Lyft's ride hail gift cards tie-up with Starbucks' loyalty programme
American ride-hail firm, Lyft, is to sell gift cards with $20 ride credit at participating Starbucks stores across the US - the cards come with a free bonus $5 Starbucks gift card, and Lyft passengers will be able to earn Starbucks Reward stars. Lyft’s VP of Partnerships, Oliver Hsiang, says the Starbucks partnership makes sense as many people begin their day with a cup of coffee and a ride to work. 

How about a ride to work with that coffee?

Starting this week, ride-hailing service Lyft will sell $20 gift cards at thousands of Starbucks locations, including 250 stores in New York City.

To get both riders and coffee drinkers on board with the promotion, customers will get a $5 Starbucks gift card for each Lyft card they purchase.

“We are always looking for new ways to give our community a unique experience, and our relationship with Starbucks allows us to bring together two of the most important components of your day: your first cup of coffee and morning commute,” said Oliver Hsiang, Lyft’s vice president of partnerships.

This isn’t the first time Lyft, which is battling larger rival Uber, has teamed with the Seattle-based coffee giant. Last year, Lyft rewarded drivers who hit certain milestones with Starbucks loyalty points.

Expanding on that deal, Starbucks Rewards users can now earn “stars” for their morning commutes when they link their Lyft and Starbucks accounts.

Customers will get five stars for Lyft rides on weekday mornings between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. And people who sign up for Lyft for the first time and link their Starbucks account will get 125 stars, or the equivalent of a free coffee.

Lyft is coming off its best-ever month in July, when it booked fares at an annualized run rate north of $2 billion, up from $1.9 billion in May.