To cancel Lyft ride, you need to work inside Lyft’s cancellation windows. Learn how to avoid these fees no matter what type of Lyft ride booked.
Key Takeaways
- Lyft allows users to cancel rides at any time with potential fees, which vary depending on when the cancellation is made.
- For immediate ride cancellations, you can avoid fees by canceling within two minutes; for scheduled rides, cancel at least five minutes before pickup.
- Modifying rides, including changing destinations or ride types, is possible through the app’s “Edit Ride” option.
- Lyft does not typically refund cancellations, but disputes can be raised within the app for incorrect charges or no-show fees.
How to cancel a ride →
- Can You Cancel Lyft Rides?
- Does Lyft Refund if You Cancel?
- How to Cancel a Lyft Ride
- How to Cancel a Lyft Ride You Just Booked
- How to Cancel a Scheduled Ride
- How to Modify a Lyft Ride
- How to Modify a Lyft Ride You Just Booked
- How to Modify a Scheduled Lyft Ride
- Disputing a No-Show Charge on Lyft
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What Happens if a Lyft Driver Doesn’t Show Up?
- What Happens if a Lyft Driver Cancels the Ride?
- Wrapping Up
Can You Cancel Lyft Rides?
Yes, you can cancel Lyft rides ride at any time, but be aware that cancellation fees may apply depending on the timing.
For scheduled rides, cancel at least five minutes before pickup to avoid fees. For immediate rides, cancel within two minutes of the driver accepting to evade charges; cancelling later may incur a fee.
Lyft charges cancellation fees to discourage last-minute cancellations, ensuring reliability and fairness for both riders and drivers.
Lyft’s cancellation window is designed to balance the needs of riders and drivers. Cancelling within this window can prevent fees, saving money for the rider and reducing inconvenience for the driver.
Does Lyft Refund if You Cancel?
Lyft generally does not refund if you cancel a ride and a fee is charged. This is due to their strict no-refund policy for charges that have already been processed.
However, if you cancel within the specified cancellation window, you typically won’t incur a cancellation fee. This policy can be frustrating for riders who face issues or don’t receive the expected service.
How to Cancel a Lyft Ride
How to Cancel a Lyft Ride You Just Booked
- Open your Lyft app.
- Tap “Edit Ride” in the bottom left corner.
- Choose “Cancel Ride” from the options.
- Confirm cancellation to avoid fees.
How to Cancel a Scheduled Ride
- Open the Lyft app.
- Go to the calendar icon at the top right.
- Select your scheduled ride.
- Tap “Cancel Ride” and confirm to cancel without fees.
How to Modify a Lyft Ride
Alternatively, you can modify the ride instead of cancelling it.
How to Modify a Lyft Ride You Just Booked
- In the Lyft app, select “Edit Ride” at the bottom left.
- Review and change your ride options.
- Drag the pin to alter the drop-off location and confirm new pricing.
- Change your rideshare service if no driver is en route.
How to Modify a Scheduled Lyft Ride
- Open the Lyft app and access the calendar.
- Choose a scheduled ride and select “Edit Ride.”
- Change the destination by moving the drop-off pin and accept new pricing.
- Alter the rideshare service and date as necessary.
Disputing a No-Show Charge on Lyft
Unfortunately, there are hiccups sometimes with the Lyft app. Users will occasionally report receiving a no-show charge on their accounts despite accepting and taking a ride from their Lyft driver.
If you receive one of these charges despite taking the ride, you can dispute the charge with Lyft to try and recover some of the money.
To do this, you’ll want to follow these steps:
- Go into the app and tap the Menu icon
- Choose Ride History
- Select the ride with the faulty fee
- Select the Get Help option
- Choose the issue and the Dispute Fare or Charge option in the menu.
Lyft also requires an explanation of the dispute alongside the claim. From here, you’ll work with Lyft to get to the bottom of what happened and have the issue fixed, if possible.
Brett’s Take: Thoughts From an Expert
Lyft automatically adds rides to a driver’s que, which the driver is able to review and accept – or deny.
Many times, drivers realize that the ride isn’t worth the trip, so they decline it (before they’ve accepted) or cancel it (after they’ve accepted it).
It might sound like a bit of a double-standard, but drivers have a lot more flexibility to cancel rides than riders do.
While I do understand the need for drivers to have flexibility over which rides they do or do not accept, this is frustrating to me because of the heavy fees that riders must face if they cancel.
However, if drivers cancel, there are few consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happens if a Lyft Driver Doesn’t Show Up?
If a Lyft driver doesn’t show up, you won’t be charged a fee or for the ride. The charge only applies after reaching your destination.
If there’s a no-show, monitor your app for any discrepancies and contact customer service for assistance with any unauthorized ride claims.
What Happens if a Lyft Driver Cancels the Ride?
If a Lyft driver cancels the ride, the rider is not charged. Instead, you will need to book a new ride to reach your destination.
Wrapping Up
While Lyft does not have a customer-friendly refund policy, they try to offer a cancellation window to customers to cancel rides before inconveniencing the driver.
You incur a cancellation fee by canceling a ride outside of this window. You can dispute fees inside the Lyft app. Just remember that Lyft tends to favor itself and its drivers in these disputes.
In general, it is best to cancel your rides inside the cancellation window to save yourself and your potential drivers a headache.
