Updated on November 23, 2015
$1000 Bonus For New Lyft Drivers – FEWER CITIES – Deadline Extended
- UPDATE: 8/20/15: $1000 Bonus for new drivers in Boston!
- UPDATE: 6/1/15: new driver bonus now up to $750 to $1,000
- UPDATE 3/4/15, 12:30pm: Lyft sent out the following update. Translation: “We are working on it, but you still need to complete all the requirements by March 5.” That's just one day away. Check your application status here.
READ THIS BEFORE YOU SIGN UP!!
UPDATE 2/27/15: Soon after I posted this, Lyft changed the terms again at about 4pm! They now require you to complete 30 rides by the deadline. This still might make sense for some people but its not as easy as the original offer! I am adding the new screen shots below and updates as fast as I can. Did you sign up in time? Please email or comment below if you applied and how the process is going, or if you have any questions.
Congrats to all those who signed up already! Lyft just changed the terms of the $1000 Bonus promotion I wrote about yesterday. As long as you applied before 3pm EST Feb 27, 2015, the promotion is valid for all the cities I posted yesterday. They removed cities and extended the $1000 bonus until Sunday March 8 for the cities below. That was the first change around 3pm. Then around 4pm, they added the requirement for 30 rides (instead of 1) to be completed by the deadline. Here are the details on the Lyft website.
The offer is no longer available in the following cities: Seattle, Atlanta, Austin, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City (I'm not sure about NYC – see screen shot below)… IF YOU APPLY AFTER 3pm Feb 27.
APPLY TO DRIVE:
- Apply starting today (3 p.m. EST) on Friday, Feb. 27, 2015
- Complete your
first ride30 rides by 11:59 p.m. local time, Sunday, Mar. 8 - Enter the promo code below for your city and we will each get $1000 (you can also use the code BENJAMINS which will only get you the bonus, I will not get anything). Thanks in advance if you use my referral links!
- Check your application status here
I just received this email update from Lyft at 9:24pm EST 2/27/15. It confirms the promotion is still live in certain cities but require 30 rides now. They include NYC as still live with a $500 Bonus even though the Lyft website makes it seem that it has ended in NYC as well. (click the image to zoom in).
*Note – Lyft's background check, photos, and mentoring session takes a few days so you would need to sign up and go through Lyft's process as soon as possible to have enough time to take your first ride and get the bonus.
PROMOTION CITIES
| City | Offer | Promo Code | Link |
| Philadelphia | $1,000 New Driver Bonus | DRIVEDRIVE | Link |
| Boston | $1,000 New Driver Bonus | Link | |
| Chicago | $1,000 New Driver Bonus | Link | |
| Washington DC | $1,000 New Driver Bonus | Link | |
| Denver | $1,000 New Driver Bonus | Link | |
| Dallas | $1,000 New Driver Bonus | Link | |
| Nashville | $1,000 New Driver Bonus | Link |
The offer is no longer available in the following cities: Seattle, Atlanta, Austin, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City… IF YOU APPLY AFTER 3pm Feb 27.
Lyft changed the terms of the promotion twice – once around 3pm then again around 4pm:
These were the new terms posted on Lyft's website around 4pm on February 27.
At around 4pm, they revised the terms AGAIN to 30 rides!
They are still listing “first ride” for those who applied before 12pm/3pm EST on Feb 27
These were the new terms posted on Lyft's website around 3pm on February 27. Note the “complete first ride…” vs the new “30 rides” above.
HOW TO APPLY
- Click www.lyft.com/drivers
- Enter the promo code in the box (see pic below). I checked with Lyft and they said passenger referral codes will not get you the bonus.
- Make sure you give your first ride by March 5, 2015 to collect your bonus
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q: Is this real?
A: Check out this Lyft page.
Q: How long does the background check take?
A: A couple readers have said the background check was quick and they just receive an email which said they passed.
Q: How do I check the status of the background check?
A: Many have contacted Sterling Back Check 1-800-899-2272 to find out.
Q: How are taxes handled?
A: Lyft will issue you a 1099. Make sure you figure how much the taxes you will owe at the end of the year before spending it all.
Q: What are the requirements for becoming a Lyft driver?
A: From Lyft's website.
- Be at least 21 years old
- 4 door car with at least 5 seatbelts (including driver's)
- Vehicle from year 2003 or newer (More details on car requirements). Note: In our Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis-St. Paul regions, government regulations require cars to be no older than 10 years. Newer markets may also be subject to a 10 year car requirement.
- Be licensed to drive for at least a year prior to applying (More details on driving history requirements)
- In-state insurance with your name on the policy
- In-state license
- In-state plates with a current registration (commercial plates are acceptable as well)
- Clean driving record
- An iOS or Android smartphone that meets the minimum requirements to run the latest version of the app.
Some of our markets have specific requirements in order to comply with local government. You can learn more about those region-specific requirements here.
To view more about our safety requirements, please visit lyft.com/safety.
Q: How does the welcome ride work?
A: Read the details on Lyft's website.
Q: I still have more questions. How can I get in touch with Lyft?
A: Click here to send an email or Tweet
Q: To qualify for the $1K referral bonus, does an applicant only need to apply online before the 12PM PST cutoff or also do the mentoring to qualify?
A: According to Lyft, Just apply before 12PM (PST) (see screen shot below)
Frequent Miler say it changed from first ride to 30 rides, do you find this to still hold true after the changes?
Yes, it was briefly 1 ride but then Lyft changed it again (between 3-4pm). I posted screen shots of the new 30 rides.
I applied before 12pm on Feb 27th, do you still think I only need -one- ride? I just dont like the wording of the “first ride.”
I think it will be 1 ride, but it’s not up to me. Please let me know how the next steps go and how long they take.
Does “applying” include the mentoring session, or do you know if simply registering your car and license counts.
(For before 12pm on Feb. 27)
Thanks
According to Lyft – you just needed to apply before the 12PM PST deadline. I will add a screen shot the Q&A.
I applied at 12PM CST yesterday. Meeting my mentor today. Woo Hoo!! Thanks!!!
Awesome! I think you will be able to do your first ride today too!
I got my $1000 credit a couple weeks ago. This was very easy.
Thanks for posting this!!!!!! You da man!!!
If you are ever in Nashville, dinner on me! Or at least a couple free Lyft rides, lol.
Awesome! I will keep that in mind for the next time I’m in Nashville!
Will I receive any confirmation email if I refer a new driver? One of my friend she tried to refer two persons to sign up, but after they met the mentors, they received emails saying that they cannot be new drivers without any reasons. I am wondering why..
Unfortunately, no. Confirmation emails were being sent out Thursday night but then they stopped. Did those new drivers check the requirements listed in the Questions and Answers to make sure they qualify?
looks like the deal was posted on SD and FW. asked applicants on SD to keep the thread updated with rejections/approvals/further delays. not much action going on with FW so no pt adding link here.
http://slickdeals.net/f/7692695-lyft-become-a-driver-get-1-000-by-mar-5-certain-cities?page=3&rpid=74560671
Then how can I know if I can get the $1000 bonus?
If you received an email from Lyft saying you are eligible to sign up drivers for this promotion using your code, then you ‘should’ be eligible. Of course, without any kind of confirmation emails, we don’t really know if someone signed up successfully. We have to rely on Lyft not doing anything shady behind the scenes.