lyft boston

Free $25 Lyft Credit for New Users + Free Rides!

By Kate • January 25, 2014

Update 3/2015: The promo code now works for a free $20 Lyft credit for new users for a limited time (may drop back to $10 credit at anytime).

Car-Sharing App Lyft is offering a FREE $25 Credit for new users in Boston (and other cities as well). No promo codes needed, just follow the instructions from the link!

If you are not familiar with Lyft, feel free to read my past reviews here and here. Lyft is similar to UberX and Sidecar where you claim a driver through an android or iphone app and rates are typically cheaper than a taxi because the driver is using their personal car. If you have seen a pink mustache on a car in the city, that is Lyft!

Lyft also expanded their coverage in and around the Greater Boston Area and you can check out their coverage area and rates here.

Please note: Lyft also introduced Prime Time Rates which charges an additional percentage to give directly to the drivers to incentivize drivers to be on the roads during prime time hours. The percentage will vary depending on the demand, but Lyft will tell you the extra percentage (if any) before confirming your ride.

For a limited time, new users can sign up with Lyft and receive a $25 credit towards your first ride. Also, if you are a current Lyft user, you can refer a friend through your own referral credit code to receive up to $25 in credits. (I included my referral link in this post, but feel free to ask a friend for their referral link if you like them more than me).

Also, I read about a new program called Lyft Pioneers. Basically you give feedback after your Lyft ride and you will receive free rides (up to $25) for 2 weeks. To join, the program reads, “just download the Lyft app, create a free account, and you’ll automatically receive complimentary rides for two weeks!”

I am not sure if the Lyft Pioneer program applies to new users only, because I had a hard time figuring out how to join as an existing user. If you are or becoming a Lyft Pioneer or joined as an existing user, could you please leave your experience and how to join in the comments!? Thank you!

Also, competitor Uber has many services, but UberX is the cheapest option and is comparable to Lyft. New users can receive $20 credit from a friend and a friend can receive $20 for a referring a friend. After you sign up, enter promo code C2E2 for another $40 credit, for new users only, for a limited time!

You can be my friend and sign up here for a free $20 credit for Uber, if you’d rather join Uber over Lyft, or both. *Note, this was previously a $10 referral friend credit, so I am unsure how long the $20 credit will last for*

Do you use Lyft or UberX to travel around the city? Do you have any tips for new users? Are you a Lyft Pioneer?

As mentioned in the post, this post does contain my referral links to Lyft and Uber if you sign up through my friend link. You will receive the $25 or $20 free credit, and I will receive some credit too. Thank you!

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Lyft Boston: Free $20 Credit Code + Enter to Win a $50 Credit!

By Kate • September 9, 2013

The giveaway has ended, but you can get a free $10 credit if you are a new user.

Lyft is a car-sharing service located in many major cities around the country, including Boston! I have tried and shared Lyft on the blog before, but I wanted to share a few facts about Lyft for those who haven’t tried it out yet!

If you are not familiar with what car-sharing service means, basically a person with a car picks up a person who needs a ride through the Lyft smartphone app. Since the person is not driving a company vehicle, Lyft rides arecheaper than a taxi, which definitely helps the budget! Here’s what you should know about Lyft:

Lyft does DMV and Background checks on all Lyft drivers
You will be picked up in a vehicle with a model year 2000 or better
Lyft is integrated with Facebook so you will see the picture of your driver and the car before your driver arrives (with estimated pick-up time too)
At the end of your ride, you will be asked to rate your driver from 1 to 5 stars to ensure solid drivers
The driver will also rate you (the passenger) at the end of the ride, so make sure you respect the driver and their car
When you set up your account, you need to link a credit card. No cash is ever transferred between a passenger and driver.
After your ride is finished, you will receive notification of the suggested donation amount and you can adjust the payment based on your experience
Lyft is available on iPhone and Android phones

I have taken Lyft twice, once with my husband on a weekend night and once by myself during a weekday rush hour. As a female in my twenties, I didn’t feel uncomfortable during my ride. I definitely like the fact that I could see my driver and a picture of the car beforehand on my smartphone. Both my drivers were males in their twenties (I would guess) and easy to talk too.

If you haven’t tried Lyft out yet but would like too, enter promo code BOSBUDGET when you set up your account to receive a free $20 credit! (If your ride isn’t more than $20, you’ll still have the remaining credit for your next ride!)

Also, Lyft is giving two lucky readers a $50 credit in their Lyft account, and both new and existing members are able to enter! Just simply fill out this form below starting now until Friday, September 13th at 6am, and two winners will be announced within 48 hours of contest end!

