Question 1

Becoming a Genie

Accepted Answer

As a Genie, you meet travelers at the airport curb, accept their rental car, and drive it back to the rental agency on their behalf. You're their last step before the gate.

You earn per completed return. There are no shifts and no minimum hours — when you set yourself active at your home airport, you start receiving job offers.

What you'll need

• A valid driver's license
• A way home from the rental agency (most Genies use the airport train, rideshare, or get a ride back)
• A bank account for payouts (set up via Stripe Express)
• A phone you can keep on and connected at the airport

Question 2

Verification & onboarding

Accepted Answer

Before you can accept jobs, the Verification screen needs to show all checks complete. We review documents quickly — usually within a business day.

What we ask for

• Driver's license — front and back, clear and uncropped
• Phone verification — a code sent by SMS
• A profile photo so travelers can recognize you at the curb

If something we received is unreadable or expired, we'll send a notification asking you to re-upload. You won't see job offers until everything is approved.

Question 3

Setting up payouts

Accepted Answer

We pay Genies through Stripe Connect (Express accounts). The first time you tap Earnings, you'll be guided through Stripe's onboarding to add your name, address, date of birth, and bank account.

Once your Stripe account is active, you can cash out instantly to a debit card or wait for standard ACH transfers (typically 1–2 business days, no fee).

We never see or store your bank credentials — Stripe holds those directly. You can update them any time from the Earnings screen.

Question 4

Your home airport

Accepted Answer

Your home airport is the one you signed up to work at. It determines which travelers can be matched with you and which rental agencies you'll be returning cars to.

We assign one home airport per Genie so you stay familiar with the curb layout, the rental agency check-in process, and the route between them. That familiarity is what lets the handoff feel fast and unhurried for the traveler.

If you've moved, contact Support and we'll get your home airport updated. You won't see jobs at airports other than your home airport.

Question 5

Going active at the airport

Accepted Answer

Job offers only go to Genies who are physically at the airport with the app open and "active." The app uses your location to confirm you're inside the airport zone before adding you to the queue.

Tips for staying eligible

• Keep location services on with the highest accuracy
• Stay inside the airport geofence — leaving the property removes you from the queue
• Don't background the app for long stretches — iOS and Android can throttle location updates
• Charge your phone before you head out; a dead phone means missed offers

Question 6

Switching airports

Accepted Answer

Right now, switching home airports isn't self-serve. If you're relocating or want to add a second airport, email Support with the details — including which airport you'd like to move to and roughly when you can start.

We'll get the change made on the back end and let you know when you're cleared to start working at the new airport.

Question 7

How job offers work

Accepted Answer

When a traveler is ready to be matched, we offer the job to the closest active Genie at the airport first. You have 60 seconds to accept or decline.

If you accept, the job is yours. If you decline or let the timer run out, the offer cascades to the next-closest Genie. We never offer the same job to two Genies at once.

The market refreshes every couple of minutes, so even if you're not the closest right now, your position will update as Genies move, complete jobs, or set themselves inactive.

Question 8

Why you might not be getting offers

Accepted Answer

If the job board has been quiet, work through this checklist:

• You're outside the airport geofence — check your location is on and accurate
• You're set inactive — toggle yourself active on the home screen
• You're on a cooldown after a recent decline or timeout
• Other Genies are closer to the curb than you are — move to a better waiting spot
• Demand is just low at this hour — early mornings and late evenings are usually busiest

Question 9

Cooldowns and decline penalties

Accepted Answer

When you decline a job offer or let the 60-second timer expire, we put you on a 5-minute cooldown before you re-enter the queue. This keeps offers flowing to Genies who are ready to work.

If you're not ready to take a job, set yourself inactive instead of declining — that way you don't accumulate cooldowns and can come back online when you're ready.

Question 10

The handoff at the curb

Accepted Answer

Once you accept a job, head to the traveler's terminal and drop-off zone. The app shows you exactly which curb to meet them at — confirm the spot before you leave the queue.

When the traveler arrives

• Greet the traveler and confirm their name from the job card
• Help unload bags from the rental car
• Walk around the car and capture the condition photos the app prompts you for
• Accept the keys and confirm "handoff complete" in the app

Move quickly — most curbs have a strict no-stopping policy and you don't want to hold the traveler up before their flight.

Question 11

Returning the car at the agency

Accepted Answer

Drive directly to the rental agency the traveler booked with. The app navigates you there and shows the return lane to use.

Park, hand over the keys, and wait for the agent to print or email a return receipt. Capture the receipt in the app — that's what closes out the job.

