Does Lyft Take Prepaid Cards?

If you are trying to order a car to your address, and you don’t have cash on you, you may wonder: does Lyft take prepaid cards? You’ll find the answer to this question, and other payment related questions in this article, so keep reading!

You can use prepaid cards in order to pay for a Lyft ride. Not all prepaid cards are welcomed, although the biggest card companies are. The process of adding the payment method is very easy and straightforward.

Does Lyft Take Prepaid Cards?

Paying for Lyft is simple, just as every other part of using that app is. So if you were wondering about the payment methods when ordering a cab, let us resolve your doubts. In addition to the classic debit cards you can use a prepaid card to pay for Lyft. This is to say that yes – prepaid cards are welcomed for paying a hailed ride, whether it’s in real time, or a scheduled trip.

What Prepaid Cards Can You Use to Pay Lyft?

Lyft works with all the major card companies, so you shouldn’t have trouble paying if you own a prepaid card of a well-known company. Although they say that they will accept most prepaid cards, some, unfortunately, may end up not working – leaving you to hail a cab the old fashioned way. However, the prepaid card logos that will give a green light to a Lyft driver to pick you up are the following: Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express.

What Other Payment Methods Can You Pay a Ride With?

Lyft doesn’t want you to go through any trouble, so it lets you pay in practically any way possible (other than cash, that is). In case your prepaid card is not working, it may be convenient to know all the other ways in which you can pay for a ride. In the table below you can see payment methods on the left, with short, helpful explanations and descriptions on the right.

	including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express
A debit card	All major American and Canadian debit card companies are accepted
Apple Pay	If you are an iOS user, you can pay with Apple Pay
Google Pay	If you are an Android user, you can use Google Pay (formerly known as Android Pay)
Lyft Cash	You can add cash to your Lyft Cash balance with another payment method, and the cost of the ride will be deducted from there when required
PayPal	Connect your PayPal account to any type of  smart mobile device, and you’ll be able to pay for a Lyft ride
Venmo	As a sister firm of PayPal, Venmo is also an accepted payment method
A Lyft Gift Card	Selected retailers sell Lyft gift cards, and digital gift cards are available online
Lyft Pass	Lyft Pass is obtained by companies and organizations to pay for some or all rides of their members or employees through a unique code you would get from the company/organization
Commuter Benefits	Another employer-provided way to pay is through commuter benefits, that is, a program that allows employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for commuting expenses

How Can You Add Your Prepaid Cards on Lyft?

As you probably realized if you’ve used Lyft, it’s a pretty user-friendly and straightforward app. And so are the steps you need to pass to add a prepaid card to the app. Here is what to do to add a prepaid card as a payment method to your app:

• Open the Lyft app,
• Click on the Menu button located in the top left corner,
• Tap on the button that says “Payment,”
• Scroll down until you reach the “Add payment method” that will have a plus (+) sign in front of it,
• Add all the required information (card number, expiration date, CVV code, and the billing zip code),
• Tap the “Save” button.

Why Does the Lyft App Keep Rejecting Your Prepaid Card?

Maybe you came to this article because Lyft is rejecting your card, and you wanted to make sure that prepaid cards really are an option. The thing is, there are many reasons why this may be the case, and some of them include the following:

• Your card has expired,
• Some of the information you entered (like the expiration date or the CVV code) is incorrect,
• The card was previously reported as stolen or lost,
• Your prepaid card provider or bank froze your card because of a suspicious activity or potential fraud,
• Your prepaid card lacks the funds to cover the ride fare,
• Your card is tied to a foreign bank that flagged the transaction. 

What to Do if Lyft Keeps Rejecting Your Card?

If your card is valid and has sufficient funds on it, the surest way to resolve the issue at hand is by calling up your bank or card provider to inform them about the problem you are experiencing. They will probably ask you a few questions and guide you through the process so that you can fix the problem easily. In case you don’t have sufficient funds on your card, you may need to add some money to it to cover the entirety of the Lyft ride. 

If this doesn’t solve the problem, here are a few other options to try out:

• Double-check if you’ve selected the wanted payment method,
• Delete the prepaid card information and add it once more,
• Use a different payment method,
• Contact Lyft support center,
• Double-check that your phone’s location service is turned on so that Lyft can actually access where you are.

To Sum It Up – Prepaid Cards are Regular Payment Method

Practically any prepaid card is welcome on Lyft, so whether you are the one who bought it or you got it as a gift, you’re free to use it on Lyft. If your prepaid card, however, is not working, you should contact either your card provider or Lyft customer service to resolve the issue in the easiest way. If problems keep persisting, consider paying via a different payment method.