Double charged by Lyft? What to do about overcharges, fraud, and more (2024)

Surprise charges and overpayments are some of the most frustrating problems for Lyft users.

Look at the comments section of our article on how to contact Lyft customer service to see dozens of complaints about duplicate charges, overcharges, or rides that never occurred.

The good news is that you can report overcharges and request a refund from Lyft, but you have to know where to go in the Lyft app or at help.lyft.com.

What you need to know

Use the Help section at the bottom of every ride receipt to report payment problems
Pending charges labelled ‘temporary authorization holds’ typically disappear once the transaction is processed
Other common surprise charges are fees, Lyft Pink charges, or a price that was higher than the upfront estimate
Report suspected fraud to your cardholder first

How to get help with payment problems in the Lyft app

Follow the steps below if you have an issue with an overcharge, duplicate charge, fraudulent ride, or other payment issues.

In the Lyft app, Tap Menu (☰) > Ride history > Find the ride and tap on it > Scroll to ‘Help’ > Select the best matching item

You can dispute the fare or report another issue about the charge. After you report the issue, a chat with Lyft customer service will begin.

The Help button beneath each ride receipt is the best place to dispute charges

Helpful pages at help.lyft.com

Lyft explains payment policies on these pages at help.lyft.com.

Legitimate charges from Lyft that might look unusual

Many legitimate charges from Lyft might be unexpected or even appear suspicious at first glance.

Before contacting Lyft, check to see if the charge could be explained by one of the reasons below.

Temporary holds:Payment authorization

A duplicate charge from Lyft could be a temporary payment authorization.

Lyft places a temporary hold on your payment method to confirm that it has enough funds to pay for your ride.

The temporary authorization will disappear after your payment provider processes the transaction, or it may appear as a refund after 5-7 days.

Temporary payments appear as ‘Lyft TEMP AUTH HOLD’ on your payment account transactions.

Temp auth hold charges typically settle within a day

You might see a pending charge when you create an account, request a ride, update your payment method, change your destination or add a stop.

One charge from Lyft after taking many rides

By default, you will only be charged once for all the Lyft rides you take in one day. So if you took many rides during a day, one big charge means all the rides were lumped together into one payment.

Price higher than the upfront estimate

Lyft offers upfront pricing, but the price may increase if you encounter unexpected heavy traffic or add a stop.

If you still think Lyft charged too much, use the Help section of the ride receipt and select Dispute ride fare or charges.

Lyft fees

Lyft charges cancellation fees and damage fees. Cancellation fees are typically $2–$10, and damage fees are $20, $30, $80, or $150.

Go to the trip receipt and scroll to the help section to dispute a fee. Read more about the Lyft cancellation fees.

Lyft Pink: A $9.99 monthly charge

Lyft Pink is a monthly membership that costs $9.99 per month. An unexpected charge of $9.99 could be a Lyft Pink subscription you forgot about. More about Lyft Pink here.

Lyft Cash

Lyft Cash is another recurring payment that could lead to surprise charges.

In the Payment area of the app, there’s an option to add Lyft Cash to your Lyft account and a separate option to turn on auto-refill. Auto-refill could explain an unexpected charge.

Check to see if auto refill can explain a mystery charge

Family or friend took a ride on your card

Many people share account logins and credit cards. If there’s a surprise charge on your card, think if someone else who shares your card might have taken the ride.

Illegitimate charges: Fraud on your Lyft account

Although many surprise charges are a misunderstanding about Lyft payment practices, fraud does happen.

These activities on your Lyft account could indicate fraud

Receipts for a trip you didn’t take
Charges for trips you didn’t take
Notifications from Lyft about a ride that you aren’t on
Your account info was updated without your knowledge

Suspect fraud? Contact your cardholder or bank

If you believe someone is fraudulently using your credit or debit card to use Lyft, contact your cardholder first to report the fraud.

It’s important to secure the account first to prevent further fraud.

Most credit and debit cards offer fraud protection and 24/7 customer service. It’s much easier to quickly notify your cardholder than to report issues to Lyft.

After contacting your bank or cardholder, you can report the issue to Lyft in the ride receipt or at help.lyft.com.

Will Lyft give you a refund? What to expect

Illegitimate charges or fraud are likely to be refundedif you promptly report the issue to Lyft and follow up with details.

However, Lyft is less likey to offer a refund for legitimate charges from fees and recurring memberships.

The best way to start the process is to use the Help tools in the ride receipt or the contact buttons at the bottom of the support pages at help.lyft.com.

Still not getting a refund after contacting Lyft? You can initiate a chargeback with your credit card company.

A chargeback is nearly guaranteed to get your money back, but you should only use it if it was genuinely an illegitimate charge and Lyft refuses to take action.