If you use Lyft, you already know that it’s a great service.
Anything that gets us from Point A to Point B without the burdens of driving or public transportation is a win.
While Lyft is comparatively affordable compared to a monthly car payment, the fares can add up quickly, especially during Primetime pricing.
During Primetime, the prices of Lyft skyrockets in order to increase supply (drivers) to match demands (ride requests).
Primetime typically happens during the morning and evening rush hours, as well as almost every Friday and Saturday evening.
So if you’re requesting a lot of rides during these times, chances are that you’re paying a premium.
According to one estimate, rides cost roughly $22 on average.
At those rates, you can spend upwards of a few hundred dollars every week if you’re a regular rider.
Luckily, there are ways existing Lyft users can save some money.
Check out our rundown below on the numerous ways to save and start cutting down your costs on Lyft rides.
Why Existing Users Should Use Lyft Promo Codes
If you use Lyft a lot, you may have started to feel a financial sting when you review your credit card statements.
While it’s more affordable than taking a taxi and could even be cheaper than owning a car, taking Lyft still costs money.
Any money you don’t have to spend on Lyft is money you could be spending at the cool places you’re using Lyft to visit (or just money you could save for the future).
Therefore, it makes sense to seek out promo codes and other methods for reducing your Lyft spending.
You may have thought that it was impossible to pay less than the full price for Lyft rides once you’ve gotten your free first ride (or first couple rides, depending on the new user promotion you used).
But as you’ll see in the next section, there are still lots of other ways to save.
They just take a bit more creativity.
8 Types of Lyft Promo Codes for Existing Users
Let me start by saying that Lyft codes aren’t directly offered to existing users.
If Lyft were to start giving out credit to the millions of riders already on the platform, they might go bankrupt.
However, it’s still possible to earn tons of free Lyft credit by taking advantage of these quick and easy methods:
- Claim new user promotion
- Invite a new user
- Try a Lyft competitor
- Ride with a new user
- Earn More With Partnership Promotions
- Engage with Lyft
- Event-Based Promotions
- Lyft All-Access Pass
I’ve been using these methods for years and have earned tons in free Lyft ride credit.
With a little patience and perseverance, you can too.
1. New User Promotion
The first way to get Lyft ride credit is to claim a new rider promotion.
If you’ve already claimed this ride credit and taken your first ride, keep reading the points below.
If you haven’t, download the Lyft app and enter the promo code “RIDERCOUPON”.
Once the code is entered, new riders will see the credit balance reflected in the Payment tab in their app.
We’re assuming most people on this page have already claimed this promotion, but if you haven’t, check out our full Lyft promo code write-up for in-depth information and tutorials.
2. Invite New Users to Lyft
Once you take your first ride, you’re no longer able to access a majority of Lyft promo codes.
However, it’s still possible to get a ton of free Lyft credit by recruiting new members.
All existing Lyft riders are assigned a unique referral code that’s specific to their account.
When a new user signs up for the app and applies their promo code, the referred user will get a free ride credit.
Once the referred new user takes his or her first ride, the rider that referred them will also get credited a ride.
In the past, these codes have been worth anywhere from $5 to $50 per referral.
As you can see, It’s easy to see how this could be an incredibly lucrative source of free Lyft credit.
Where can you find your referral code?
To find your unique referral code, follow these steps:
First, open the Lyft App, navigate to the sidebar menu, then tap “Invite Friends”.
Once there, your referral code will appear at the top of the screen, along with options for sharing it with your friends
Next, tap “Free Rides” on the left side of the app interface and then invite friends by clicking contacts stored in your phone.
The friends you choose will receive a text from Lyft with a promo code for new riders.
If they click the link and sign up, you’ll get free credit for bringing them onboard.
The person you referred will also get free Lyft credits, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
Another easy way to do it is to just give them your unique referral code.
You can find it in the “Free Rides” section in the main menu of the app.
Instruct them to enter your promo code in the “Promo” box when they sign up.
You’ll get your referral bonus, they’ll get their New Rider bonus, so you both benefit!
The exact credit amount from a Lyft referral code varies from city to city, but no matter how much the reward is, you can only earn up to $2000 per week.
With the reward average of $10-$15, you’d have to be crazy popular with hundreds of friends to earn the maximum amount of credits.
Make sure you use your credits before they expire! Referral points are only valid for two weeks once you’ve received them.
You might keep that in mind when you’re choosing which friends or how many to invite.
You don’t want to get a ton of credits that you can’t use right away.
Space it out according to your upcoming transportation needs.
3. Try a Lyft Competitor
Next up on our list of ways for existing users to earn free ride credit is not by using Lyft at all.
Instead, try a competing rideshare app.
For example, try Uber if you haven’t already. Uber rewards new users with tons of free credit.
