How the $10 fee works
No fine print games. This page explains, step by step, exactly when a contractor pays the $10 introduction fee and when they don't, and when a homeowner gets their $2.99 back. It describes exactly what the site's payment system does.
The short version
| What happens in the chat (within 7 days of the homeowner confirming) | Contractor's $10 | Homeowner's $2.99 (only if they paid one) |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowner sends 2 messages | Charged, final, the moment the 2nd message is sent | Kept by Found a Trade only if there was a real back-and-forth by day 7 (contractor sent 2+ messages and the homeowner replied after the contractor's first one); otherwise refunded |
| Homeowner sends 1 message, contractor never replies | Charged at day 7 (that's ghosting) | Refunded at day 7 |
| Homeowner sends 1 message, contractor replies, homeowner goes quiet | Released, contractor pays nothing | Refunded at day 7 if the contractor sent only 1 message; kept if they sent 2 or more |
| Homeowner never sends a message | Released, contractor pays nothing | Refunded at day 7 |
All amounts are plus applicable tax.
How it starts
- Expressing interest is free. A contractor sees a project and taps "I'm interested". Before the first one, they save a card. Nothing is charged and nothing is held.
- The homeowner chooses. Saying no is free. Confirming opens a chat with that contractor.
- A $10 hold goes on the contractor's card. When the homeowner confirms, $10 plus applicable tax is held on the contractor's saved card. A hold is not a charge. It just sets the money aside until we know how the conversation went.
- Homeowners get 3 free introductions per project. After that, each extra confirm costs the homeowner $2.99 plus applicable tax. The $2.99 is only held on the card when they confirm, and charged once the introduction is delivered (right after the contractor's $10 hold goes through and the chat opens). If it can't be delivered, the hold is released and nothing is charged.
- The homeowner always writes first. The contractor can reply once the homeowner has sent a message.
From the moment the homeowner confirms, a 7-day clock starts. Here's what happens next in each situation. Our examples use Maria the homeowner and Dave the electrician.
Rule 1: The homeowner sends 2 messages, so the $10 is charged
When the homeowner sends their second message, the conversation is clearly real, so the $10 is charged right away. That charge is final. It stays charged even if the contractor goes quiet afterwards.
- Day 1: Maria writes, "Hi Dave, can you look at my breaker panel?"
- Day 1: Dave replies, "Sure, how about Thursday?"
- Day 2: Maria writes, "Thursday works." That's her 2nd message, so Dave's $10 is charged now.
- Dave stops answering after that. He still pays the $10. It's final.
Rule 2: The homeowner messages and the contractor never replies, so the contractor pays
If the homeowner reaches out and the contractor doesn't answer at all within 7 days, that's ghosting. The contractor is charged the $10 at day 7. Being fair to homeowners is the whole point of Found a Trade: if you say you're interested, show up.
- Day 1: Maria writes, "Hi Dave, when could you install a ceiling light?"
- Days 1 to 7: Dave never replies.
- Day 7: Dave is charged $10 and gets a notice explaining why.
Rule 3: The contractor replies but the homeowner goes quiet, so the contractor pays nothing
The hold also protects contractors from homeowners who ghost them. If the homeowner sends one message, the contractor answers, and the homeowner never writes again within 7 days, the hold is released at day 7 and the contractor pays nothing.
- Day 1: Maria writes, "Two outlets in my kitchen stopped working."
- Day 1: Dave replies, "I can come Saturday morning. Does that work?"
- Days 2 to 7: Maria never answers.
- Day 7: Dave's $10 hold is released. He pays nothing.
Same result if the homeowner never messages at all: if Maria confirms Dave but never writes, the hold is released at day 7, Dave pays nothing, and Maria's $2.99 (if she paid one) is refunded.
Rule 4: When the homeowner's $2.99 comes back
When the $2.99 is charged: confirming puts a $2.99 hold on the homeowner's card. It is charged only when the introduction is actually delivered. If the contractor's card fails, or the confirmation isn't finished within an hour, the hold is released automatically and the homeowner pays nothing.
The $2.99 only applies to a homeowner's 4th or later confirm on a project. Here's the exact rule: at day 7, the homeowner's $2.99 plus tax is refunded automatically unless there was a real back-and-forth: the contractor sent at least 2 messages and the homeowner replied after the contractor's first message. Messages from the contractor alone don't count, so a contractor can't block the refund by sending throwaway messages. Homeowners get a notice when a refund goes out.
- Dave never replies. At day 7 Maria gets her $2.99 back (and Dave is charged under Rule 2).
- Dave replies once, then disappears. Maria still gets her $2.99 back at day 7, because Dave sent fewer than 2 messages.
- Dave sends 3 quick messages but Maria never answers any of them. Maria still gets her $2.99 back.
- Dave messages, Maria answers, and Dave writes back. That's a real conversation, so Maria doesn't get the $2.99 back.
Good to know
- It's an introduction fee, not a guaranteed job. The $10 pays for a real conversation with a homeowner. It doesn't promise you'll get hired, and the homeowner isn't promised any price.
- How it shows on your statement:
HEBREWS12 FOUNDATRADE. - If the hold runs out: card holds only last so long. If the hold expires before the $10 is due, the $10 is charged to your saved card instead.
- Tax: "plus applicable tax" means sales tax is added only where the law requires it.
- Spending cap: contractors can set a monthly cap in Dashboard → Billing.
- Questions? Email opentradesupport@gmail.com. See also our Terms and Privacy Policy.