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Overcharged by Lyft? Here is how to get your money back.

Posted by: RideGuru Team Sep 20, 2022
Updated Sep 20, 2022

20 comments

Overcharged for Lyft ride

We are frequently asked by our members why they have been overcharged by Lyft. Sometimes there is an easy explanation, a fee or toll that was unexpected, but other times Lyft has made a mistake resulting in a higher fare. Here are all the reasons you may feel you were overcharged for your ride and what to do in each situation.

 

Your driver took a “poor route”

This is perhaps the most common reason why people end up with higher fares than they were expecting. Lyft drivers are expected to use the outlined route and GPS to navigate to your destination but sometimes they may take alternate routes if they believe they are avoiding construction, traffic, or blocked roads. Sometimes these alternate routes can result in much higher fares than anticipated. If it appears as though your driver went far out of the way to “raise the final fare”, contact Lyft directly and they will review your ride.

Tolls and Fees

Riders are expected to pay for all tolls that are encountered during their ride. Here is a list of all US tolls. Also, Lyft has a number of fees that you may be charged, including their standard service fee which is added to every ride, a damage fee for if you were to damage your driver’s car in any way, and a cancel or no-show fee if you do not show up for you ride. For a complete rundown of these fees visit this page here.


Pending Charges

Sometimes when you create a Lyft account or request a ride you may see a pending fee on your credit card. This fee is not an extra charge and will not go through in the end, it is simply a temporary hold while Lyft verifies your payment method. If the charge does switch from “pending” to an actual charge, contact Lyft immediately. Typically, the charge is removed entirely within 5-7 business days.


Charged for a ride you did not take

Unfortunately, this happens sometimes and can be very frustrating. Perhaps your driver picked up another random rider instead of you or maybe a member of your family was still logged into your account and requested a ride without realizing it. Other times your account may simply have been hacked. In these situations, it is important to contact Lyft immediately so they can lock your account while they look into the situation.


Promo Code did not apply

At certain times you may be expecting a lower ride cost due to a promotion code you have on your account. Promotion codes are automatically applied for eligible rides so if your promotion code was not applied for you ride something was probably askew. Unfortunately, it may have been some small detail in the fine print that caused your promotion to go unused.


Initial price was higher than expected

If your upfront fare quote is higher than you anticipated, the reason is most likely that there was more demand for rides at that time resulting in a higher fare. While this can be frustrating there is nothing you can do but wait out the demand and try again for a lower fare!

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Comments

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    ekim924
     2 years ago

    Lyft charged me $267 for an 18-mile ride from JFK airport to Midtown Manhattan which is more expensive than flying from NY to LA. My other friends who were with me at the airport used other apps and they paid only $50-90. I tried to dispute the fare because the upfront quote on my app initially wasn't this high. (Who would want it when you know you would have to pay this amount of $$$ for an 18-mile ride in the first place?) But the only answer I heard back from different customer service team members was the upfront price was not changed and I'm not overcharged either. I regret that I didn't take any screenshots of the initial upfront quote as a piece of evidence. I'm leaving this comment hoping others don't have this awful experience and deal with their CX team which was not helpful at all. 

    Show Hide  1 Reply
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      ambalab
       1 year ago

      The same thing happened to me this morning. I was riding from home to the airport and the upfront pricing was $33.. when I got the final bill it was $148! I was shocked and the Lyft customer service completely denied it. Uber has done the same thing with Postmates before too and absolutely refuse to help, pinning the blame and charge on the customer. Customer service has gone to zero and these companies are revealing themselves to be complete scams

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    Leonardol
    Driver
     1 year ago

    If the money is returned, that would be great. It's like when I play fnaf security breach and there is also a bonus.

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    Mdbodnar
    Driver
     1 year ago

    Lyft charged me $500 over the usual charge Bout $130 from LAX to my house. I didn't screen grab the quote of $130 and they charged me $638 fot the ride i have take a dozen or more times. Lyft refuses to coooerate and give me a refund.  Next step? Consumer protection agency? Where is a great place to shere this with the publike and customers of Lyft as a warning?  Thanks

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     7 months ago

    Great article! I appreciate the clear steps on how to handle overcharges from Lyft. Your thorough explanation and practical tips are super helpful. Thanks for making this so easy to understand!
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