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There are seemingly endless ways to earn miles and points. And while we often talk about some of the more “obvious” ways to earn — like spending on credit cards, flying on a plane, or staying at a hotel — there are other ways to boost your earnings from everyday activities. One of the overlooked ways could be earning points and miles when traveling using the ride-hailing service Lyft.
In addition to earning miles, points, or cash back from paying for your ride, you can also double-dip on Lyft rides thanks to partnerships with several loyalty programs. Here's how.
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Earning Hilton Points With Lyft
Lyft and Hilton first introduced their partnership in June of 2019, and you can earn Hilton Honors points with every ride. However, you must first link your Hilton and Lyft accounts.
You'll earn Hilton Honors points on Lyft rides in the U.S. and Canada at a rate of 3x Hilton points for every $1 spent on economy, luxury, and extra-seat rides.
You can earn Hilton Honors points on a maximum of $10,000 in Lyft rides per calendar year. Plus, if you're not already a Lyft member, signing up through the partnership will also provide $5 off each of your first three rides with Lyft (for a potential savings of $15).
You also can redeem Hilton Honors points for Lyft credits at the following rate (but please don't):
- $10 Lyft credit: 4,500 Hilton Honors points
- $25 Lyft credit: 11,250 Hilton Honors points
- $50 Lyft credit: 22,500 Hilton Honors points
- $75 Lyft credit: 33,750 Hilton Honors points
- $100 Lyft credit: 45,000 Hilton Honors points
Redeeming points this way makes each Hilton Honors point worth 0.22 cents, which is exceptionally poor compared to what you'll get when you redeem points for hotel stays. In recent redemptions, AwardWallet users have averaged 0.59¢ per Hilton Honors point. That's a big difference!
Related: Do Hilton Honors Points Expire?
Earning Alaska Airlines Miles With Lyft
Alaska Airlines and Lyft have partnered since November 2022, letting Mileage Plan members earn miles for riding with Lyft. To start, you will need to first link your Alaska and Lyft accounts.
Once you do, you'll earn 1 Alaska Mileage Plan mile per dollar spent at Lyft. Note that miles are earned on the base fare, which doesn't include taxes, fees, and tips.
Related: Do Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles Expire?
Earning Bilt Points With Lyft
Bilt Rewards launched its partnership with Lyft in March 2023. Bilt markets this partnership as the ability to earn up to 5 Bilt Rewards points per dollar spent. However, 3 of those points are for paying for your Lyft ride with The Bilt Mastercard®. You'll earn a base of 2 points per dollar for choosing Bilt as your preferred loyalty partner with Lyft, and you can link your Bilt Rewards account inside the Lyft app.
If you're a Bilt Rewards member, earning 2x Bilt Rewards points is likely an attractive option. Bilt offers 21 transfer partners — including some rare transfer partners, like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and World of Hyatt. That means this is likely a better option for accruing Alaska miles than earning with Alaska directly.
What is the Best Lyft Rewards Partner?
While it's great to have several different options for earning miles and points through Lyft, the catch is that you can't double (or triple or quadruple) dip. You'll have to decide between earning Alaska miles, Bilt points, or Hilton points.
But which should you choose?
First and foremost, you should opt for the currency you'll use the most. But if you use a couple of them, you'll want to do some math, as some offer more value than others. Here's a breakdown of the numbers:
| Currency | Average AwardWallet Redemption Value per Point | Points per Dollar Spent on Lyft | Total Value of Points Earned per Dollar Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Honors points | 0.59¢ | 3x | 1.74¢ |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles | 2.11¢ | 1x | 2.11¢ |
| Bilt Rewards points | 2.01¢ | 2x | 4.16¢ |
Clearly, you'll get the most value by paying for Lyft rides with the Bilt Mastercard. You'll earn 5x Bilt points per dollar, which is a fantastic return. Earning 2x with a different card is valuable, too.
But if you're not keen on earning Bilt points, the second best option is earning Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles. Despite earning 1x mile per dollar spent on base rates, the value of each mile you earn is incredible. Plus, it doesn't matter whether or not you're taking a ride to the airport. You earn at the same rate on every ride.
Best Credit Cards for Lyft Purchases
The other part of the double-dip is making sure that you're maximizing your credit card earnings on Lyft rides. Currently, the best credit cards to pay for Lyft rides are:
- American Express® Green Card: 3X Membership Rewards points on transit, including rideshare services.
- Citi Custom Cash® Card: 5% cash back on $500 of spending in you top spending category each month; transit is an eligible category.
- U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card: 5% cash back on $2,000 of quarterly spending in two categories of your choice, one of which can be ground transportation.
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: 3% cash back on transit, including taxis/rideshare expenses.
Plus, if you pay for your Lyft ride with the Bilt Mastercard, you'll earn a total of 5 Bilt points per dollar spent. So, that's also a quality option to keep in mind if you prefer Lyft over Uber.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Travel Purchases
Bottom Line
These types of joint partnerships are valuable for points and miles collectors. Any opportunity to earn a little extra on the dollars you'll already spend is nothing to overlook. Take the time now to link Lyft to your preferred loyalty program to earn points and miles on every Lyft ride. It's worth the effort.
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