Surprise charges and overpayments are some of the most frustrating problems for Lyft users.
Look at the comments section of our article on how to contact Lyft customer service to see dozens of complaints about duplicate charges, overcharges, or rides that never occurred.
The good news is that you can report overcharges and request a refund from Lyft, but you have to know where to go in the Lyft app or at help.lyft.com.
What you need to know
- Use the Help section at the bottom of every ride receipt to report payment problems
- Pending charges labelled ‘temporary authorization holds’ typically disappear once the transaction is processed
- Other common surprise charges are fees, Lyft Pink charges, or a price that was higher than the upfront estimate
- Report suspected fraud to your cardholder first
How to get help with payment problems in the Lyft app
Follow the steps below if you have an issue with an overcharge, duplicate charge, fraudulent ride, or other payment issues.
In the Lyft app, Tap Menu (☰) > Ride history > Find the ride and tap on it > Scroll to ‘Help’ > Select the best matching item
You can dispute the fare or report another issue about the charge. After you report the issue, a chat with Lyft customer service will begin.
The Help button beneath each ride receipt is the best place to dispute charges
Helpful pages at help.lyft.com
Lyft explains payment policies on these pages at help.lyft.com.
- Lyft’s guide to charges and payments
- Payment authorizations (temporary holds)
- Cancellation policy for passengers
You can contact Lyft with each of the pages above. Scroll to the contact button at the bottom of each page and follow the on-page steps to report an issue with a charge.
- Our complete guide: How to Contact Lyft Customer Service
Legitimate charges from Lyft that might look unusual
Many legitimate charges from Lyft might be unexpected or even appear suspicious at first glance.
Before contacting Lyft, check to see if the charge could be explained by one of the reasons below.
Temporary holds: Payment authorization
A duplicate charge from Lyft could be a temporary payment authorization.
Lyft places a temporary hold on your payment method to confirm that it has enough funds to pay for your ride.
The temporary authorization will disappear after your payment provider processes the transaction, or it may appear as a refund after 5-7 days.
Temporary payments appear as ‘Lyft TEMP AUTH HOLD’ on your payment account transactions.
Temp auth hold charges typically settle within a day
You might see a pending charge when you create an account, request a ride, update your payment method, change your destination or add a stop.
One charge from Lyft after taking many rides
By default, you will only be charged once for all the Lyft rides you take in one day. So if you took many rides during a day, one big charge means all the rides were lumped together into one payment.
To change your payment frequency, go to Menu > Payment > Payment frequency. You can choose to pay after every ride or once for all the rides you do in a day.
Price higher than the upfront estimate
Lyft offers upfront pricing, but the price may increase if you encounter unexpected heavy traffic or add a stop.
If you still think Lyft charged too much, use the Help section of the ride receipt and select Dispute ride fare or charges.
Lyft fees
Lyft charges cancellation fees and damage fees. Cancellation fees are typically $2–$10, and damage fees are $20, $30, $80, or $150.
Go to the trip receipt and scroll to the help section to dispute a fee. Read more about the Lyft cancellation fees.
Lyft Pink: A $9.99 monthly charge
Lyft Pink is a monthly membership that costs $9.99 per month. An unexpected charge of $9.99 could be a Lyft Pink subscription you forgot about. More about Lyft Pink here.
Lyft Cash
Lyft Cash is another recurring payment that could lead to surprise charges.
In the Payment area of the app, there’s an option to add Lyft Cash to your Lyft account and a separate option to turn on auto-refill. Auto-refill could explain an unexpected charge.
Check to see if auto refill can explain a mystery charge
Family or friend took a ride on your card
Many people share account logins and credit cards. If there’s a surprise charge on your card, think if someone else who shares your card might have taken the ride.
Illegitimate charges: Fraud on your Lyft account
Although many surprise charges are a misunderstanding about Lyft payment practices, fraud does happen.
