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Lyft & Uber Passenger Holiday Tips

Lyft & Uber Holiday Rider Tips

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Winter is a hectic time to be on the road. Dangerous weather and increased holiday traffic can make an ordinary commute seem like the seventh level of hell at times.

It’s no wonder so many people choose to take a Lyft or Uber during this time of year.

Unfortunately, the increased rider demand around the holidays often leads to more frequent and costly surge pricing.

Don’t worry though — we’ve got the inside scoop on how to ride like a pro and keep a little dough in your pocket for those holiday gifts.

Lyft passenger traveling home for the holidays.

 

Avoiding Surge Pricing on Uber and Lyft

Mention surge pricing in conversations among rideshare passengers and you’ll likely be met with a stream of expletives, or at least a roll of the eyes. Unfortunately, the concept isn’t going away and may show up at your favorite restaurant next year.

Lyft and Uber don’t necessarily impose surge pricing to be evil – they’re just responding to the reality that ride requests often outnumber the number of drivers available and must offer some incentives to keep drivers driving.

That said, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves for avoiding surge pricing with Uber and Lyft during the holidays.

1.  Sign up for both Lyft and Uber

In many cases, one platform may have surge pricing, while the other is charging the standard fare for rides. Comparing fares can help you avoid paying a premium for your rides.

Walk a couple blocks — It’s hard to know when or where surge pricing might begin, but if you’re in a particularly congested shopping area, consider walking a couple of blocks to a less busy place to avoid surge pricing.

2. Wait About Ten Minutes

Sometimes, avoiding surge pricing is just a matter of being patient. If you can wait 15-30 minutes, you may find that rates return to normal for your next ride. Go have a drink or a meal and see how things play out.

3. Know The Regular Surge Pricing Times

Again this isn’t always foolproof, but if you can plan your rides outside of normal commute times, you can save time, headaches, and money. Additionally, if you keep up to date on special events like concerts or sporting events, you can avoid those times likely to be subject to surge pricing.

4. Give UberPool Or Lyft Line A Try

If you’re down to meet new people, consider sharing your ride with others. You never know — you could meet the next Mr. or Mrs. Right!

Avoiding surge pricing is just one way to make your holiday rideshare experience a 5-star affair. Keep reading for additional tips.

Consider A Lyft Or Uber Subscription Plan

Both Uber and Lyft offer subscription plans in certain cities, designed to reduce rates and encourage rider loyalty.

If you think you may be taking a few more Lyft or Uber rides this December, this might be a good option.

Lyft Subscription Plans

There are currently two Lyft All-Access Plans. The first one costs $169 per month for 30 rides (up to $8 per ride). The more expensive Lyft plan costs $299 per month for 30 rides (up to $15 per ride).

Overall, Lyft’s subscription plan works out to around a 30% discount on rides, if you take 30 rides in a month, and they’re under the $8 or $15 limit.

For rides over $8 or $15, the rider pays the additional amount.

Uber Cash & Ride Pass

If $299 or $169 are a bit steep, the Uber Ride Pass might be a better option.

Purchasing a pass ($14.99 – $24.99 per month) locks in reduced Uber rates for one month. It’s only available in certain cities, and even in those cities, in limited quantities.

You can sign up through the app. The option will appear in your Uber rider app when passes are available. When the passes for that month are sold out, the option disappears.

Uber Ride Pass
Uber Ride Pass Sign Up

 

Uber Ride Pass
  • Monthly fee to lock in reduced rates in the service area
  • $14.99 to $24.99 (varies by city), plus the flat rate of each trip
  • Automatically renews

Uber Cash allows you to purchase Uber ride credits at a discount. You can add Uber Cash to your account from the Uber rider app.

  • 5% discount when you add $100
  • 3% discount when you add $50
  • 2% discount when you add $25

Also, be sure to check out Uber’s Holiday Tips that outline various app features that may come in handy this holiday season.

Be Realistic About Your Car Size Requirements

Everyone wants to save money during the holidays, so it may seem like a good idea to order the smallest, least expensive Uber or Lyft vehicle you can.

