Dating services may offer memberships or subscriptions of different durations and charges. Check out our top tips for understanding and managing your subscription.
Services offer a range of different subscription options to meet the individual needs of their members. Sometimes selecting the subscription option with a longer term (for example more than 6 months) can prove to be more cost effective for the user. It’s important to choose the option that is right for you and to read all the information that is available.
Automatic renewal is a common practice in many industries (also seen in magazine subscriptions or gym memberships) and it is legal. Automatically renewing subscriptions can offer users the convenience of ensuring that they don’t experience any disruptions to the service. Read the terms and conditions carefully when you sign up to any online dating service, and follow the process specified for the cancellation of services.
Precise arrangements for cancelling your subscription will vary between services. The process will normally include contacting your service provider a reasonable amount of time before the end date of your subscription to cancel both the subscription and the payments. Failure to cancel both may result in future payments being made through Automatic Renewals. Check the terms and conditions to see if your subscription is subject to Automatic Renewal.
Some services allow you to suspend your profile which means that your profile will not be visible online until you reactivate it. Suspension of a profile does not mean the subscription has been cancelled, so check to ensure you have cancelled and not suspended if that is what you want to do. If you want to end a subscription and have your profile removed, be sure to follow both any instructions provided by the service.
Arrangements for cancelling your subscription/membership will vary between services (see question above on how to cancel a subscription). If you have followed the process for cancellation provided by the dating service and have still been charged then you need to contact the service to query this.
If you selected a subscription option/package which gave you a preferential deal as a result of a longer term sign-up, you may be committed for the full period of the subscription. Contact the service and they will confirm your position and explain any options that you may have.
Look at how the services address safety online. Most daters are online for the right reasons and to have a good time, but there are those who are less well intentioned. All responsible services will explain what they do to prevent wrongdoing and share advice on how you can stay safe online.
If payment is required then services are likely to charge by a subscription model for use of some of all of the service. Payment offers vary in price based often on the length of a subscription. Take the time to understand the options including cancellation arrangements so you make as informed a choice as possible.
Look out for the ODA member logo and use our Check a Site tool
ODA member services have committed to high standards and good practice to give users a safe and great experience.
Look out for the ODA logo on the apps and services you might try out. It is one piece of assurance you are dealing with a business that supports our work on standards and efforts to build trust and confidence in services that account for about a third of all new relationships!
Our Check a Site tool will help you find if a dating service you are planning to use is an ODA member.
