Bolt promo code 2026: what VTC drivers and restaurant partners need to know

Bolt is an Estonian mobility platform that has been operating in France since 2019. Its two main activities are ride-hailing — transport with a licensed private-hire driver (VTC, véhicule de tourisme avec chauffeur) — and food delivery under the Bolt Food brand. Bolt also operated dockless electric scooters, but the free-floating service was drastically reduced in France following the ban on such services in Paris in September 2023; current availability should be verified city by city. By 2026, Bolt has established itself as one of the significant players in the sector alongside Uber and Heetch.

Searches for a "Bolt promo code" attract two very different types of reader. The first is looking for a discount on a one-off trip as a passenger. The second — often a VTC driver, a micro-entrepreneur, or a restaurant partner — is trying to understand how to operate on the platform, secure their tax and social-security position, and manage an activity that depends on an algorithmic dispatch system. This guide is useful for both, but deliberately prioritises the second.

In short: a Bolt promo code is available in the app when you create a new account. For drivers and restaurant partners, the real issue is not the promo code but mastering your fiscal regime (micro-BIC or réel), VAT, the accounting of platform commissions, and compliance with the DAC7 directive, which requires platforms to transmit revenue data automatically to the French tax authority.

Bolt regularly offers promotional codes for new users, accessible directly in the mobile app when creating an account. The general mechanism works as follows: at registration, a "promo code" field allows you to enter a code that unlocks a discount on your first ride or your first Bolt Food orders. Targeted campaigns are also distributed through partner networks, newsletters, and specialist comparison sites.

We do not publish a specific promo code in this article. Codes change regularly and vary according to active campaigns, cities, and service types. To find a valid code, go directly to the Bolt app or the official site bolt.eu. Be wary of websites that display codes without specifying a validity date or precise terms of use.

Bolt VTC operates as a two-sided marketplace: the platform connects passengers with independent drivers or approved private-hire transport companies (licensed VTC operators). The passenger books via the app, the platform calculates an estimated fare, a driver accepts the trip, and payment is processed automatically via the registered card or digital wallet.

For the passenger, the experience is close to Uber: dynamic pricing based on time of day and demand, real-time journey tracking, and driver ratings. The perceived difference often comes down to base fares — Bolt positions itself below Uber on many off-peak time slots.

For a VTC driver considering registering on multiple platforms, the actual commission conditions of each platform — available in each app's driver portal — are the first thing to examine before looking at trip volumes.

Five steps to getting started as a Bolt driver#

1. Obtain the VTC professional licence issued by the French Ministry of Transport (a compulsory VTC examination is required, unless you already hold a taxi licence).
2. Choose your legal structure: micro-entrepreneur, SASU (simplified single-shareholder company), SARL (limited liability company), or a sole-trader business under the standard tax regime (réel). This choice determines your fiscal and social-security treatment.
3. Register your vehicle as a VTC, with the relevant professional insurance policies in place.
4. Create your driver account on the Bolt platform through their online registration process.
5. Set up your accounting from day one: open a dedicated business bank account, implement a tool to track trips and expenses, and clarify which fiscal regime applies to you.

The last point is frequently overlooked. In the VTC driver files we manage, the most common problems appear in the very first year: gross revenue not tracked, deductible expenses not recorded, and VAT forgotten when the VAT exemption threshold is exceeded mid-year.

Revenue earned by a VTC driver through Bolt constitutes independent professional income, taxable under the BIC category (bénéfices industriels et commerciaux — industrial and commercial profits) for transport services.

Since the transposition of the DAC7 directive into French law (Ordinance no. 2023-1188 of 13 December 2023, with the first transmission in January 2024 covering 2023 income), digital platforms such as Bolt are required to transmit each year to the French tax authority (DGFiP — Direction générale des finances publiques) the revenues paid to their professional users resident in France, above certain thresholds. This does not relieve the driver of the obligation to declare this income: the tax authority cross-references the data, and discrepancies result in formal requests for explanation.

The amount to declare is the gross revenue received, before deduction of Bolt's commission. These commissions constitute a deductible expense under the réel regime, but not under the micro-BIC regime, where the flat-rate allowance is intended to cover all costs.