Entry -Form

Good Luck! Have you tried Lyft before; what do you think about Lyft and Car Sharing?

Disclaimer: I did receive Lyft Credit in my account for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure policy here.

Free $20 Credit for Lyft Boston (New) Users!

By Kate • July 1, 2013

Update: New users can now receive a free $10 credit when you sign up.

I previously tried and wrote about car-sharing service Lyft last month, but there is a new promo code available now to help celebrate all the Fourth of July Festivities in Boston! Use promo code BOS4TH to snag a free $20 credit when you sign up for a new account. As mentioned in my previous post, a $20 credit can get you pretty far around the city, so if you do not use all $20 up on your first ride, you can use it again for your next! Pretty sweet!

Have you had a chance to try Lyft yet; what did you think? Have you seen pink mustaches on cars around the city too?

And check out the blog later today for events and ideas around the 4th of July in Boston to use your free ride to!

Grab a $20 Credit from Lyft through the End of June!

By Kate • June 11, 2013

Update: New users can receive a free $10 credit when you sign up through a friend.

Lyft is Boston’s newest car-sharing app, which allows you to get picked up by a friendly driver with a touch of a button via smartphone. Lyft just expanded to Boston and is currently offering a $20 credit for new users when you use promo code BOSBUDGET valid for the month of June!

This past weekend I downloaded the app, and went out on the town and gave Lyft a try! Here’s a few things that I liked and learned about Lyft through my experience, and first a few things to note when setting up an account:

Lyft is available for download on iPhones and Android phones
Link your Facebook account with Lyft to create a profile (Must use Facebook for an account)
You must upload your credit card information when you set-up an account
Below the credit card line is the promo code line where you can enter BOSBUDGET promo code (I missed it the first time around, but was able to add a promo code a few minutes later no problem)

I’m not going to lie: I didn’t like the fact that my only option was signing up with my Facebook account at first. I like to keep my personal Facebook personal as much as possible. However, Lyft didn’t post anything to my Facebook page, which was nice. I did notice that my driver was able to see my Facebook picture, and I received a confirmation e-mail through the same e-mail my Facebook account is signed up with, which was fine by me.

I signed up for an account on Lyft before leaving my place, and it only took a few minutes to set up an account. Requesting a ride from Lyft was even quicker and easier than setting up an account. Here’s how to get a ride home from Lyft after the account is created:

Open Lyft App, and it will show your current location
Hit request Lyft at the bottom
It will ask: Confirm Lyft Request and hit yes (only if you are ready for the ride)
Your ride is on its way!

Once I hit yes, I received a picture of my driver and the driver’s car to look for. The time estimation was there as well as the exact location of the driver on the map so we could track the progress. (It took 7 minutes for us). We saw our driver come around the corner and I received a text from Lyft letting me know he had arrived right when he pulled up! We hoped into the car, and I sat in the front seat. It was such a nice and easy way to get home from the bar (er, I mean the Art Gallery) on a Saturday night. Oh, and, my driver was awesome. I felt like I was chatting with a friend and not a cabbie.

The rates for Lyft work on a time/mileage formula that isn’t advertised so I was a little unsure what the exact rate for my trip would be since Lyft prides themselves on being cheaper than a Taxi. Lyft also works as a suggested donation so you do not have to pay the rate it is suggested, especially if you feel like service did not coincide with suggested rate. All payment is made directly through the credit card linked to the account, and you are charged after you ride. No cash is needed or exchange of money with the driver. I received a bill with my suggested donation pretty quickly once exiting my ride, and then received a receipt after I paid my bill with a click or two. I think that’s how it worked, like I said, I visited the Art Gallery that night, so my memory is a little blurry… from all that beautiful artwork, ya know.

I took Lyft pretty far since I wanted to experiment and see how far $20 could get me. I went about 10-11 miles (during a low traffic time) and my suggested donation was $26.00, before my $20 credit. $6.00 to travel 10-something miles and get in my bed in half the time had I taken the MBTA home. Score.

The free $20 credit is good until the end of June with promo code BOSBUDGET. As you can tell from my adventure, $20 should get you pretty far. If you don’t use the entire credit, you can also use it towards your next ride!

I was really impressed with Lyft. I was a little weary a first with setting up the account with Facebook, but that was the hardest part, which wasn’t too hard. I really enjoyed “hailing” Lyft with my app and had a great ride home. I hope you have a chance to try it!

What do you think? Have you tried Lyft before? Will you try Lyft in the future!?

Disclosure: I received credit from Lyft and decided to try Lyft before sharing the $20 promo code with you. All thoughts and opinions of Lyft are my own.

Free $25 Lyft Credit for New Users + Free Rides!

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