I Almost Always Choose Lyft Over Uber — Here’s Why
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
When it comes to US rideshare apps, there are two that stand apart from the rest: Lyft and Uber. Uber has been around longer and is probably the more well-known service.
But personally? I'm a fan of Lyft.
I order a rideshare at least once or twice a week, either because I'm traveling or because I don't want to drive my car uptown on a Friday night. While I often check both Lyft and Uber before I make a final decision, I end up choosing Lyft the vast majority of the time. Here's why it's my favorite (and most used) rideshare app.
Customer Service
Lyft is definitely my favorite rideshare app, but that doesn't mean I've never had an issue with a ride. The difference, however, is that Lyft's customer service has yet to disappoint. The other day, my Lyft driver got pulled over while I was in Manhattan, argued with the police officer and eventually got a ticket. The whole ordeal cost me an extra half hour — not to mention the discomfort of sitting in the backseat with my melting iced latte as the driver quarreled with law enforcement. Lyft noticed that my ride took longer than expected, and sent me a $5 credit for the inconvenience. That was before I even reported the ride and asked for a full refund.
A customer service representative reached out to follow up on the complaint before the automatic "We've Received Your Request" message even hit my inbox. Within 10 minutes, I had explained the situation, and Lyft had issued a refund for the ride (and I still have the $5 credit for my next ride because of the delay).
Thankfully, I don't have to deal with Uber's customer service often since I use Lyft. I've heard so many horror stories about Uber's customer service from friends, coworkers and TPG readers. The one time I've ever reached out to Uber about an issue, it took them more than a week to follow up, and they ultimately didn't take any responsibility for the driver not showing up. The stark difference in customer care is one of the reasons why Lyft is my go-to.
Partnerships
Lyft currently has partnerships with three loyalty programs that I'm a member of: Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and Hilton. I also have my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card set as the primary method of payment.
On a trip to the airport, I'm earning:
For everyday trips, I'm earning:
Uber currently doesn't offer any partnerships like this, aside from the annual Uber Cash available through The Platinum Card® from American Express* (which I don't currently have). Obviously, Lyft isn't helping me rake in hundreds of thousands of points and miles every year, but these partnerships still offer an incentive to choose Lyft over Uber. *Enrollment required.
Affordability
Any time I take a rideshare trip that costs more than $20 on Lyft, I'll double-check Uber just in case they're offering a cheaper fare. I can't recall many times when I've found an Uber that was cheaper than a Lyft, with the exception of events or conferences like SXSW where Uber has partnered with the host.
After this year's pricing war between the two companies as they both prepared to go public, it's become less common to see major differences in cost. However, I still typically see anywhere from a $1 to $5 difference between the fares, depending on the trip length.
A couple of bucks may not seem like a big difference, but it adds up over time when you're taking a rideshare more than once or twice a week.
Bottom Line
Neither Lyft nor Uber are perfect, but I've found that it's generally much easier to interact with Lyft, and more pleasant to use. I save more money, earn bonus rewards and have peace of mind that they'll handle any concern in a timely and professional manner. Uber has been called out on multiple occasions for customer service mishaps and app errors. So, for me, it's a no brainer to stick with Lyft.
No matter which app you turn to when you need a ride, just make sure you're always using a credit card to pay. You can check out which cards earn the most rewards on Uber and Lyft purchases here.