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Platform fees: FAQ

Signing up to Bubble, creating an account and applying for bookings on the app is free for babysitters.

So that we can operate and continuously invest in the platform, a percentage of what the parent pays for their booking is payable to Bubble as a platform fee.

Specifically, platform fees go towards:

  • Sitter profile verification

  • Marketing to families and bringing them to the app

  • Customer support from real humans

  • Secure payments

  • £1m booking insurance

  • Building, maintaining and improving our technology platform, that helps sitters win more work and earn more money in a flexible and secure way.


Below are some FAQs to help ensure our fees are clearly understood.

What are the platform fees?

For a full breakdown of the platform fees, go here.

Is the platform fee calculated including any tips the parent pays?

No. The % fee is only calculated against the actual sit amount (i.e. the duration x the hourly rate).

If a sitter refers a parent to the app, will a sitter platform fee apply on the sits they do together?

No. When a sitters has bookings with parents who they referred on to the app, no sitter platform fees apply on the bookings they do for them.

How does one become a 'Super Sitter'?

At the end of every calendar month, the app will calculate whether a sitter has achieved ‘Super Sitter’ status or not. A sitter gets ‘Super Sitter’ status when they’ve done 5 or more bookings on Bubble in the previous month. A ‘Super Sitter’ rate is then applied on all of their bookings in the following month.

For example, if in May a sitter does 6 bookings on Bubble, in June they will be a Super Sitter and all of their bookings that month will have the lower platform fees applied.

How does a sitter benefit from doing all their bookings on Bubble?

The more bookings a sitter does on Bubble:

  • The more reviews they get on their profile.

  • The higher up they appear in search results and the earlier they will get sent new job opportunities.

  • The more attractive their profile becomes — they get a ‘Super Sitter’ Badge on their profile, showing parents that they’re a popular sitter who is in high demand.

  • The more socially connected they become to more parents around them - which is key to getting picked for jobs.

All of this significantly increases a sitter's chances of getting more work from new families.

Aside from this, the other benefits of using Bubble for all of their bookings are:

  • Cashless payment: They’re paid up to the minute straight into their bank account.

  • Everything is tracked: All bookings are tracked on the Bubble system giving sitters increased transparency and peace of mind.

  • Cancellation payments: Parents using the app have the easy option of paying sitters something when they cancel a sit — outside of Bubble, they don’t!

  • Insurance: This covers babysitters for any accidental injury or damage they cause to a third party whilst on a sit.


We hope this guide is clear — please don’t hesitate to drop us an email with any questions or feedback to support@joinbubble.com.

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