Lyft Family Plan
August 11, 2021 9:41 AM Subscribe
I am desperately trying to find a way to make the Family Plan the default payment method with Lyft. With Uber it’s simple, you set it once and never worry about it again. With Lyft, it is impossible. It will always default to your personal bank account unless you remember to click the tiny, almost hidden, change payment option at the last step of the process for every single ride. There is no way to remove your personal payment info, and the Family Plan doesnt seem to be considered a true payment option within account preferences. I cant begin to describe the problems this is causing for me.
This is absolutely wreaking havoc in my life. I keep forgetting and charging my own personal bank account, when I am barely making enough to buy food and pay rent. This account is supposed to help me, but there seems to be no possible way to change the default payment to the family plan. If anyone has any ideas I would be beyond grateful. I cant describe how many problems this is causing me and other family members since we switched from Uber to Lyft (and unfortunately for the foreseeable future we have to use Lyft specifically.) Any help very very appreciated. Ive tried everything.
This is absolutely wreaking havoc in my life. I keep forgetting and charging my own personal bank account, when I am barely making enough to buy food and pay rent. This account is supposed to help me, but there seems to be no possible way to change the default payment to the family plan. If anyone has any ideas I would be beyond grateful. I cant describe how many problems this is causing me and other family members since we switched from Uber to Lyft (and unfortunately for the foreseeable future we have to use Lyft specifically.) Any help very very appreciated. Ive tried everything.
Just as a hack around it (I don't use the app)-- could you buy a lil' prepaid/disposable credit card from a grocery store/Amazon-- then assign that as your default Lyft method-- (spending down the balance on usual life/food stuff).
Lyft will complain/reject the payment, so it won't hit your personal account-- and it'll force you to pick the family one.
posted by Static Vagabond at 10:27 AM on August 11, 2021
Lyft will complain/reject the payment, so it won't hit your personal account-- and it'll force you to pick the family one.
posted by Static Vagabond at 10:27 AM on August 11, 2021
With the caveat that I haven't had personal experience with fixing this, I would try the following things:
1. This is the most obvious and I'm sure you've tried it already but just to make sure, when you click into the hamburger menu (top left on the iOS app) and then into payment, there is a section for payment defaults, see if you can set the family plan to be the default there.
2. You could try de-linking your personal bank account details so that the only payment option available to you is the family plan, which while not ideal, may ensure that you always select the family plan. (Doing so in the same payment place described above)
3. If you haven't set-up a business profile (note: there's no verification for it being for business or travel or anything like, essentially just functions as a separate profile on the same account), you could try setting up a business profile and they'll ask you for a payment method while setting that up and you could try setting that to the family plan, and then only switch back to your personal profile if you don't want to actually use the family plan.
4. Some mental management involved here, but on personal accounts, Lyft now groups all charges and processes them all at the end of the day. If you remember before the day is over, you should be able to go back and change the payment method for any individual ride.
Otherwise, I'd probably go with BlahLaLa's advice (but see if you can speak to someone first about it since they may have some weirdness around re-opening an account with the same phone number)
posted by thefuzzypanda at 10:30 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
1. This is the most obvious and I'm sure you've tried it already but just to make sure, when you click into the hamburger menu (top left on the iOS app) and then into payment, there is a section for payment defaults, see if you can set the family plan to be the default there.
2. You could try de-linking your personal bank account details so that the only payment option available to you is the family plan, which while not ideal, may ensure that you always select the family plan. (Doing so in the same payment place described above)
3. If you haven't set-up a business profile (note: there's no verification for it being for business or travel or anything like, essentially just functions as a separate profile on the same account), you could try setting up a business profile and they'll ask you for a payment method while setting that up and you could try setting that to the family plan, and then only switch back to your personal profile if you don't want to actually use the family plan.
4. Some mental management involved here, but on personal accounts, Lyft now groups all charges and processes them all at the end of the day. If you remember before the day is over, you should be able to go back and change the payment method for any individual ride.
Otherwise, I'd probably go with BlahLaLa's advice (but see if you can speak to someone first about it since they may have some weirdness around re-opening an account with the same phone number)
posted by thefuzzypanda at 10:30 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
I don't know what stage in the process you can no longer make the change to payment method but it seems to be after you've hailed the ride. So, could you set up an automated task on your phone, using something like Tasker, to trigger a reminder to you to update the payment method when something else specific happens like you get the notice from Lyft that your ride has arrived?
posted by jacquilynne at 11:29 AM on August 11, 2021
posted by jacquilynne at 11:29 AM on August 11, 2021
Response by poster: I’d already tried and failed at solving the issue with all these ideas except opening a business account and getting a prepaid card to run down. I will try that if no one has other ideas. And to be clear, one sets the payment method before actually hailing the car. At the point where you choose the speed of pickup.
How would I contact them to change the payment before end of day? I dont see any way to actually get hold of anyone at Lyft or do it through the app.
Thank you all for the brainstorming help. Its so absurd that there is no good solution to this problem, but at least it seems no one else can solve it easily either. Its so incredibly weird and frustrating.
posted by asimplemouse at 1:49 PM on August 11, 2021
How would I contact them to change the payment before end of day? I dont see any way to actually get hold of anyone at Lyft or do it through the app.
Thank you all for the brainstorming help. Its so absurd that there is no good solution to this problem, but at least it seems no one else can solve it easily either. Its so incredibly weird and frustrating.
posted by asimplemouse at 1:49 PM on August 11, 2021
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posted by BlahLaLa at 10:25 AM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]