A 60-person mystery shop investigation by consumer group Choice has found that prices change for different uses of Tinder’s premium service.
The difference between the lowest and the highest price was huge. A straight male over 50 in a metropolitan area was given the price of $34.37 for one month – almost five times as much as a queer female under 30 in a metropolitan area, who was offered the same service for $6.99, Choice found.
On average, people over the age of 30 were offered prices that were more than double those given to people under 30, as in the US.
There were also large price variations within these age groups, ranging from $6.99 to $16.71 in the under-30 cohort and $14.99 to $34.37 in the over-30 one. Choice said it didn’t see a pattern that could explain these differences.
“Without letting customers know, Tinder charges wildly different prices to different groups of people,” Choice director of campaigns Erin Turner said.
“We can’t say for certain with our sample size of 60 Tinder users, but prices could also be affected by any of the other data points we know Tinder has: your sexuality, gender, where you went to school, location or your personal interests.
“This heavily personalised pricing approach is great for companies as they maximise how much they can encourage someone to spend. But it’s terrible for customers,” Ms Turner noted.
Choice has since made a formal complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, asking the regulator to investigate the dating app for potential breaches of consumer law.
In a reply, Tinder confirmed price changes based on a variety of factors, highlighting that it is free for the majority of its members.
“However, we do offer a variety of subscription options and paid a la carte features designed to help our members stand out and match with new people more efficiently,” A Tinder spokesperson told nestegg.
“Tinder operates a global business, and our pricing varies by a number of factors. We frequently offer promotional rates, which can vary based on region, length of subscription, bundle size and more. We also regularly test new features and payment options.”
About the author
