Most rideshare platforms, like Lyft, offer drivers bonuses to help them earn more money per ride.

If you’re a long-time or new driver who wants to make the most of your trips, take advantage of Lyft driver bonuses, promotions, and incentives before you start driving and looking for passengers.

Below, we’ll outline every offer waiting for you as a Lyft driver and what each entails. Continue reading to maximize your profits!

What Are The Driver Bonuses That Lyft Offers?

Explore the different bonuses available via the Lyft driver app.

1. Bonus Zones

Bonus Zones show you where and when there’s a demand for rides in your area. When you open your Lyft app, you’ll see pink and purple zones on the map.

Pink zones offer higher bonuses, representing areas with the most demand for rides, while purple zones’ bonuses are lower, but still offer more than regular zones. You’ll also see the exact bonus earnings for each zone.

You’ll unlock a Bonus Zone when you drive through it. It’ll automatically apply when you receive a ride request. Then, you’ll get your bonus when you complete the ride.

If you drive through two Bonus Zones, you’ll unlock the highest bonus amount before receiving a ride request. For example, if you drive through a $10 zone followed by a $5 zone, you’ll get a $10 bonus once you receive a ride request.

2. Ride Streaks

Lyft offers multiple-ride bonuses when you accept consecutive car rides during peak hours. This bonus usually becomes available when there’s a high demand for drivers, like during weekday commute hours and holidays.

You’ll usually see scheduled Ride Streaks on the app every Friday morning, but the app may add extra Ride Streaks throughout the week.

3. Streak Zones

Like Ride Streaks, Streak Zones offer multiple-ride bonuses when you drive into a Streak Zone and complete consecutive rides.

However, Streak Zones have a required number of car rides you need to complete to earn a bonus. Note that you don’t need to stay in the same zone to continue the streak.

Scheduled Streak Zones are available on Friday mornings on the Lyft driver app, while additional Streak Zones may come up throughout the week.

4. Ride Challenge

A Ride Challenge lets you earn a bonus when you finish a set number of rides within a given time. For example, the challenge may pay $25 for completing ten rides between Monday at 5 a.m. and Friday at 5 a.m.

These challenges also have up to three tiers that offer different amounts. The more tiers you achieve, the more bonuses you’ll earn.

The Lyft app offers various personalized Ride Challenges, but they’re not available every week. When you receive a notification for a Ride Challenge, you may choose to accept it, ignore it, or choose something else.

5. Bonus Hour

During a Bonus Hour, you’ll get paid an extra dollar for every ride completed within the one-hour offer.

You can accept or decline rides without penalty as long as the promo runs. However, if passengers cancel their rides, you won’t earn a bonus.

Note that this promo sometimes has an area requirement. You can unlock a bonus hour for a specific area by first accepting a ride request within that location.

6. Earnings Guarantee Promotions

An Earnings Guarantee promo provides a guaranteed minimum amount for completing a certain number of rides within a period and for meeting specific terms and requirements.

For example, a Lyft offer will pay at least $200 if you complete ten car rides within a week. If you finish ten rides but only earn $150, you’ll receive an additional $50, making your total earnings $200.

Meanwhile, you won’t earn any additional payment if you receive over or the same amount as the guaranteed amount. Also, entering a new driver Earnings Guarantee and switching your region during the promo will void the offer.

7. Driver Referral Bonuses

Due to the high demand for drivers, Lyft offers existing drivers a bonus if they refer new ones. Successful referrals can be eligible for Lyft’s Earnings Guarantee.

To refer a new driver, you may:

• Go to the ‘More ways to earn’ tab on your Lyft app.
• Tap ‘Refer a driver.’
• Send your referral code to your friends.

New referrals should use your code in their application to get your Driver Referral bonus.

It’s not specified how much Lyft drivers make from referral bonuses since the exact amount depends on the current promo. However, one driver shares that Lyft pays $520 if you successfully refer a new driver.

8. Electric Vehicle Ride Challenge

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Ride Challenge lets drivers earn a bonus when they add their personal EV to their account and complete 50 rides with the EV in a week.

If you added your EV to your Lyft account before December 31, 2023, you’ll receive a $150 bonus per week. Meanwhile, registering your EV after this date gives you an $80 bonus in a week.

The EV Ride Challenge starts on Monday at 5 a.m. and continues until Monday at 4:59 a.m.

Note that the bonus amount may vary per region, and you can only earn it once a week. Also, this earning opportunity only applies in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Toronto, and Vancouver.

9. Sign-On Promos

Lyft offers aspiring rideshare drivers a sign-up code you can include when you first apply on the app. Earnings vary depending on the code and region.

Besides entering a sign-up code, you should also meet a few requirements to qualify, such as being approved to drive, completing your first drive, and more. After earning the bonus, you’ll get paid one to two weeks after the promo ends.

10. Lyft Rewards

The Lyft Rewards program gives drivers one point for every eligible dollar they earn during peak hours. Specifically, you earn points based on the base fare, time and distance earnings, and tips.

This reward program also comes with four tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Elite. You can unlock new tiers by keeping your Lyft driver rating and driving score high.

Some of the rewards you can get include maintenance and repair discounts with Goodyear Auto Service and Just Tires, gas cashback, and discounted Allstate Roadside Assistance.

11. Turbo

Turbo offers drivers a 10% to 40% bonus when this offer is live. Anyone qualifies for Turbo as long as it’s available on their Lyft driver app. However, only select drivers receive this offer.

The percentage applies to the base earnings. For example, if you earn a $10 base fare and get a 20% Turbo bonus, you’ll get $12.

You can find weekly Turbo offers on Thursdays at 9 p.m. via the Lyft app.

Verdict: Are Lyft Bonuses Profitable?

Some bonuses and incentives might not seem to offer much, but they’re still profitable, especially when accumulated. Seasoned and new drivers can also explore Lyft driving tips, like driving during prime time hours, to increase their rideshare profits.

Overall, remember that your profit will depend on how many rides you’ll complete and whether you make the most of the available bonuses.