Micro-BIC vs réel: the trade-off. The micro-BIC regime is attractive for its administrative simplicity, but it penalises drivers with high actual costs (vehicle leasing, professional insurance, fuel, maintenance, platform commissions). As soon as your actual costs exceed 50% of your gross revenue, the réel simplifié regime becomes more advantageous from a tax perspective. A comparative calculation with your chartered accountant (expert-comptable) is essential before making this choice.

Bolt Food is the platform's food delivery arm. A restaurant that registers signs a partnership agreement with Bolt, giving it access to the app's customer base in exchange for a commission on each delivered order.

For restaurant partners, the main points to watch are as follows.

The platform commission is a deductible business expense, to be recorded in a specific expense account. It should appear on the statements that Bolt provides and on the invoice or equivalent document you are entitled to request.

VAT on Bolt Food orders: delivered meal orders are subject to the standard French catering VAT rates (5.5% on basic food products, 10% on takeaway or delivered food — verify your specific situation). The Bolt commission is a business service subject to 20% VAT, on which you can in principle recover the VAT if you are a taxable person. See our dedicated article on VAT in the restaurant sector for a detailed analysis.

For restaurants launching on Bolt Food, the first priority is order traceability: each order must be recorded as revenue on the day of the sale, regardless of when Bolt's weekly or monthly bank transfer arrives.

Accounting correctly for the cash flows from a platform such as Bolt requires distinguishing several elements.

Gross revenue: the total amount of trips or orders billed to customers through the platform, before deduction of the commission.

Platform commission: a deductible expense, to be posted to account 622 (commissions et courtages — fees and brokerage) or to a subcontracting account depending on the nature of the relationship. The commission is documented by Bolt's monthly statements.

Bank transfers received: these correspond to gross revenue less the commission. If you record only the transfers received as revenue, you under-declare your income and lose the ability to deduct the commission as a separate expense. This mistake is common among drivers who manage their own accounts.

A bookkeeping tool that is compatible with Bolt exports (driver or restaurant account statements) considerably simplifies this reconciliation work.

Since the transposition of EU Directive 2021/514 (DAC7) into French law by Ordinance no. 2023-1188 of 13 December 2023, Bolt is required to collect and transmit to the DGFiP information on each active seller or service provider resident in France, once certain thresholds are met. The obligation covers income received from 1 January 2023 onwards, with the first effective transmission in January 2024. The exact thresholds applicable for 2026 should be verified on impots.gouv.fr.

The information transmitted includes: the identity of the driver or restaurant partner, their tax identification number, the total amount of revenue paid by the platform over the year, and other compliance data.

Declaring your income in full, on the basis of gross revenue before commission, is the only consistent approach.

A few practical guidelines:

• Open a dedicated professional bank account for your Bolt activity, separate from your personal account.
• Track your revenue week by week using the driver app dashboards, without waiting for the bank transfers.
• Set aside social security contributions (URSSAF) and income tax each month if you are under the réel regime.
• Plan for slow periods — school holidays, adverse weather, local events — which reduce trip volumes.

In the files we manage, drivers who run into cash-flow difficulties mid-year tend to make the same mistake: they live off Bolt bank transfers without setting aside funds for quarterly tax and social-security deadlines.

Most searches for "Bolt promo code" come from individuals looking to save money on a trip. From an accountancy practice's perspective, however, the Bolt topic is primarily about the taxation of self-employed platform workers, DAC7 compliance, and sound accounting structure.

The under-estimated risk in this sector: drivers who use several platforms simultaneously (Bolt + Uber + Heetch) and add up their revenues without realising they are crossing the VAT exemption threshold during the year. Exceeding the VAT franchise threshold mid-year triggers a VAT collection obligation from the first day of the month in which the threshold is crossed — with consequences for the prices charged and the reporting obligations that require an immediate response.

This article is written for information and educational purposes only. It does not replace a personalised analysis of your situation by a chartered accountant. Tax thresholds (micro-BIC, VAT exemption) and social-security rules are subject to change: consult impots.gouv.fr and urssaf.fr for current figures. Our firm works with restaurant businesses — see accountant for the restaurant sector.