If the agency raises any issue at the lane (mileage, fuel, condition), follow the on-screen instructions and call Support if it can't be resolved on the spot.

Question 12

In-app chat & masked phone calls

Accepted Answer

Each reservation gets its own chat thread. Use it for quick coordination — "I'm at door 4," "I'm wearing a black jacket," etc. Messages are kept on file for the safety team.

If you need to call, use the in-app phone button. Calls go through a masked number, so neither you nor the traveler sees the other's real phone number.

Chat and masked calls are not for emergencies. For anything urgent, call Support or dial 911 first.

Question 13

No-shows and late travelers

Accepted Answer

If the traveler isn't at the curb at the start of the window, message them in the app. We'll often hear back that they're a few minutes out.

After the wait window expires with no contact, you can mark the traveler as a no-show in the app. You're paid in full — the no-show fee is billed to the traveler.

Question 14

Damage, agency disputes, and edge cases

Accepted Answer

If you spot damage at the curb that wasn't there on the traveler's photos, capture clear pictures before you accept the keys and message Support immediately.

If the rental agency disputes the return — fuel level, mileage, scratches — call Support from the lane. Don't pay anything out of pocket; we handle disputes on the back end.

For accidents while you have the car: pull over safely, call 911 if anyone is hurt, and call CurbGenie Support immediately. The car is covered by our commercial policy from the moment the traveler hands you the keys.

Question 15

How earnings are calculated

Accepted Answer

Each job has a fixed payout shown on the job card before you accept. What you see is what you earn — no variable surge or last-minute changes.

The payout already accounts for the platform's split. There's no separate service fee deducted from your side after the fact.

No-shows pay the same as completed jobs. Cancellations after you've been assigned pay you the full job amount.

Question 16

When you get paid

Accepted Answer

The moment you mark a return complete, the earnings post to your Stripe Connect balance. From there you can choose how fast to move the money to your bank.

Cash-out options

• Instant payout to a debit card — fee may apply, lands in minutes
• Standard ACH to your bank — free, lands in 1–2 business days

Question 17

Updating your bank account

Accepted Answer

Open the Earnings screen and tap "Manage Payouts" to launch your Stripe Express dashboard. From there you can update your bank account, debit card, or business info.

Stripe verifies new bank accounts before sending the next payout, which can hold up that one transfer briefly. After that, payouts resume normally.

Question 18

Tax documents

Accepted Answer

If you earn more than the IRS reporting threshold in a calendar year, Stripe issues you a 1099 in January for the prior year's earnings. You'll get an email when it's ready in your Stripe Express dashboard.

Keep your address and Social Security or Tax ID up to date in Stripe so the form is correct the first time.

Question 19

Push and email notifications

Accepted Answer

Push notifications are how you find out about new job offers. Keep them on, with notifications allowed in your phone settings, or you'll miss work.

Other notifications — payout confirmations, document expiry reminders, marketing — can be turned off individually from Account → Notifications.

Question 20

Updating your phone or email

Accepted Answer

Open Account and tap your phone number or email. We send a verification code to the new contact before the change takes effect, so you'll need access to both.

If you've lost access to the old phone number or inbox, contact Support and we'll help you recover the account.

Question 21

Signing out and switching devices

Accepted Answer

You can sign out from Account at any time. Signing back in on a new phone is automatic — your account, verification, and earnings carry over.

We allow one active session per Genie. If you sign in on a new device, the old session is signed out automatically.

Question 22

Emergencies

Accepted Answer

For any medical, safety, or police emergency, dial 911 first. The CurbGenie app is not a substitute for emergency services.

Once you're safe, call CurbGenie Support. Our 24/7 line will get the right person involved — driver safety, insurance, or the rental agency liaison.

Question 23

Reporting an issue with a traveler

Accepted Answer

If a traveler made you uncomfortable, lied about damage, or otherwise behaved badly, report it from the job summary screen as soon as the job ends.

We review every report. We can block specific travelers from booking with you again, and in serious cases we remove travelers from the platform entirely.

Question 24

Reaching the CurbGenie team

Accepted Answer

Email and phone are both in the app on the Help screen. For anything not time-sensitive, email is fastest because we can pull up your account, jobs, and payout history before replying.

Phone support is staffed 24/7 for active jobs and emergencies.

Genies Help

Getting Started

Airports — Home & Active

Finding Jobs

Doing a Job

Earnings & Payouts

Account & Notifications

Safety & Support

Your shortcut
to the gate.