If you mostly use Tinder for a subtle self-esteem boost from the comfort of your own couch, it’s time to re-evaluate. While we’d all like to swipe left on bad decisions (metaphorically speaking), it’s about to become a possibility, all for the low price of $6.99 a month. What began as the perfect way to kill time while “doing work” has quickly become an app where people actually meet. (Real talk: I know a married okay, now divorced couple who met on Tinder.)
You know you’ve dreamed of un-matching before, in life when you’ve had too much to drink and suddenly that guy from your English class is impossibly charming, or on Tinder when you suddenly realize that the boy who you thought was adorable didn’t look like he would murder you messages you something so disgusting you have to Urban Dictionary the meaning.
Tinder has popularized app dating because it made it seem normal. You didn’t have to pay, you didn’t have to write a cheesy bio about your hopes/dreams/fears, and you didn’t have to be mortified when you found someone you knew on it. If it costs money, less people will see it as a casual time-kill.
Paid membership, or a Tinder Plus subscription, has already been tested in the UK, Brazil, and Germany. Subscribers will be able to undo matches, so you’ll never have to fear accidentally swiping left on your future husband. A passport feature will let you search for matches in different locations (particularly perfect if you’re trying to creep on an ex or plan a vacation).
If paying for Tinder sounds a little bit too much for you, there are still other dating apps that are free and relatively painless. While I’d love the opportunity to avoid swiping right on guys who turn out to be the creepiest creepsters, I’d prefer to spend that money on an extra Starbucks drink. After all, aren’t we all holding out hope that we can still meet someone in real life? And where better than a coffee shop to fulfill my IRL fantasies…
