Dating Site Fees and Their Cost of Love

First of all, it should be mentioned that dating sites need to make a living too, thus there is no such thing as a fully free service. In some form or another, you’ll always be offered a premium membership, with the added benefits of course. Ideally, this would mean that subscribing to a site’s premium content would enrich your dating experience. In reality, most dating sites take away even the most basic features, and dangle it in front of your nose, tempting you until you give in.

The most common practice is that they inhibit you from sending messages to your preferred partners, effectively blocking you from getting in touch with others, even if they show interest in you. It’s even worse when they blur out the text of the received messages for free members, rendering you both mute and deaf.

What should I do?

“So what are my options? Is everything lost because of the greedy dating sites?” – you might ask. Not necessarily. There are plenty of ways to find love while both saving money. For example: search for sites that don’t lock the communication features behind a payment wall. OkCupid is a great example, as they are allowing you to live chat even with a freemium account. Also, take full advantage of the free profile to explore your possibilities, even if it’s for browsing only. Gather experience, and if you feel comfortable with the dating site you may be able to get a free trial to a paid membership to unlock matches and messages you’ve received without paying.