It is amazing how long Uber and Lyft have been around now. For most rides, I personally tend to stick with Uber. I think this pattern started many years ago when I found that Lyft tended to always price out a bit higher than Uber — and so many drivers work with both ride-share apps.
But now that I have become a Frequent Floater, that is, spending so much of each year on cruise ships, I am in need of larger vehicle to and from ships with all my large and bulky luggage. That requires a larger car than just an Uber-X.
During my recent Alaska cruise, only one time was an Uber-XL less expensive than Lyft to get us from from A to B. I am now wishing I did not have so many Uber credits loaded into my account from card offers and more.
Plus, as someone who is finding themselves frequenting more and more Hilton hotels as of late, I like the bonus points they combo with Lyft.
“Link your Hilton Honors and Lyft accounts to earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Lyft rides (economy, luxury and extra seats). Earn 2 Points per $1 spent on shared Lyft rides.* Redeem your Hilton Honors Points for Lyft credits. Determine the amount of Points you would like to redeem and the credits will appear in your Lyft account.
Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on economy, luxury, and extra seat Lyft rides.
Earn 2 Points per $1 spent on shared Lyft rides.
Redeem Hilton Honors Points for Lyft credits.“
Plus, I also get 10x Chase Ultimate Rewards® points by paying with my Chase Sapphire Reserve® card. (Cardholders earn 10X total points per dollar spent when using their Sapphire Reserve card to for Lyft purchases through March 2025. They also get two free years of Lyft Pink All Access and a 3rd year at 50% off when they activate by Dec 31, 2024 — a value of $199/year. Membership auto-renews.)
I know there is also a Delta link promo but I am working hard to reduce my SkyPennies — not keep bulking them up. So, that is not one that gets me excited.
I guess I am fishing for reader experiences. Do you always fire up both apps, or even others, and compare prices before you hail a ride or do you mostly just stick with one or the other. Also, are you seeing what I am seeing that larger cars tend to cost less from Lyft than Uber? – René
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It’s not just you.
I tend to use Lyft for airport rides to get the bonus SkyPennies and stack with Chase. For all other rides I go with Uber to burn monthly Uber credits. I tend not to “shop” the apps unless I log into my preferred app for the trip and it has a long wait or an eye-popping charge then I’ll flip over to the other app.
I always check both apps. It only takes a few seconds. Lately, it seems like Lyft has been beating Uber, and often by quite a bit, similar to your screen cap. Looking back at all my rides since 1/1/2020, I see 19 rides with Uber and 19 rides with Lyft, so my usage of both services is pretty equal.
I have figured it out a long time ago, for at least over a year, that Lyft is less expensive although I have not calculated the exact difference in %. I travel mainly in NYC and the Fort Lauderdale market. Lyft is consistently less. The only reason I use Uber is because I get the $15 per month AMEX Uber credit, so I would use Uber only once in any given month; and for all other rides, I always end up riding Lyft. However, I do check both apps to make sure I get the best deal. That is how I concluded that Lyft is always less expensive.
Talk about the $15 Uber Cash from AMEX. Today, my family and I (6 of us altogether) are going to the cruise port. Between our bags and the size of group, we decided to order take 2 UberX cars. I ordered my Uber first because I want to use my $15 Uber CASH from AMEX. My ride was about $23. The other party order their UberX ride in less than 1 or 2 minutes after I clicked the confirm button, and their fare is only $18. Go figure! The only difference is the 1 or 2 minutes time difference and they are NOT using the $18 Uber Cash. I do wonder whether Uber jacks up the price for people whom they know that are using Uber Cash! Buyers Beware!