Uber is the largest of the most popular ridesharing services, so drivers are always ready and available to pick you up.
Uber is reliable, easy to use, and in far more cities than Lyft.
So, what are you waiting for?
New users can use the promo code winter36 for $5 off their first two rides with Uber.
Try it out!
You will not be disappointed.
Uber Download Instructions
- Download the app (click here to download it).
- Create an account and log in.
- Once logged in, tap the “My Account” button in the top left of your Uber app.
- Tap “Promotions.”
- Enter promo code winter36.
- Request a driver and enjoy your ride!
4. Hitch a Ride With a Friend Using Lyft
If you’ve used all your free Uber credit, try hitching a ride with a friend.
Find someone who hasn’t used Lyft yet and teach them about the service.
Then, have them use your promo code to join Lyft (see above) and request their first Lyft ride.
With this method, your friend will get a discount on their ride because they used your Lyft coupon code.
In addition, you’ll get free ride credit for later because your friend used your promo code.
Nice!
Think about the times when you have been out somewhere with a large group of friends.
There is a good chance that at least one of them isn’t an existing Lyft user, so take advantage of this for as long as you can.
Trust me.
This method works, and everyone wins.
5. Earn More With Partnership Promotions
Companies sometimes partner up either to reach more potential customers or to give existing user incentive to stay loyal to both brands.
Lyft maintains brand partnerships with several different companies.
These partnerships are designed to benefit riders and often result in saving money on rides.
A few Lyft partnership examples:
Lyft and Chase Bank
Riders that use a Chase Bank credit card to pay for their rides get 5% cash back on their bill.
If you’re a Chase Freedom cardholder, make it easy by choosing it as your default payment method in the Lyft app.
Lyft and American Express and Delta Airlines
Using your Blue Delta SkyMiles American Express Card to pay for your ride not only earns you Lyft credits but also gets you Delta SkyMiles!
Lyft riders currently earn 2 free miles for every dollar they spend on rides.
That’s a lot of miles. If you consider the average Lyft fare of $22, that’s 44 earned airline miles per ride.
They up the rewards further if you link your card and your lift account to give you another mile per dollar and, there is a 10,000 bonus airline miles reward if you spend a certain dollar amount within a specific time frame.
It’s a sweet deal if you travel a lot – or want to.
Lyft and Budweiser
Both Lyft and Budweiser are passionate about keeping drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.
That’s why they partner up to offer reduced ride fares to Bud drinkers as part of their “Give a Damn.
Riders can get a $20 credit to use on a ride between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night or on holidays.
Get the promo code on Budweiser’s Facebook or Instagram page and then enter the code at checkout.
The new code goes up on Facebook and Instagram on Thursdays at 2 p.m. EST.
All of Lyft’s partnership promotions are limited-time offers.
Make sure you catch them while you’re still eligible or during promotional hours (like in the case of Budweiser).
6. Engage with Lyft
Keep up with time-sensitive or seasonal promo codes by regularly checking your emails from Lyft.
Open every email so you don’t miss promo codes that work for you.
You can also follow Lyft (and the aforementioned brands) on social media.
They usually post promo info and updates to their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
For instance, on Nov 6, 2018, they posted a 50% discount on rides to the polls for voters.
Check all three because some promotions show up on one social media service and not the other two.
Check out the Lyft blog, too.
It’s on their website.
The blog often includes features about new partnerships and promotions that you can take advantage of.
But don’t just subscribe for that – there are entertaining written pieces and podcasts too.
7. Event-Based Promos
Lyft wants to make it easy for you to get to certain events – either ones they partner with or ones that are important for a whole and healthy society.
They sometimes offer free rides to marches, rallies, and other political events.
Earlier this year, Lyft offered free rides to anyone attending a March for Our Lives rally.
To do so, they published city-specific promo codes on their blog.
Attendees were able to grab the promo code from the site, plug it into the app, and enjoy a free ride on Lyft.
Lyft also promotes entertainment events.
During the Fortnite Celebrity Pro-Am competition in Los Angeles, Lyft gave out 50 free packages to Fortnite fans.
Fans that entered took a promo code Lyft had posted on social media and entered it into the app to request a ride in a special “Fortnite Mode” that had been created just for the event.
The Fortnite code wasn’t only for free rides, it entered riders in a contest.
Winners got backstage tickets to the event and a bunch of other Fortnite goodies as well.
Lyft has also partnered with Netflix on several occasions to promote new shows on the streaming service.
For the first season of Stranger Things, Lyft offered passengers in LA and Philly free rides to the premiere.
Lyft repeated that success with a similar promotion for the second season of Glow, but upped the experience with a free limo ride for lucky Las Vegas Lyft riders who entered the promotional contest.
As mentioned earlier in this article, Lyft is big on drinking responsibly and not driving under the influence.
