VIDEO: Over 30? Tinder Will Charge You More for a Subscription

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BY:
User Experience Researcher
Additional contributions by Dan Leadbetter and Louis Ramirez.

Tinder, a dating app, thinks you'll pay more for its premium service if you're old. You can subscribe to Tinder Plus, which removes ads and unlocks new features, for $9.99... but only if you're under 30! Born before 1985? You'll pay $19.99.

In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts discuss if this is ageist and discriminatory against "old" folks, or if this is simply a way for Tinder to let younger cash-strapped people afford a dating app.


What about you, readers? Is it prejudice to charge more for different ages, or just sensible business? Will you be swiping left on Tinder's new offering? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

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User Experience Researcher

Jeff Somogyi is the DealNews User Experience Researcher. Since working here he's written deals, features, promotional and newsletter copy, blog posts, as well as scripts for our videos.
DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).
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4 comments
aaronjherring
I just like that I am considered "old" at 30. Nice.
March 4, 2015
Ardbeg
Having done online dating (with positive results, though my wife might disagree) I can tell you that it has many virtues but is also rife with deceit (whether due to intention or delusion, it was sometimes hard to tell). So I can't imagine what will happen when a service creates an ADDITIONAL incentive to lie.

Of course, that was probably the point. Tinder didn't actually want to charge a bunch of 33 year olds $20. It wanted to charge a bunch of "28" year olds $10, which in turn will make their product appear more desirable to new users, since the most common search limiter will yield many more results in a given geographic area.
March 4, 2015
mharriso
I've found its better to lie about your age on Tinder anyway. I've found I've gotten far better results shaving a few years off. It seems everyone you get over 30 either has a deadbeat baby daddy, has unrealistic expectations or is too uptight, exactly like traditional online dating.
March 4, 2015
Lindsay Sakraida (DealNews)
I don't disagree with the thought process behind charging younger people less, and I don't doubt that in their testing, older people were willing to pay more for the service, because duh. In that respect, sure, it makes sense and is thus "good business."

BUT, I'm doubtful that their testing included actually TELLING the participants that they'd be charged more than their younger counterparts; knowing that bit of information seems like it will yield contempt from 30+ users. Tellingly, the ratings for the app tanked within hours of the announcement. So in that respect, it seems like BAD business because they're pissing off a large chunk of their users.
March 4, 2015