However, if you’ve got a Santa-worthy stash of gifts or six roller-bags for your family of four, don’t expect your driver to fit everything in their Prius. Instead, opt for the XL, Plus, or Lux options and enjoy some space.

Communicate With Your Driver

Your Uber or Lyft driver will have enough to contend with during the holidays, so do everyone a favor by:

  • Communicating your location to your driver in advance — try to use recognizable landmarks that a driver is likely to see from the road.
  • Let your driver know what you’re wearing so they can easily identify you.
  • Avoid the most crowded pick-up/drop-off areas for faster, easier access.

Not only will this keep everyone in a better mood, but it can also save you money by avoiding extra fees and cancellations if your driver can’t find you.

Schedule Your Ride in Advance

Both Uber and Lyft offer ride scheduling, so if you know when you’ll need to be picked up, like 20 minutes after your plane lands, schedule that ride in advance. This will ensure a driver is available for you and help you avoid the long holiday rideshare lines at the airport.

How To Schedule A Ride On Lyft
Lyft Scheduled Rides

 

One caveat — if you do schedule a ride in advance, be sure to be at your agreed pick-up location at the agreed time. If something changes, communicate with your driver.

Be Kind, Ride Safe & Tip

Remember, drivers can rate their passengers, so try to be on your best behavior during the holiday rush. Drivers are people too, and can make mistakes just like the rest of us.

Plus, holidays are more prone to drunk driving incidents (though hopefully not on the part of your driver), so be sure to wear your seatbelt.

Also, be sure to tip your driver. Tips on Uber or Lyft are not included, but always appreciated.

If your driver made you feel particularly safe and welcome, don’t be afraid to spread the holiday cheer and give them a 15 to 20 percent tip and 5-star review at the end of your ride.

If you haven’t sign up with either Lyft or Uber, and want to receive ride credits up to $20 (in most cities, you get $5), click one of the buttons below.

 

Lyft Ride Credits

 

Uber Ride Credits

 

 

Uber Cash - How To Use

Uber Riders – Should You Be Using Uber Cash?

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In September 2018, Uber announced the rollout of a new payment option – Uber Cash.

Uber Cash was designed to transform the way Uber customers pay for services across the Uber ecosystem – from bike sharing to food delivery and rideshare. But what is Uber Cash and how does it work? And more importantly – should you be using it?

Below, we’ll dive into how Uber Cash works and what benefits it can provide Uber users to help you better understand whether it’s right for you.

What Is Uber Cash?

Uber Cash is a new payment option Uber rolled out earlier this year. Marketed as “the smart way to pay for Uber,” this payment option allows users to add funds to their Uber account upfront to pay for Uber rides and Uber Eats deliveries.

The purchased funds don’t expire, and Uber offers discounts based on how much money users add to their balance. (But more on that later.)

Users can add funds to their account using a variety of payment methods, including debit card, credit card, PayPal, and Venmo.

Any Uber credits that a user receives, including Uber gift cards, Visa Local Offers credits, and customer support funds will also be added to the user’s Uber Cash balance to be used on future Uber purchases.

Overall, Uber Cash gives its users a seamless way to pay for Uber services. As Uber begins to expand its services in the coming years, this payment option will offer a single payment method that’s easy for users to load and use.

How To Add Uber Cash To Your Uber Account

To load up your Uber Cash balance, follow these steps:

  1. Open the app menu and tap on Payment
  2. Tap “Add funds”
  3. Choose the amount you want to load

How To Use Uber Cash

To use Uber Cash when requesting a ride:

  1. Open the Uber app and choose a destination
  2. Before requesting your ride, change your payment method to Uber Cash
  3. Complete your ride request
Uber Cash - How To Use
How To Use Uber Cash

 

Should You Use Uber Cash?

Using Uber Cash as a payment option will really depend on your own unique preferences and circumstances. To help you make a smarter decision, we’ve put together a list of questions that will help you better understand if Uber Cash is right for you:

How Often Do You Use Uber?

