Lyft All-Access Subscription Plan Has Waitlist

Lyft

Expanding upon its experimental All-Access plan, Lyft is rolling out the subscription service to another set of riders. As of Wednesday (May 9), TechCrunch reported that the company was gearing up to give select users an opportunity to join a waitlist for the plan.

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    A Lyft spokesperson told TechCrunch, “Testing our newest All-Access Plan is the next step in moving rideshare from one based on ownership, to one based on subscription. We’re excited to roll this out to more passengers in the coming weeks and continue offering Lyft’s affordable, convenient and reliable rides.”

    Customers chosen by Lyft from the waitlist will have the ability to purchase a $200 pass, which will give them a $15 discount on 30 trips. While Lyft didn’t describe the extent of the test, TechCrunch said it would involve passengers from around the country.

    The news comes as Lyft was reportedly testing the availability of monthly subscription plans in March for customers who use the service a lot. The Verge, citing comments made by Lyft Chief Executive Logan Green during a press event at the time, reported the company could take a page from Netflix and Spotify by bringing a subscription-based model to the transportation market. While terms of the subscription model may vary, The Verge reported the service would be geared toward those riders who spend at least $450 a month on rides.

    A spokesperson for Lyft explained that the company has been testing its subscription plans for several months, saying, “We’re always testing new ways to provide passengers with the most affordable and flexible transportation options. For the past few months, we’ve been testing a variety of All-Access Plans for Lyft passengers.”

    The report noted that in 2016, Uber tested subscriptions in several cities — but it’s not clear what happened with those trials. Lyft’s CEO and President John Zimmer have long predicted that personal car ownership will end in big cities by 2025.


    Merchant of Record Firm Paddle Raises $25 Million to Fund Expansion

    funding

    Paddle, a merchant of record (MoR) for digital product companies, has raised $25 million.

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      The funding round, led by CIBC Innovation Banking, will help finance Paddle’s ongoing global expansion and product growth, according to a Thursday (July 17) news release provided to PYMNTS.

      “In an ever-connected world, it’s important that digital product companies can receive payment from customers in any location without the hassle of navigating multiple payment processes in different geographies,” Sean Duffy, managing director of CIBC Innovation Banking, U.K. and Europe, said in the release.

      As an MoR, Paddle handles payments, sales tax, refunds, fraud, and compliance for more than 6,000 Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), artificial intelligence (AI) and App companies, “replacing the need for a complex and fragmented payment technology stack,” the release added.

      The company says it helps those businesses scale faster by lowering operational hurdles and helping them enter new markets faster.

      “The funding comes at a pivotal moment for the company, with Paddle experiencing rapid growth in 2025 thanks to both the growth in new AI products, and the opening up of Apple’s app ecosystem to web payments,” the release said. “This builds on the company’s 40% year-over-year growth and reflects its accelerating momentum across the digital product space.”

      Also Thursday, Paddle announced the hiring of several new executives, including two veterans of Shopify: Rich Mason, the company’s new CRO, International; and Ben Aronsten as CMO. Also hired was Stephen Wilcock as chief technology officer, “a multi-time CTO at scaling tech companies in Europe.”

      PYMNTS wrote Thursday about some of the challenges companies face in scaling payments on a global level, citing findings from the “Payments Optimization: Powering Global eCommerce Growth” report, part of the Payments Optimization Tracker Series produced by PYMNTS Intelligence with Worldpay.

      That report stresses that optimization “is not a one-time fix but rather an ongoing process that demands continuous attention to digital payment acceptance, transparent communication, and efficient delivery and return mechanisms, including local warehouse solutions.”

      The addition of advanced fraud solutions, often powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, is also spotlighted as key to securing transactions and building trust.

      The report argues that leveraging third-party payment solution providers can streamline the complex optimization journey for merchants hoping to refine their payment strategies for each specific market.

      The study concluded “that for businesses aiming to expand globally, payments are no longer merely a commodity but a critical competitive differentiator, empowering firms to streamline the checkout process, reduce friction, foster customer loyalty, and efficiently penetrate new markets to capture burgeoning global demand,” PYMNTS wrote.