Most of us would have heard of Tinder, the mobile dating app that launched a thousand relationships. It also spawned a number of other apps, all of which made use of the swipe right/left function that Tinder has popularised.
And earlier today, Tinder launched a premium service called Tinder Plus, which is a paid service that — get this — costs more for users above 30 years of age. Users in the States who are below 30, for example, pay USD$9.99, while their older counterparts must fork out USD$19.99.
According to TechCrunch, the cost of downloading Tinder Plus will also vary according to location, but no matter where you are, it seems you will get penalised for using Tinder Plus if you’re older.
Speaking with ABC News, Rosette Pambakian, vice president of corporate communications at Tinder, explained, “Younger users are just as excited about Tinder Plus, but are more budget constrained, and need a lower price to pull the trigger.”
At this point, you might be wondering what the appeal of Tinder Plus is. After all, USD$9.99 (assuming you’re below 30) is a pretty high price to pay for an app.
And this is where it gets interesting: Tinder Plus will include a Rewind function, where users can undo an accidental left swipe. This means that if you’ve swiped left on someone by mistake — or if you just feel guilty for passing judgement on a random stranger — you get to take your swipe back.
Tinder Plus will also include a feature called Passport, so you can change your location in order to meet more people. It’s targeted at users who have travel plans, and will apparently allow you to start “swiping before you arrive.”
I definitely see the appeal of Tinder Plus — we all deserve second chances, don’t we? Yet, I can’t help but feel slightly put off by the price difference (and I’m below 30!). It seems ageist, and is almost as though Tinder is leveraging on the fact that users above 30 are likely to take dating more seriously than their younger counterparts.
That said, if you’re a regular user of Tinder, Tinder Plus might be something you’ll want to add to your arsenal of apps. Just bear in mind that there’ll be no Rewind after you click ‘pay’.