If you only use Uber once or twice a month, then Uber Cash may not be the best fit for you. However, for those that often use this ridesharing service or order from Uber Eats on a regular basis, Uber Cash can provide attractive benefits. Uber offers a discount based on how much you add to your balance:

  • 5% discount when you add $100
  • 3% discount when you add $50
  • 2% discount when you add $25

If you find yourself using Uber services often, then utilizing Uber Cash payments gives you the opportunity to take advantage of some serious savings. Not to mention, you can plan ahead by allocating funds to your Uber budget, ensuring the money is there when you need it.

Do You Use Other Uber Services?

Another benefit of Uber Cash is that it allows you to pay for all of your Uber services from one convenient account.

That means that if you are using more than one Uber service, you don’t have to load multiple credit cards or deal with paying from multiple sources. This feature makes Uber Cash a great option for individuals who use more than one Uber service.

Is Convenience Important to You?

When it comes down to which payment option you should use for your Uber services, consider which is most useful for you.

Uber Cash was developed to be a convenient option for customers who often use rideshare and other Uber services. If convenience is important to you, then the ability to pre-load funds and pay for all of your Uber services, including tipping drivers, from one account may be appealing.

Uber Cash also offers the ability to auto-refill your account when the balance drops below $10 so that you never have to worry about whether or not you have the funds in your account to pay for Uber services.

Now that you know what Uber Cash is and who should use it, it’s time to make the choice for yourself. You can reap the benefits of using one convenient account to pay for all your Uber services or continue to pay for individual trips and deliveries with your credit card. The choice is yours!

 

Uber ride pass vs. Lyft all access plan

Lyft vs. Uber: Which Subscription Plan Is Right for You?

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As Lyft and Uber race to their expected IPOs in 2019, they’re continuously launching new programs and services. Most recently, the two companies have turned their attention to subscription services. While each rideshare powerhouse is going about the process differently, they both have the same goal — reducing customer trip costs. Before deciding on your own subscription, you need to have all the facts. Here’s everything you need to about Lyft and Uber’s subscription services.

Lyft vs. Uber: The Road to Subscription Offerings

Uber was the first rideshare company to begin the move to subscription offerings. Back in 2016, reports began surfacing of their Uber Plus service. This service eventually appeared as Flat Fare Ride packages in 2017, and later evolved into the invite-only Uber Ride Pass in multiple variations. The most recent Ride Pass announcement came in October 2018, when the program launched to the public with a finalized arrangement.

While Uber led the drive toward subscription services, Lyft’s subscription evolution occurred much more quickly. The company began testing their All-Access Plan options back in late 2017, and finally launched the service to the public in October 2018. During the testing phase of this newest plan, they also launched a Personal Plan offering in July 2018 and an invite-only Commute Plan early in the year. Even though they weren’t the first in the game, they’ve quickly caught up and exceeded Uber’s subscription options.

What You Need to Know About Lyft’s Subscription Plans

Over the past year, Lyft has tried out various subscription options through trial programs. Currently, they offer three styles of subscription plans:

  • All-Access
  • Personal
  • Commute

All three offerings are lumped under the Lyft Pass umbrella, but only two are currently available to the public. However, the recent launch of All-Access brings the future of the other two programs into question.

Lyft All-Access Plan

  • 30 trips in a 30 day period
  • $299 plus any trip costs over $15 and tips, or $169 plus any trip costs over $8 and tips
  • Rolling subscription automatically renews

After months of testing and changes, Lyft’s All-Access Plan is now accessible to riders across the U.S. There are currently two Lyft all access subscription plans.

The first Lyft subscription plan provides 30 rides of up to $15 each for $299 per month. The other Lyft subscription plan provides 30 rides of up to $8 each for $169 per month.

As an ongoing program, users are automatically charged the subscription rate every month until they choose to cancel. However, tips aren’t included in the subscription cost.

Lyft all access plan

 

This is a fantastic option for regular Lyft users. Unlike the company’s other subscription plans, riders aren’t required to stick to set routes. As a result, you achieve both savings and flexibility. If any trip exceeds the $15 restriction, you simply pay the overage amount. After hitting the 30-ride limit, subscribers still receive a 5% reduction on all additional trips.

