Quick start for parents

This guide takes you from downloading Wyndy to paying your first sitter, in seven steps. Posting a job and booking cost nothing: you pay after the job, for the hours your sitter worked.

1. Download the app and tap Find childcare.

   Get Wyndy from the App Store or Google Play. Enter your phone number on "Login with your phone number", tap Continue, then type the 6-digit code we text you.

2. Tap Create account and set it up.

   Tell us what brings you to Wyndy, where you need care, your name, email and a profile photo. Then start your membership: the free trial, or a paid plan that comes with Wyndy credit.

3. Tap Post a job.

   Pick the time, the kids, the place and a rate, then tap Post Job. Nearby sitters are notified.

4. Review who applies.

   Each applicant shows up on your job with their profile, reviews and verifications.

5. Tap Confirm Booking on the sitter you want.

   They're booked right away. The first time, you add a card and verify your ID.

6. Message your sitter and get ready.

   Chat in the app, and watch for reminders before the job.

7. Check the hours, tip and tap Pay & finish.

   After the job, your sitter submits their hours. You review them, add a tip and pay.

1. Download and sign in

Open the app and tap Find childcare. Enter your US phone number and tap Continue. On "Enter the code we just texted you", type the code. It submits on its own once all 6 digits are in, and Resend Code sends a new one. See Accounts and signing in if you have trouble.

2. Set up your account

A new number goes to "Create your account". Tap Create account. (If you set up Wyndy with an email before, tap I already have an account instead.)

The membership screen reads "Start a free trial to continue", and every new parent picks a plan there: Annual, at $191.99 a year after a 7-day free trial (or skip the trial, pay now and get $100 in Wyndy credit), or Monthly, at $40 a month with $10 in credit each month. Members pay no service fees and can message sitters any time. Cancel the trial before it ends and you aren't charged; you can still book and pay per job. See Wyndy Membership.

When you finish, you land on the Jobs tab, or the Sitters tab if you chose Meet new sitters.

3. Post a job

Tap Post a job at the bottom of the Jobs tab. You can also start from a sitter's profile. The app saves as you go, so you can leave and come back from Me, then Draft Jobs.

The payment summary shows rate × hours, the Processing Fee, the Service Fee (none for members), the Est. Total and "Due Today $0". The description screen reminds you: "For your privacy, never share personal contact information here."

When it's posted, you'll see "Your job is posted!" and "We notified nearby sitters." (or "We notified the sitters you picked." if you didn't choose All sitters). Sitters near you get a push like "New job from {Your name}: ${rate}/hr on {date}. Tap to apply!" Sitters you picked by name see "{Your name} invited you".

4. Review your applicants

When a sitter applies, you get a push with their name: "applied to your {date} job! Tap to view profile + book." Open the job to see everyone who applied. Favorites are listed first.

• Tap View profile to read a sitter's full profile, reviews and verifications.
• Tap the X on a card to decline someone. An undo bar appears in case you didn't mean it.
• Under Viewed this job and Notified about this job, see which sitters opened your job or were told about it.
• Use the "Speed up your booking" panel to add a card and verify your ID now, so booking takes one tap later.

5. Book a sitter

Tap Confirm Booking on the sitter you want. The app asks "Book {Name}?" and explains "We'll let them know they're hired. You won't be charged until the job is complete." Tap Confirm & book.

Your first booking

Two one-time steps come first. Step 1: Add a card shows the payment summary with "Due today $0". Step 2: Verify identity is "A quick, one-time step to help keep Wyndy sitters safe": tap Verify ID, scan your driver's license and take a selfie. When the check passes, the booking goes through. See ID verification for parents.

Later bookings

You'll see one Confirm Booking screen with the summary and "Due today $0". Tap Continue.

Either way, you'll see "{Name} is booked!" and "You can now message {Name} in the app until the job is complete." Your sitter gets a "You're booked!" push at the same moment. There's no second confirmation from them: the job is theirs.

6. Before and during the job

Message your sitter from the job or the Inbox tab. Without a membership, the chat stays open until 24 hours after the job ends. You'll get a "Job Reminder" push the day before and two hours before the start.

Your booked job sits under Upcoming jobs on the Jobs tab, and moves to Happening now when it starts. While it's live, the job shows "Need a hand?" with a Get help button in case your sitter hasn't arrived or something isn't right. Need to cancel? It's free 24 or more hours before the start; after that it's $20, paid to your sitter.

7. Pay, tip and review

When your sitter submits their hours, you get a "Time to pay" push: "Tap to pay {Sitter}." It opens Wrap up with {Sitter}: "Check the hours and your selections, then pay."

Tap Pay $X & finish. The screen also says "You can pay now or you'll be charged in 24 hours." If you don't pay, your card is charged automatically 24 hours after your sitter submitted their hours. A receipt is emailed to you.

What it costs

See Fees and charges for a worked example and every other fee.

Good to know

• If you pick a start time that has passed, the app says "That start time has passed" and asks you to pick a later time.
• If you already have a job that day, the app checks: "You have plans {date}", with Book another sit this day or Pick a different day.
• If a sitter books another job at the same time before you confirm, you'll see "This sitter is no longer available."
• If the job's start time passes before you book anyone, you'll see "The start time of your job has passed. Please post a new job."
• Until you change the tip yourself, it follows your rating: 1 or 2 stars sets no tip, 3 stars sets 10%, and 4 or 5 stars sets 15%.
• If a payment fails, you'll see "That payment didn't go through. Check your card and try again; you have not been charged."

Questions

Do I need a membership to book?

Every new parent starts one at sign-up, usually with the free trial. If you cancel it, you can still book and pay per job. The membership removes service fees and lets you message sitters before you book.

When am I charged?

After the job, for the hours worked. Posting and booking show "Due today $0".

Can I pick a specific sitter?

Yes. Open their profile in the Sitters tab and tap Post a job. On Post to, they're already ticked at the top. Leave everything under Also post to... unticked to send it only to them.

What if no one applies?

Check the status at the top of your applicants. If sitters opened the job but didn't apply, look again at the rate and time. You can message a sitter who opened it, or cancel for free and post again with a new rate, since nobody is booked yet.

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