Tinder has rolled out its promised high-end membership, a pricey $499 per month subscription dubbed “Tinder Select,” which includes unique perks like the ability to be seen by more users, including Tinder’s “most sought after profiles,” the ability to direct message others without matching and other VIP-level features.
The news was first reported by Bloomberg, and follows parent company Match Group’s earlier confirmation that Tinder would expand its membership options to include a new, high-end product catering to Gen Z users sometime this fall.
The features alone aren’t necessarily what sells Tinder Select. Instead, it’s the exclusivity. Tinder says that less than 1% of users will be allowed to gain access to this premium product, and members can choose to display their status with an exclusive SELECT badge on their profile.
Inspiration for this members-only club within Tinder comes from Match’s July 2022 acquisition of another high-end dating app, The League, which could cost users up to $1,000 per week. During its Q2 2023 earnings, Tinder CPO Mark Van Ryswyk said The League indicated there was a market for daters who were willing to pay for quality matches and experiences. But Tinder Select doesn’t rely on human matchmakers, nor does it offer anything that’s really worth the cost of the $500 per month membership.
Beyond the exclusivity, the feature set is fairly paltry. Select members can direct message another member without matching, but only up to two times per week, and they can’t send a Super Like at the same time. Plus, some recipients can opt out of receiving DMs, the company’s website notes. In addition, Select members’ profiles will be shown unblurred in the Like You grid in the app for up to seven days, even if they don’t pay for Tinder Gold or Platinum subscriptions.
However, Select members are promised to be shown to Tinder’s “most sought after profiles” so they can enjoy more quality matches. The company doesn’t detail how this technology works or how it rates these so-called “exceptional connections,” but one might imagine they include other Select members or those other users liked the most.
In addition, Tinder Select users will get to test new Tinder features in advance of others and will be able to hide ads and see the Likes they’ve sent over the last seven days.
The new subscription can be stacked with a Plus, Gold or Platinum subscription for access to more features, the company notes.
To apply for Tinder Select, users must have at least four photos, five interests, a bio with a minimum of 15 characters, show a relationship intent, be photo-verified and, importantly, have way too much money to spend on dating apps. If approved, they’ll receive an in-app message to alert them as well as an email with a unique unlock code.
Though Tinder Select isn’t expected to attract but a small number of subscribers, the feature’s price tag could boost Tinder’s bottom line at a time when Tinder has seen a decline in paying users, which dropped 4% year-over-year to 10.5 million, as conversions decreased, the company reported in August.