These activities on your Lyft account could indicate fraud
- Receipts for a trip you didn’t take
- Charges for trips you didn’t take
- Notifications from Lyft about a ride that you aren’t on
- Your account info was updated without your knowledge
Suspect fraud? Contact your cardholder or bank
If you believe someone is fraudulently using your credit or debit card to use Lyft, contact your cardholder first to report the fraud.
It’s important to secure the account first to prevent further fraud.
Most credit and debit cards offer fraud protection and 24/7 customer service. It’s much easier to quickly notify your cardholder than to report issues to Lyft.
After contacting your bank or cardholder, you can report the issue to Lyft in the ride receipt or at help.lyft.com.
Will Lyft give you a refund? What to expect
Illegitimate charges or fraud are likely to be refunded if you promptly report the issue to Lyft and follow up with details.
However, Lyft is less likey to offer a refund for legitimate charges from fees and recurring memberships.
The best way to start the process is to use the Help tools in the ride receipt or the contact buttons at the bottom of the support pages at help.lyft.com.
Still not getting a refund after contacting Lyft? You can initiate a chargeback with your credit card company.
A chargeback is nearly guaranteed to get your money back, but you should only use it if it was genuinely an illegitimate charge and Lyft refuses to take action.
Related Lyft Topics
Chris Johnson says
I took two rides yesterday june 27th 2022.. The ride there s14.99. The ride home $22.95 total for two rides $37.94. I was just charged for two rides. $51.93. How the fuck do I call lyft.
Michele says
I ordered a lyft after a concert and my phone died. The driver was changed without my knowledge so i never got the ride. We would up getting ride through my husband’s account. The next day the driver that i am unaware of said he drove me and i got charged. I am trying to fight with lyft but they are taking his side! I sent them pictures from my camera and of the driver from my husbands account. I dont know what else to do!
Ilya says
On 5/28/22 I ordered a Lyft to take me from Pebble Beach to SFO airport. When the driver showed up he looked intoxicated and his vehicle was run down so I told him to cancel (I had bad service in the app and I could not do it on my own) and I ordered an Uber. I took the Uber safely to SFO. The Lyft driver followed our path to SFO and pretended to drive me to the airport. So I got charge $190 for the ride I did not take. I showed Lyft proof that I took an Uber instead and they still would not give me my money back. I filed a dispute with Chase and hope they will understand.
Stacey Seabrook says
I was charged a damage fee for a dried stain on a seat. Driver accused me and the company accepted his word and photos as proof. I did not wet or spill on the seat. Also, take the trip every morning with no issues. It is a two minute ride. They took $80.00 out of my account. When I wanted a live person to ask them to show the video that proves I did not damage the seat, they ignored my request. Why not show me before abs after to prove their case! It’s because the driver lied. Also, I would not have sit on a messy seat. I was scammed and they have bots in the app to respond to your text messages. It is shameful and I will not use their car service again.
Edie Walker says
I just ordered a ride this morning and because my pickup place does not show on GPS, I sent a message to the driver where to pick me up. He didn’t read it and left. Another driver was assigned and I sent him the same message and phone number, he read it but I was assigned still another driver. I again sent the pickup info and this driver finally got there. The problem is that a ride that was quoted as $22 ended up costing $28.
Shelby Buxton says
Thank God I turn off my transactions always before using my card. Because my bank groups up lyft transactions. Who knows what extra I have been charged. I had a declined payment for 1.69$ … for what??? Literally adding up my bank account payments and then my app payments, there is a difference and doesn’t add up
Williams says
I was told one price and charged another
DougH says
That can happen if the ride is longer than expected or if you added a stop. If neither of those things happened, ask Lyft for a review
Shalonda says
I was charged 62.60 for a ride that was supposed to be 27.00 and was told it was an authorization hold but never ended up getting a ride due to the fact that Lyft has no drivers and they charged me 34.39 on 02/23/2022 at 10:13am For a ride that never happened. I think Lyft needs to hang it up how unprofessional