Lyft is a ride-hailing app that lets you book rides directly from your smartphone.
It’s quickly become one of the biggest players in the ridesharing space, competing with Uber as the app of choice for people who need to get a ride quickly.
If you have a friend or family member who loves using Lyft, a Lyft gift card can be a great way to keep them moving.
Lyft gift cards are ideal for college students, city dwellers, or anyone you want to make sure has a safe ride home.
In this article we’ll walk you through how to give the gift of Lyft, and show you how to redeem a gift card.
We’ll also look briefly at the history of the company, show you how to create an account if you’re new to the app, and answer some frequently asked questions about the service.
Reasons to Buy a Lyft Gift Card
There are lots of reasons you might want to buy a Lyft gift card for a friend or loved one.
To start, giving someone a Lyft gift card is far more practical than other sorts of gifts.
Particularly if you’re looking for a gift for a millennial urbanite, a gift card for Lyft is something that the recipient is bound to use (unlike yet another potholder or iTunes gift card).
Of course, don’t think that Lyft gift cards are just for young people.
They can also be very useful for older professionals who travel frequently for business.
Lyft is a far more convenient way to get to and from the airport than using your personal vehicle.
Plus, the cost to take Lyft to the airport is often equal to what you’d pay to park your car for just one day.
And when you get to your destination, you can even use Lyft in lieu of renting a car.
The final reason Lyft gift cards are a great gift is that you can buy them at a variety of price points.
Just want to give a small $25 gift for your coworker, sibling, or boss?
You can get a Lyft gift card for it.
Want to go big and give the new grad in your life a nice head start as they move to a new city?
You can purchase Lyft gift cards for up to $250, which will be enough for several weeks of regular Lyft rides.
There’s an option for every budget and occasion.
Where Can I Buy a Lyft Gift Card?
You have a few options for purchasing a Lyft gift card.
The first method involves going to lyft.com/gift.
From there, just follow the instructions and send your gift card on its way.
Note that in order to use this method, you’ll need to have a Lyft account. You can pay for the gift card online using a debit card, credit card, or PayPal
However, what if you want to send a physical card?
The Lyft website only offers digital gift card purchases with email delivery.
Sending this sort of e-gift card is fine for many occasions, but there are probably times when you’d prefer to send a physical card.
To get a physical Lyft gift card, you’ll need to turn to physical stores.
You can purchase Lyft gift cards in person at select Kroger, Office Depot, and Safeway stores.
There, you can get Lyft gift cards for up to $250, which you can then put inside a card or deliver using whatever method you like.
Pro Tip: if you buy a Lyft gift card and don’t want to use it for some reason, there are a variety of ways to sell gift cards online using a service like Gift Card Granny. You won’t get the full amount that you paid, but at least you’ll get something.
How Do I Use a Lyft Gift Card?
You now understand how to buy a Lyft gift card, but what if you’re on the other end?
What if you’ve received a Lyft gift card and need to figure out how to use it?
Don’t worry: The steps for redeeming a Lyft gift card are simple.
To redeem a physical Lyft gift card:
- Find the “Claim Code.” This is a 16-digit code located on the back of the gift card.
- Open the Lyft app.
- Tap your photo in the top left corner.
- Tap the “Promos” tab.
- Type the Claim Code into the “Enter promo code” box.
- Tap “Apply.”
And here are the steps to redeem a digital Lyft gift card:
- Open the Lyft app.
- Tap your photo in the top left corner.
- Tap the “Promos” tab.
- Type the Claim Code code from the email in the “Enter promo code” box.
- Tap “Apply.”
Here are a couple things to keep in mind when using a Lyft gift card:
- To use Lyft gift cards, you need some other default payment method on file. This can be a credit card, debit card, or any other valid Lyft payment option. This ensures that you can pay for the remaining amount of a Lyft ride if your gift card balance isn’t sufficient.
- Lyft gift cards cannot be used to pay for Lyft tips, cancellation fees, or damage fees.
How to Send a Lyft Gift Card
Lyft gift cards can be purchased either directly through the app or by visiting lyft.com/gift.
You can send the gift card immediately to a friend or, if you want to wait, you can send it to yourself and then forward it to your friend whenever you want.
Lyft gift cards are sent via email delivery, and only digital gift cards are available for purchase online.
(We’ll get to physical gift cards in a moment.)
Sending Via the App
Open the Lyft app and sign in.
From the homepage, tap on the icon in the top left corner, which looks like three horizontal lines on top of one another.
This will load up your menu.
Once the menu is loaded, look down and find “Promos.”
Tap on that.
Here you’ll see a place to enter promo codes for Lyft.
(Read our article on Lyft promo codes that can help you save money.)
If you look down below, however, you’ll see where you can “Give Lyft to friends.”
Tap on that.
On the next screen you’ll have the option to give a gift card in four different values: $10, $25, $50, or $100.
You’ll also be able to enter a recipient’s name, email address, and include a personalized note.
On this page you can choose how you’ll pay for the gift card.
The app will automatically load your default payment method (usually a credit card) here, but by tapping on “Payment” you can select from different payment options.
You can select a different credit or debit card, or pay via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal.
Once you’ve finalized your gift recipient, included a message, and selected the right payment method, you’re all set. Send away!
