary slightly by city, the busiest times of day for Lyft are usually as follows:

• Morning rush hour (7 to 9 AM)
• Evening rush hour (4 to 7 PM)
• Friday and Saturday evening
• Holidays

It’s also important to remember that Prime Time surges can happen at any time of day. Weather conditions such as heavy snow or rainfall also tend to both increase fare and increase demand for Lyft drivers.

Does Lyft allow pets such as dogs?

Yes and no.  Both Uber & Lyft drivers are obligated to allow service animals into their vehicles, but otherwise, the decision on whether or not you can travel with your pet depends on the driver.

Some drivers are happy to allow cats and dogs into their vehicle, while others may request that you find another ride.

Generally speaking, if you want to travel with a pet, call ahead – make it clear to your driver that you’re bringing an animal on-board. If possible, keep them in a carrier. If they’re too large for that, bring a towel or blanket to put over the seat, and make sure the animal is clean before getting into the vehicle with it.

If you’re ready to sign up for Lyft, click the button below to get started. If you’re already a Lyft customer, unfortunately, there are no codes that will get you additional free Lyft rides.

However, for ways you can get Lyft credits as an existing customers, check out our Lyft promo code page.