If you get a message from someone you never matched with on Tinder, it’s not a glitch — it’s part of the app’s expensive new subscription plan that it teased earlier this year, which allows “power users” to send unsolicited messages to non-matches for the small fee of $499 per month.

That landscape, in fact, is largely populated by apps owned by Tinder’s parent company: as Bloomberg notes, Match Group Inc. not only owns the popular swiping app, but also Match.com, OKCupid, Hinge, and The League.

Match Group CEO Bernard Kim referred to Tinder’s subscriptions as “low-hanging fruit” meant to compete with other, pricier services, though that was before this $6,000-per-year tier dropped.

    • ninjan@lemmy.mildgrim.com
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      1 year ago

      No that’s Platinum and also new but the $500 USD per month one is called VIP and also you need to be invited/selected to even be able to get it, which of course is just a ploy to get the selected to feel special and buy it to flaunt that they got invited.

      • averagedrunk@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        It’s also age dependent at the lower levels. Over 35 or 40 and you’ll pay more than someone young. Or at least that’s how it used to be.

      • sabreW4K3@lemmy.tf
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        1 year ago

        You say no like it doesn’t say it in the screenshot that you can send messages to people you’re not matched with.

        • Coolcat1711@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          It has a subtitle though that it lets you attach a note to super likes. I don’t think it’s blanket, “Message anyone freely” like the VIP tier implies.

    • TehPers@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      As someone who never did online dating, what exactly are you paying for with these subscriptions…?

      • sabreW4K3@lemmy.tf
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        1 year ago

        As a guy, you’re essentially paying for the ability to see who liked you. Dating is a seller’s market and the sellers of dreams in the market are women due to numbers. With a subscription, rather than aim for the stars, you’re able to pick the best of the women that are attracted to you?

        I have no idea. In any other industry the Match Group wouldn’t be allowed to exist.