Sending Via the Website
To send via the website, first go to lyft.com/gift.
From there you can either buy a gift card or follow instructions on how to redeem one.
To buy one, first tap on “Send gift card.”
You’ll then be prompted to sign in to your account.
Enter your phone number, then confirm it’s you by providing the code the app texts to you.
(You might also need to confirm your email address to log in.)
Online, you’ll notice that you have a few more options in regard to gift cards.
For one, there are multiple card designs that aren’t available on the app.
You also have the ability to send gift cards in denominations other than $10, $25, $50, or $100 by selecting “Other” from the amount section.
From there you enter the recipient’s name, email address, a personalized note, and tap “next.”
On the next page you’ll confirm details and choose the payment method you want to use.
To change your Lyft default payment setting, tap on “Payment” and add a different credit card.
(Apple Pay and Google Pay are not available for use on the website.)
Physical Gift Cards
Unfortunately, physical gift cards for Lyft are not available for purchase online.
Although they do exist, you’ll have to locate one at a participating store.
Some Starbucks locations carry Lyft gift cards, as do many Kroger stores.
Unfortunately, you can’t purchase Lyft gift cards on Amazon, though you can purchase Uber gift cards through Amazon.
Redeeming a Lyft Gift Card
Redeeming a gift card is easy, and usually just requires following the link that is emailed to you.
That said, it will only work if you have an active Lyft account.
If you want to redeem on your phone, you’ll need to have the Lyft app installed.
New customers can download the free Lyft app from the iTunes App Store or Google Play.
Note: Even if you plan on only using your gift card balance, Lyft requires a default payment option before using the app.
As such, you’ll need to provide a credit card number or link your PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay account.
Enter Gift Card Number Manually
Some people will print out e-gift cards and give them to you directly, or give you a physical gift card to be redeemed.
With no link, you’ll need to enter the code manually to redeem the gift card.
Luckily, this process is easy.
Just open the app, then:
- Tap the account icon in the top left corner
- Select “Promos” from the menu
- Enter the 16-digit code from the email or gift card directly into the “Enter promo code” box
- Tap “Apply”
Your funds will be automatically credited to your account.
How to See Your Gift Card Balance
After you’ve redeemed your gift card, you can check the balance at any time in the Lyft app.
The process is simple:
- Open the Lyft app
- Tap the account icon in the top left corner
- Click “Promos”
- Your gift card balance will be there, written in bold
Using Gift Card Balance on Rides
When you redeem a gift card, your balance will be automatically entered as a “payment option” that you can use when booking rides with Lyft.
You can use your balance right away, or save it for special trips as you see fit.
This also gives you the flexibility to use a company credit card for business trips, then use the gift card balance for personal rides.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve covered Lyft, and everything you need to know about sending and receiving Lyft gift cards.
Let’s get to some frequently asked questions.
1. Do I need a Lyft account to use a Lyft gift card?
Yes, you do.
Luckily, it’s easy to sign up for Lyft.
What’s more, there are a variety of Lyft promotions available to new customers.
Check out our guide to using Lyft for the first time to learn about the different promo codes and other methods of earning Lyft credit that you can use to get free rides.
2. What if my friend accidentally deleted the gift card email?
If you sent a gift card and the email didn’t arrive or was deleted, your friend should first check all spam folders.
If it still can’t be found, no big deal.
You can access the gift card code at lyft.com/gift/history.
Give your friend the 16-digit code to manually enter it in the app to redeem.
3. What if I send the gift card to the wrong email?
Once a Lyft gift card has been redeemed, Lyft can’t help.
But you should be fine as long as the person you accidentally sent it to didn’t redeem the gift card.
If you send a gift card to the incorrect email address, Lyft asks you to go to lyft.com/gift/history and find the 16-digit code.
If you send Lyft the code via their Help Center, they can investigate if it was delivered — if the card hasn’t been redeemed, they can send you a new one.
4. Can I tip Lyft drivers with my gift card balance?
It’s great to want to reward the people who drive you, but unfortunately gift card balances don’t go toward tips.
If you want to tip your driver (as you should), the tip will be charged to your default payment method.
5. Does Uber offer gift cards?
Yes, they do.
You can find Uber gift cards on the company’s website, as well as at most grocery stores and drugstores.
6. Can I get a replacement if I lose my Lyft gift card?
Losing a gift card is always a frustrating experience, especially if it still has a balance left on it.
Unfortunately, Lyft cannot send you a new card if you lose yours.
To avoid this issue, we recommend entering the 16-digit code in the Lyft app as soon as you receive the Lyft gift card.
That way, it won’t matter if you lose the card later.
7. Can I buy Lyft gift cards on Amazon.com?
At the moment, you cannot.
While Uber gift cards are available to purchase on Amazon, Lyft gift cards are not.
Luckily, this isn’t much of an issue since there are both digital and physical methods to purchase them (as we discussed above).
Giving the Gift of Lyft
Lyft gift cards can be great gifts for anyone in your life you want to help get around.
They’re easy to purchase online, customizable, and simple to redeem.
We all need rides from time to time, and Lyft gift cards can make it easy for your friends and loved ones to get those rides with a simple tap of an app.
