It’s Time To Reconsider Which Points You Earn From Lyft Rides

by joeheg

One thing that differentiates Lyft from Uber is the opportunity to earn points in travel loyalty programs for your ride expenses. Until 2021 you could double-dip and earn Hilton Honors and Delta SkyMiles for each trip but now you have to pick to earn points in one program.

In the last few months, Lyft added two additional partners. But which of the four programs should you select to earn points for your Lyft rides?

Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles members earn 2 miles per $1 on airport rides and 1 mile per $1 on all other rides in the US. I value SkyMiles at a minimum of 1 cent each, but I’m able to get 1.3 to 1.5 cents per point on certain awards.

For most rides where I’d earn 1 mile per dollar, I’m getting about 1.3% back.

Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors members earn up to 3 points per $1 on rides (shared rides earn 2 points per dollar.) The value of Hilton points fluctuates depending on the reservation. I will not use them for less than 0.5 cents per point, but I’m often able to find rooms where I get 0.7 cents per point or more. That would work out to getting 2.1% back.

Until now, I chose to earn Hilton Honors over Delta SkyMiles.

Alaska Mileage Plan

Alaska Mileage Plan members earn one mile per $1 spent on Lyft Standard, Wait & Save, Priority Pickup, Shared, Shared Saver, Preferred, Lyft XL, Lux, Lux Black, and Lux Black XL rides.

While others will gladly buy Alaska points for 2 cents each when the airline has a points sale, I rarely find an opportunity to use these points. In fact, I redeemed points for 1.15 cents for two economy seats.

I’m not a taker to earn Alaska points at 1 mile per dollar, but this could be an option if you can never have enough Mileage Plan points.

Bilt Rewards

The newest Lyft partner is Bilt Rewards. Members earn 2 Bilt Rewards points per dollar for Lyft rides.

Bilt is the only transferrable point you can earn from Lyft. You can transfer points to any of Bilt’s partners.

  • Aeroplan
  • United
  • American
  • Emirates
  • Hawaiian
  • Turkish
  • Virgin Points
  • Asia Miles
  • Flying Blue
  • Hyatt
  • IHG

The value of a Bilt Rewards point depends on which program you will use. I can get at least 2 cents per point with World of Hyatt, which equals 4% back (or more) at Lyft.

There is no need to have the Bilt Mastercard to earn Lyft points. All you need is a free Bilt Rewards account. In order to link accounts, both your Bilt and Lyft accounts must use the same phone number.

Final Thoughts

It didn’t take me long to change my preferred Lyft partner to Bilt. Earning 2 Aeroplan, United, American, Virgin, or Hyatt points per dollar is a better value than the other options.

To change, I first had to link my accounts. I did this on the website. If you try to connect accounts with the app, it takes you to the mobile website. Once you’ve linked accounts, you need to select Bilt (or whatever program you want) as your preferred program. On the app, this is located under the “Rewards” tab.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

2 comments

geo1004m March 15, 2023 - 8:43 am

Why no mention of the Lyft / Chase Sapphire connection? I earn 10X Ultimate Rewards per ride with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card? The regular Chase Sapphire ears 5X UR points. By far the best option IMO

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joeheg March 15, 2023 - 10:12 am

For this post, I wanted to focus on the different partners to earn extra miles. Which card to use to pay for your ride is a different subject.

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