Lyft Charged Me $25 – You just made a Lyft account. Not long after, you take a Lyft ride. You see your account and you realize that you have been charged $25. What happened? Why Lyft charged me $25? If you want to know what this fee is and why it is charged, just read on. We will explain it to you.
Technically, the $25 that Lyft charged is not a fee. A fee is something you pay to get a service, which, when paid, the money will be kept by the seller. The $25 charge, on the other hand, is not kept by Lyft. According to Lyft, this charge is known as a temporary authorization.
Why is it Lyft Charged Me $25?
A temporary authorization is an authorization method used by service companies (in this case, Lyft). In general, a temporary authorization is charged to verify a user’s payment method. As the name suggests, it is something temporary. After the user’s payment method has been verified, the amount of money charged will be returned.
According to Lyft’s policy, the money charged is never actually processed albeit it will be shown as “Lyft *PENDING AUTH” on the user’s bank statement or card. There is no need to worry. Your card issuer will remove the “Lyft *PENDING AUTH” within a few days to a week and you will get your money back.
Is the Charged Being Held The Same For Every User?
The answer is no. The amount of money held for the temporary authorization varies depending on the location. So, in one location the amount being held may reach $25 while in another location the amount may be more or less than that.
When does this happen?
There are three occasions when you will get a temporary authorization. A temporary authorization usually happens when you
- create a new Lyft account,
- update the payment method for your account, or
- request a ride using the Lyft app
What if the status isn’t removed in a week?
In most cases, the user’s card issuer will remove the status in 5 to 7 working days. If it doesn’t, contact Lyft and/or your card issuer immediately to solve the issue. You can contact your bank for more details and information regarding the temporary authorization. Knowing things beforehand is never a bad idea.
In The Case of Overdraft
What do you need to do when the temporary authorization in your account caused an overdraft? Unfortunately, Lyft can’t help you with an overdraft issue. The one that can help you is your bank. So, in the case of an overdraft, you will need to contact your bank directly as soon as possible.
Your Actual Lyft Charge is $25?
Now that you know the temporary authorization isn’t exactly a charge, where can you see your actual charge for the ride? You can check your actual charge from Lyft’s app. It is very easy to do. All you need is to open the app and go to ‘Ride history.’ In this tab, you will be able to see all of your rides’ history up to October 2014.
This tab allows you to do many things other than your rides history. For example, reporting lost items, requesting price reviews, exporting ride receipts and even adding tips.
Alright, now you know the answer to Why Lyft charged me $25? It is a fee for temporary authorization. Lyft doesn’t take the fee. Instead, it is used as some sort of a guarantee. The fee is usually returned to the user after a few days. If the fee doesn’t return to your account, you should contact Lyft customer service and/or your bank as soon as possible.