FAQ

When you sign up to be a Ride Pal or to get a Ride Pal, you can specify one or more help categories.

You could potentially give or get help in all categories, if the Ride Pal were to be appropriately compensated by the Rider, who needs assistance. 

For details, read our blog and watch our video.

No. 

Ride Pals are not just drivers. Ride Pals help you with life essentials, and provide rides when needed.

Yes. 

You don't have to enter your home address as your meeting spot. Instead, enter a popular landmark nearby. 

Even if you choose to share your home address, it can't be tied back to you. Your PalUpNow! profile is anonymized, and doesn't display your name, email, phone number, age range, and pronouns. 

We strongly recommend that you be punctual. However, we understand that life happens, and that despite your best intentions, you might run late.

Communicate using each other's contact information provided in the PalUpNow! match alert email. 

Typically, the payment/gifting arrangement remains the same as discussed earlier. Compensation, whether money or gift, is typically done at the end of the engagement.

We strongly recommend that you keep your commitment. However, we understand that life happens, and that despite your best intentions, you might need to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances.

Communicate using each other's contact information provided in the PalUpNow! match alert email. Where feasible, consider rescheduling with the same or similar payment/gifting arrangement as discussed earlier.

Compensation, whether money or gift, is typically done at the end of the engagement. 

Contact us, and send us the missing category with a brief explanation. While we can't promise that we'll add every help category, we'll try. 

When signing up to be a pal or get a pal, enter your own name and your friend/relative's contact information. PalUpNow! sends an email when a match is detected. 

PalUpNow! typically doesn't call you. The phone number is primarily for users to communicate with each other, if needed.

PalUpNow! is based in the US. If you're located outside the US, you might need to enable international transactions.

The PalUpNow! Premium Gift Card can be redeemed at PalUpNow! Premium.

Apply the code on your gift card (PALUP*****) at checkout under "Add Promotion Code".

PalUpNow! Premium offers everything in PalUpNow! Basic, plus:

a. global background checks and 

b. motor vehicle records in the US and Canada.

PalUpNow! has partnered with an industry-standard 3rd party vendor, who performs background checks globally on PalUpNow!'s behalf.

Choose your work location and place an order.

The industry average turnaround time for most background checks is between 3-5 business days, but can take longer depending on the depth of the search, geographical location of users, or county courthouse operations.

The process relies on your timely response of submitting the required documents. 

See pricing for different work locations.

Not at all. PalUpNow! believes in security for everyone, and we encourage everyone to get verified.

PalUpNow! Premium enables all users, not just pals, to initiate their background check for a fee. This way, you feel secure regardless of whether you sign up to be a pal or get a pal. 

PalUpNow! does NOT collect or store the sensitive data required to perform background checks and obtain driving history records.

PalUpNow! has partnered with an industry-standard 3rd party vendor, who performs background checks globally on our behalf. You fill out their form and submit your personal data to them directly. 

You do! You're in control. Choose your work location and place your order.

You'll also receive instructions in your sign-up confirmation and match alert emails on how to initiate your background check.

No.

The only way is to upgrade to PalUpNow! Premium. PalUpNow! has partnered with an industry-standard 3rd party vendor, who performs background checks globally on PalUpNow!'s behalf.

No.

Our match alert system emails you ALL potential matches. We don't want to limit your choices upfront by eliminating people who aren't verified (yet) or are in the process of verification.

Here's why:

1. People tend to initially insist on Premium pals, and once they realize that Premium pals sometimes charge a higher fee, they change their mind.

2. Also, if Premium pals aren't available, sometimes they don't want to wait, since their requirements could be time-sensitive. In that case, they may choose to proceed without pal verification.

3. Also, Premium pals might insist on them getting verified in return, which they may not like to do.

"Pal" means friend. "Pal up" means to become friends with. 

You're not alone. Sign up to be a pal or to get a pal!

Check the status of our web app.

"FAQ" means Frequently Asked Questions.

No. 

For two reasons:

1. We would like to provide elderlies and physically/mentally impaired people a seamless experience by removing the hassle of creating accounts and then having to remember/reset passwords. More often than not, they tend to forget their passwords, and then face difficulties on resetting them, only to forget them again. 

We understand that this isn't normal for our tech-savvy users. While we are proud that you can navigate with ease and speed, we sincerely request you to empathize with others who can't. Type in your name, email address, and phone number every time you sign up to be a pal, or get a pal. It takes you just a few minutes to complete the sign-up process. You don't want the technologically-challenged people to get frustrated with accounts and passwords, and then give up, do you?

2. And that's not all. 

Cybersecurity threats have wreaked havoc in the world, and the best companies have succumbed to these threats and have incurred damages. Their customers have had their personal information stolen. PalUpNow! doesn't want to store your sensitive details any longer than we have to. We don't want all your data to linger in our data stores long after you've finished your transactions. This limits your exposure, and protects us as well.

PalUpNow! works in simple easy steps. Refer to How It Works.

PalUpNow! offers two services:

a. PalUpNow! Flights ✈️

This is an end-to-end flight experience that beats disjoint airline/airport services. 

This online marketplace connects Flyers with Flight Pals, who assist with luggage, paperwork, security, physical or visual impediments, small children, language barriers etc. 

Read more in this blog.

b. PalUpNow! Rides 🚙

This is an end-to-end ride experience that beats regular taxi/cab services. 

This online marketplace connects Riders with Ride Pals, who drive people around or accompany people who need assistance for grocery shopping, doctor and hospital visits, getting vaccine shots, filling prescriptions etc. 

Read more in this blog.

When you sign up, an ID is automatically generated by the PalUpNow! system, and serves as your unique identifier. 

Locate your ID on your:

a. Sign-up confirmation email

b. Match alert email

c. Anonymized profile. Check out Flights and Rides.

For your privacy and safety, PalUpNow! doesn't display your real name on your anonymized profile, and uses an alias instead, like "rose". 

While signing up, choose an alias that you'll remember easily. 

Locate your alias on your:

a. Sign-up confirmation email

b. Match alert email

c. Anonymized profile. Check out Flights and Rides.