They often offer free rides on holidays (outside of the Budweiser partnership) to prevent people from driving drunk.
Last Labor Day, they gave out $50,000 in free rides to the people of Texas to cut down on high drunk driving rates and to promote safe drinking.
Lyft runs promotions constantly.
The event-based promotions especially pop up all the time – but they are usually specific to certain cities, so you have to keep an eye out.
Keep up with it and you might have opportunities for experiences you might otherwise not even be aware of – like the Google Pixel 3 Sights of Sound experience or a brunch with Antoni Porowski.
The best way to stay notified on promotions like these is to check your email often and to follow Lyft on social media.
When you register for Lyft, be sure to let them know what city you live in.
That way they’ll send you relevant promo codes for events happening in your city or state.
8. Lyft All-Access Pass
This is more of a program than a promo code.
In fact, it’s not a promo code, but it can save you alot of money – especially if you are a frequent Lyft rider.
The All-Access Plan is a newly announced Lyft subscription program.
The plan streamlines the Lyft experience for customers that pay for the 30-day subscription to the service.
This is the way it works:
- $299 flat fee for a 30-day subscription
- It’s good for 30 rides up to $15 per ride
- There is a 5% discount on all additional rides
- Cancel at any time
Here’s the math:
30 X $15 per ride is $450, so if you ride daily, this will save you about $150 a month.
If you take short rides that cost less than $15, that works out to, essentially, 10 free rides every month.
If you don’t use Lyft 30 times per month, or if your rides are typically less than $10 per ride, the Lyft Access plan would not be a good deal.
Don’t forget to tip!
That’s how Lyft drivers make most of their income – and you need Lyft drivers to use Lyft.
Be sure you calculate tip into the ride price or subscription when you’re considering the value of the product in relation to your transportation needs.
What Do I Do if My Promo Code Doesn’t Work?
Not to worry! If your promo code isn’t working, Lyft is available with support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It’s easy to reach out to Lyft and they are more than happy to help you.
Just click the “Contact Support” button on any page in the Help section of the Lyft website.
You can also reach out to Lyft customer service through a variety of other methods as well.
But wait – before you call, troubleshoot promo code issues by asking these questions:
Are you eligible for the promotion?
Promos often apply only to certain regions.
If you stumbled across a promo online and you can’t get it to work, the problem might be that you’re trying to use it in the wrong city or area.
Go back to the source and check the details.
Also, remember that a lot of promo codes are only applicable to new riders.
So, if you’re a seasoned Lyft rider, you might not be eligible.
Do check the source to see if there’s a companion promo for referring your friends.
Is the Promo code still valid?
All Lyft promo codes have an expiration date.
The time period for using the Lyft promo code might range from less than one day to several months.
Many are tied to certain events.
Check the site where you found the code and make sure it’s still a valid code.
Did you type it in right?
It might seem obvious, but one of the most common reasons a promo code didn’t work is because the user mistyped it.
Double check for spelling, caps, etc. before jumping on a call with customer support.
Like any company, Lyft wants to grow its business, and so they offer you rewards to help them.
Most Lyft promotions are for new users, but current users can still get a Lyft discount in a variety of ways.
Sharing your Lyft coupon code with friends and family is the easier way to earn a free ride.
And the best part is, when your friend uses your coupon code, you both win!
Frequently Asked Questions About Lyft Promo Codes for Existing Users
To conclude this guide, here are answers to a few common questions about Lyft promo codes for existing users.
1. Can existing Lyft drivers use promo codes?
Like new customers for Lyft, new Lyft drivers can earn credit when they sign up with a Lyft driver promo code.
Once you’ve signed up to drive, you can no longer use a promo code like that to earn.
However, Lyft drivers can earn credit by referring both new drivers and new passengers to the Lyft app.
New drivers who sign up with your code will earn a certain amount of credit per ride they give, while new passengers will get a discount on their first couple Lyft rides.
2. Where can existing users use Lyft promo codes?
Lyft promo codes work all throughout the United States, as well as the select cities in Canada where Lyft operates.
Here are just a few markets where you can earn credit as an existing Lyft user:
1. Baltimore
2. Boston
3. Chicago
4. Denver
5. Houston
6. Los Angeles
7. Miami
8. Nashville
9. New York City
10. San Diego
3. What’s the easiest way for existing Lyft users to earn Lyft credit?
The easiest way is to refer friends to Lyft, which you can do using our instructions above.
It’s especially easy because you can use a digital referral method such as email, SMS, or the social media platform of your choice.
This lets you expand your reach far beyond what you could do with word of mouth alone.
Existing Lyft Users Can Earn Lyft Credit
We hope this guide has shown you that it is possible for existing Lyft users to get discounts on rides.
You have to be a bit more creative than a new user, but this extra challenge makes the credit you do earn that much more rewarding.
