8 Lyft Hacks You Probably Aren’t Using (but Should Be)

It’s hard to believe that less than a decade ago, car-hailing apps weren’t even a thing. (Remember what a nightmare it was trying to get a cab in the rain?) But in that time, we’ve become more than a little dependent on our trusty Lyft account to get us around when other forms of transportation (*cough,* MTA) aren’t cutting it.

That said, we were stunned to learn that there’s a whole slew of features we haven’t been using. And they’re about to make your life—the getting-around part of your life, anyway—so much easier. 

Schedule a pickup in advance. Got a 6 a.m. flight out of JFK? Now you can order a car up to a week ahead of time (because those extra minutes of sleep are precious).

Earn airline points. If you’re a frequent Delta flyer, you can link your Skymiles to your Lyft account and earn points on every ride—and triple points on airport rides. That’s kinda major. 

Get pickup suggestions. There’s nothing worse than watching your car approach only to see it get stuck on a one-way street or behind a bunch of traffic. Now the app will automatically suggest the best nearby spot for you to meet your driver when it’ll save you time.

Make multiple stops. Sometimes you want to go from point A to point B…and sometimes you need to drop off a friend or pick up your dry-cleaning on the way home. Now you can arrange it all in the app so your driver knows from the get-go.

Order a car seat. Because ferrying kids around town is hard enough without having to lug a car seat down four flights of stairs. As of last month, NYC riders can order a ride with a car seat already installed (for little ones 12 months and up).

Or a fancy car. Got a client to impress? Or a celebration that warrants arriving in style? Order a Lyft Lux or Lyft Lux SUV (the latter seats six) to feel like a total boss, wherever you’re headed.

Donate to charity. Make every trip an act of kindness by opting to round up your fares to the nearest dollar and donate to causes like the World Wildlife Fund and Habitat for Humanity. 

Use commuter benefits. Yep, you can use your pre-tax dollars toward Lyft line (shared) rides, through participating providers like WageWorks or TransitChek. (And if you’re not using commuter benefits, you should be—unless you don’t want 40 percent of your money back in your pocket.)