OurTime Reviews

OurTime gathered a large user base over the years, made possible by its membership in People Media’s OurTime Community, which includes other elderly dating sites such as SeniorPeopleMeet.com. Being part of a larger network is always beneficial for a service, as proven by the thriving community found on the site.

The quick and user-friendly registration process is designed to ensure that even the least technologically savvy user will be able to navigate the process with ease. After inputting some basic information such as gender, age, location (with zip code) and username, you’ll be asked to upload a profile picture, although this step can be kept for later.

Completing the signup only takes a minute and right after that you’ll find yourself on the main screen. The overall design and layout is very barebones, but it works to the site’s advantage since the users – aged 50 or beyond – likely won’t be overwhelmed by features.

The toolbars are self-explanatory and the matchmaking sections are well-organized. Profile management is also easy to understand, clearly marking which part can be edited in addition to a percentage highlighting the completeness of the profile.

Those feeling adventurous can try the “I’m Interested” mode, a Tinder-style system where you pick ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ for a selection of chosen profiles. In this case, if you both say yay, the system will introduce you to each other.

One noteworthy feature of OurTime.com is what we are calling ‘Me Perks’. With a special currency called tokens the user can activate one-time or temporary benefits. PromoteMe puts your profile at the top of the search lists for an hour, increasing the chance of being noticed by others. MatchMe places you in a selected person’s roster of daily matches to test whether your appearance piques their interest. Lastly, there is NotifyMe. Again, here you choose a partner and you’ll receive a notification every time your chosen profile comes online, ensuring the two of you won’t miss each other.

When it comes to reaching out to your beloved match, the old-fashioned route of sending a message or asking a question to break the ice is a tried-and-true method. Don’t worry, though, even if you aren’t good with words, OurTime presents a list of pre-made questions to help start a conversation.

Of course, the fastest way of communicating is undeniably through the live chat, but unfortunately this is restricted to gold members. Yet one exciting way of winning your crush’s heart is by giving a virtual gift. These are nice visuals that show your affection to someone without the two of you meeting in person.

When it comes to real life encounters, OurTime displays several group events in your location. If you and your sweetheart are ready to meet in person then just agree to attend one of these and have a good time together.

OurTime is the sort of service that is free-to-use on the surface but includes several paywalls at its core, hiding certain crucial features. To make matters worse the content is separated further meaning that even a premium membership won’t get users full access to all of the perks.

There is a monthly plan charging $29.96 per month and a semi-annual plan costing $15 per month (billed as a payment of $90). However, there is a “Best Value” plan that also lasts for half a year, but has a price tag of $17.96 per month.

In exchange, your messages and profile will be highlighted, while the NotifyMe feature will become activated for you, which would otherwise require paid-for tokens. Speaking of which, it’s probably worth mentioning the premium token currency that’s in play here, too, which must be purchased separately: 25 tokens cost $0.99, 110 tokens come in at $3.99 and 280 tokens are sold for $9.99. This currency can be used to temporarily boost your popularity or sending a virtual gift.

There is one last issue worth highlighting. The site seems to use a rather underhanded tactic to trick seniors into purchasing the Best Value subscription plan by showcasing a 10-minute countdown, suggesting that the deal is a limited-time special offer that they might end up missing out on. However, after the counter reaches zero the offer still remains available, most likely because it’s a permanent subscription plan.

Since an account is free, there is nothing to lose if you sign up for OurTime. However, really consider whether it’s worth becoming a gold member or not. The site delivers on the promise of creating a matchmaking platform for singles above 50, but the quality of the service is more than a little shaky.

The design is perhaps overly simplistic, and most of the dating tools are unavailable for free users. The truly unique and interesting features (those ‘Me Perk’ benefits) require you to purchase additional premium currency instead of coming free with the gold membership, which is made worse by the fact that these perks are either temporary or single-use only. The subscription plans are within affordable limits when opting for the longer subscription, but the site uses some underhanded tactics to convince seniors to opt for the more expensive plan.