Tinder launched a premium service in early March, and with the cool new features (like rewinding a left swipe) comes a higher price point.
Tinder Plus starts at $9.99 a month ... that is, if you’re under age 30. If you’re 30 or older, expect a bill of $19.99 a month. Many on social media, as well as reviewers in the app store, are protesting the decision.
For those uninitiated, the dating app presents a stream of photos, filtered by metrics such as age, location and gender, and users have the option to swipe right (like) or swipe left (discard). If two Tinder users both swipe right on each other's profiles, it's a match, each is notified and the pair can begin messaging.
The basic Tinder app is still free, but to access the new features, upgrading to Tinder Plus is necessary. A Tinder spokesperson told CBS News that in several months of testing, the company determined "that these price points were adopted very well by certain age demographics."
She pointed to Spotify as another company that has a tiered pricing structure based on age, charging less for students.
"Tinder is no different; during our testing we've learned, not surprisingly, that younger users are just as excited about Tinder Plus, but are more budget constrained, and need a lower price to pull the trigger."
Tech Crunch likened the tiered structure to Uber's surge pricing, but for romantic endeavors, stating that Tinder's strategy seems as if older users, who theoretically have less supply and offer less demand, should pay a greater amount for extra dating tools.
Users in developing countries can upgrade for as little at $2.99 per month, Tinder said. The company has not confirmed the specific age-related pricing tiers, though 6 different Top In-App purchase price points are listed in the iTunes App Store.
New features include “Rewind,” where you can undo a last swipe left if you accidentally reject someone, and "Passport," where you can choose matches from any location in the world, rather than just in your immediate area.
