Back in 2017, Lyft and Delta announced a partnership allowing their mutual customers to earn Delta SkyMiles on rides taken with Lyft. A couple years later in 2019, Hilton got in on the action launching their own promotion offering Hilton Honors points for Lyft rides.
One of the best things about the promotion has been that Lyft riders could double-dip earning both Hilton Honors points and Delta SkyMiles for rides. That’s on top of whatever points you earned from your linked travel credit card! Unfortunately, Lyft announced in an email to participants that the opportunity to double-dip on Hilton and Delta partnerships is ending effective June 30.
Lyft Emails Participants
According to an email sent today from Lyft, participants must open the Lyft app to select a partner. If they fail to do so before the cut-off date of June 30, Lyft will default to the travel partner you signed up with first.
Starting June 30, 2021 you may only earn points or miles through your Lyft account with one travel partner rewards program at a time. You can change which travel partner rewards program you want to activate at any time in the Lyft App. If you do not make a selection by June 30, 2021, you will be defaulted to the travel partner you selected enrolled in first on June 30, 2021. Delta and Hilton partnership terms apply.
To select a partner, open the Lyft app and tap ‘Rewards’ in the menu. Then, scroll to the ‘Travel Rewards’ section and tap ‘Select a partner’ to make your selection.
Which partnership is more rewarding?
Which partnership is more rewarding will depend on your own travel habits.
Under the Hilton Honors Lyft partnership, you’ll 3 points per $1 spent on Lyft rides (economy, luxury, and extra seats). Shared Lyft rides earn 2 points per $1 spent. According to One Mile At A Time‘s 0.5 cents/point valuation of Hilton Honors, that means that riders are able to earn 1.5 cents per $1 spent on most Lyft rides.
In contrast, Delta SkyMiles are valued at 1.2 cents/mile. With the Delta/Lyft partnership, riders earn 1 mile per $1 spent on every U.S. Lyft ride. And for now, trips to airports earn 2 miles per $1 spent (a cut-off time for this “limited time promotion” hasn’t been disclosed and it’s been live since the partnership launched in 2017). That means those choosing to keep the Delta promotion will see earnings worth 1.2 cents per $1 spent on most Lyft rides while airport rides will earn 2.4 cents per $1.
A Lyft picks up a passenger at New York LaGuardia. Lyft rides to and originating from airports earn double points with the Lyft X Delta promotion. Photo by Lyft.
Which one you consider a better offer will depend on your personal situation. Another factor to consider is that Hilton Honors points expire after 1 year of inactivity while Delta SkyMiles never expire. Lyft earnings count as activity so that’s worth keeping in mind if you’re sitting on a stash of Hilton Honors points but don’t have regular activity.
The Upshot
The ability to earn both Hilton Honors points and Delta SkyMiles on top of credit card rewards on Lyft has been a strong differentiator for Lyft for quite a while. That’s now ending so users will have to select which partner they’d like to continue earning with. Be sure to choose by June 30th!
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2 comments
Is it better to wait if we might use Lyft before the end of the month?
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