Examined Sep 25, 2026 No referral page found Renews until canceled No link on this page Care.com publishes no referral reward we could find, and the rule it does publish is that Premium renews until you cancel and is non-refundable by default.
Other sites describe a $15 credit. On September 25, 2026, care.com/referral and care.com/refer-a-friend both returned 404, the in-app referral and invite pages showed only the site shell without a login, and the Terms of Use, last updated October 14, 2025, name no referral reward. The Terms do mention reward points Care.com may issue with a membership or as a promotion, and those points spend only on the site and have no cash value.
What pays what
| A new member signing up | No published reward |
|---|---|
| Guest account: browse caregivers | Free |
| Premium: message candidates and hire | Price not on the plans page |
| Feature your job post | $4.00 billed monthly |
| Social Media Check | $29.99 one-time |
| Hiring Helper | $19.99 one-time |
| Reward points, if Care.com issues any | Site-only, no cash value |
Any unused reward points are forfeited immediately if you do not maintain the required membership status (as described on the Site), or if you or we close or terminate your account
Do this, in this order
- Start as a Guest. The plans page invites you to browse for free and to choose Premium to start messaging the caregivers you are interested in, so there is no reason to pay before you have seen who is near you.
- Read the price and the term in the checkout, and screenshot them. The plans page lists add-ons but not Premium's price. The Terms say a membership renews for an equivalent period at the rate and frequency disclosed when you subscribed, and that any early termination fees are the ones disclosed at sign-up.
- If you are offered a free trial, put its last day in your calendar. “If a user signs up for a free trial subscription, unless he or she cancels before the expiration of the free trial period, the user will be charged the price then in effect for a subscription to the Service, unless otherwise informed by Care.com at the time of original subscription.”
- Missed it? You have 30 days, and you must not use it. The Terms let you cancel or downgrade and request a refund within 30 days of that first charge, and refund the most recent charge only if you have not used the subscription since the trial expired. Outside that route, the Terms say payments are non-refundable.
- Avoid installment plans unless you mean to finish them. “If you cancel your subscription or Service prior to completing all installment payments due, then, unless otherwise required by applicable law, the remaining balance will remain due and payable pursuant to the installment payment schedule you agreed to.”
- Cancel in account settings once you have hired. Care.com's help article, dated September 23, 2026, says: “Care.com subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel them.” Keep the confirmation email; your account shows the date the plan becomes a free guest account.
What Care.com does not publish
A referral program, anywhere we could reach. Both public referral addresses return 404. If a feature exists inside logged-in accounts, its terms are not public, so the $15 figure repeated elsewhere is one we cannot check against Care.com's own words.
A refund, as a rule. The Terms' refund section says: “all payments for subscriptions, services or products made on or through the Site or Services are non-refundable, and there are no refunds or credits for unused or partially used subscriptions, services or products, even if you close your account or cancel your membership, subscription, service, or product in the middle of a term.” The plans page's own FAQ says the same, that once a fee is paid it is typically non-refundable.
A fixed price. Care.com may change a recurring fee you agreed to. It says it will email you or post a prominent notice, and that material changes take effect no less than 30 days after notice.
Is it worth your time?
Chasing a Care.com referral credit is not. Care.com's own pages do not offer one, and a reward the company does not publish is one it has not promised you. Spend the time on the membership instead: browse as a Guest, pay when you are ready to message, and cancel the day you hire.
The expensive mistake here is not a missed bonus. It is a Premium membership that renews for months after the search is over, on terms that refund nothing for unused time.