If you’re already a Lyft rider, to sign up for Lyft’s all access plan, click on notifications in the Lyft app, and then select the All-Access Plans item. To sign up for Lyft, click the

Join Lyft All Access

 

Lyft Personal Plan

  • Users pay a monthly fee for reduced ride rates on selected routes
  • $1.99 to $9.99, plus a locked-in rate for each trip up to $25
  • Ability to cancel and reactivate any time

The Lyft Personal Plan offers a slightly different arrangement from the All-Access offering. With this plan, users pay a set monthly fee to lock in a specific route rate chosen by the rider. The only restriction is that the trip can’t exceed $25. This arrangement allows you to avoid surge pricing and keep your overall costs low.

The Personal Plan is an excellent choice for anyone who only takes a few trips per week. However, if you use Lyft more than 30 times per month or don’t utilize the same route regularly, then the All-Access plan may be a better choice. To figure out which one will save you the most monthly, consider your rideshare route habits and frequency.

Lyft Commute Plans

The Lyft Commute Plan is only available by invitation, which is sent directly in the app. It’s designed to offer a locked-in reduced rate on a rider’s most-used route, typically from their home to work and vice versa. It’s also accompanied by a monthly access fee. However, Lyft users aren’t allowed to choose the route themselves. Instead, the app makes the selection based on the rider’s settings.

The Commute Plan is very similar to the Personal Plan, essentially serving as the latter program’s inspiration. It is currently unknown whether this product will fully launch to the public as a standalone option, or if current users will be forced to switch plans. The exclusivity of the plan also means there’s very little known about the pricing specifics.

What You Need to Know About Uber’s Subscription Plan

Uber has fewer subscription options, all of which exist as options within Uber Ride Pass. Originally, the Uber Plus service was tested and launched with a limited number of subscription offerings under the name “Uber Ride Pass.” However, the service was invite-only through every previous pilot version. There were also a limited number of passes available.

Now, the company has nailed down the details for their public launch. Instead of limiting the service through 28-day pass purchases, customers pay a rolling monthly subscription fee. Here’s a closer look at the most recent version of Ride Pass:

Uber Ride Pass

  • Monthly fee to lock in reduced rates in the service area
  • $14.99 to $24.99, plus the flat rate of each trip
  • Automatically renews without limited offerings

Uber Ride Pass is designed to help reduce travel costs for regular riders. A monthly subscription fee provides unlimited, around-the-clock access to locked-in rates throughout a designated service area. All of the rates are figured by the company ahead of time, so you don’t have to deal with jumps in prices as a result of demand or timing.

Uber Ride Pass
Uber Ride Pass Sign Up

 

Currently, the service is only available in five cities — Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and Orlando. Residents in Los Angeles face a higher monthly charge at $24.99, but they’ll also be the first to gain access to special perks for e-bikes and scooters. Additionally, all riders receive a 15% rate reduction on routes not included in their flat-rate service area.

If you don’t see an Uber ride pass option in your app menu, then they are not available in your area, or all the Uber ride passes for your market have sold out for the time being.

The Power of Lyft and Uber Subscription Plans

The move toward subscription services in the rideshare industry is a natural one. Spearheaded by Netflix in the late ’90s, the concept has entered just about every industry within the last decade.

From entertainment and beauty supplies, to groceries and household necessities, today’s consumers love subscription services. Companies love them because they’re a reliable and predictable revenue stream. As such, it was only a matter of time before the service model made its way into the rideshare and delivery arena.

Since so many individuals utilize both Lyft and Uber, the subscription services also serve as a way to score customer loyalty. By locking customers into one plan on one rideshare platform, they are given an incentive to stick with it and get their money’s worth. Naturally, both companies’ plan offerings will continue to evolve in the next few years in an effort to out-do one another.

You can get your Lyft All Access Plan or Uber Ride Pass by signing up below. You’ll also get a free or discounted Lyft or Uber ride when you sign up!

 

Ride With Lyft

 

Ride With Uber