How Much Does Match.com Cost?

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The Match.com cost of subscriptions is not too expensive compared to many online dating services. The subscription prices are all based on different time ranges you sign up for. The longer you sign up for, the lower the price you pay per month of using the service. So how much does match.com cost? See below for all the details.

Jump To:
Match.com Prices
What Comes Free with Match.com?
Is Match.com Worth the Price?
Be Aware of Auto-Renewals
Match.com 7 Day Free Trial

Match.com Cost

match.com cost

When reviewing these costs, it is worth noting that first time subscribers can save 20% off the Match.com subscription price using this promotion. The savings using this promotion are listed in the second row below.

Also note that these prices are broken down by month so if you subscribed with the 20% promotion for 3-months your total cost would be $47.97. Obviously using the promotion is something you will want to take advantage of when subscribing if you can.

Match.com Prices – 2014
1 Month 3 Months 6 Months 6 Months Value
Regular Pricing $34.99 $23.99 $17.99 $19.99
Match Promo $27.99 $19.20 $14.40 $15.99

Comments on Match.com Cost

First off, there is a one-month plan at Match.com but I had to look for it (when I was using Match.com it was more visible in the options). When I most recently looked at the pricing, the one-month plan was at the bottom and was only a text link.

Second, Match.com is now offering value plans which include three of their optional services:

  • Match Guarantee – If you don’t find someone special in your first six months, they will award you six months free (although there are several requirements you have to meet for this). This is only with the 6 month value plan.
  • Email Read Notification – Let’s you know when someone you contacted reads your email.
  • First Impressions – Your profile gets priority in how soon new members will see it through the emails Match.com sends out.
  • Highlighted Profile – Your profile is highlighted in search results to draw more attention.

The price increase is fairly small moving from the Standard pricing to the Value pricing. For example, the difference is $2 per month for the six month plan. You could choose to buy only a few of the services above with a basic account but this will end up costing you MORE money. For example, to purchase the Email Read Notification service with a basic account is $5 more a month versus the $2 more a month of just going with the Value plan.

The 6 Month Guarantee
Match.com also offers two versions of its 6 month subscription plan: one with the 6 month guarantee and one without. Getting the guarantee costs a few dollars per month.

My opinion on these two plans is that if you are going to sign up for 6 months, I would pay the few dollars per month for the guarantee (although the guarantee does take work to qualify for). The extra few dollars will also get you several additional features including notices when your emails are read and better visibility for your profile to other singles.  

What Comes for Free at Match.com?

When you create an account at Match.com you need not subscribe – you can use the free version. However, at Match.com the free version is limited to a few simple things like creating your profile, viewing other profiles and some simple communication like winking at other singles. Here’s a breakdown of the free account at Match.com versus the subscription:

match free vs subscription: 2014

Viewing other profiles should allow you to see if there are other singles you are interested in before signing up. Winking while using the free version of the service doesn’t bring much value since even if they respond, you’ll not be able to communicate until subscribing. Also, winking generally doesn’t work well for guys so if there are any men out there who are trying to gauge women’s interest by winking that may not be the best way to measure it.

Generally the free version of Match.com is a view-only version. You can ensure there are people you are interested in communicating with before you subscribe. 

Is Match.com Worth the Price?

match cost 2014

Even knowing how much match.com costs, you may struggle to decide that it’s worth your time and money. In my opinion, the best way to determine if the Match.com cost is worth the price is by asking yourself a few questions.

First, how important is finding a relationship to you?
If it is extremely important then it is something at least worth considering. The second question is:

How are you finding your dates today?
If you aren’t finding any dates, then the prices should appear very fair. On the other hand, if you are finding dates through other means such as going to the bar you will want to consider how much this activity is costing you.

For example, if you subscribe to Match.com for 3 months using the 20% promotion, you’re only spending $5 per week ($49.97 divided by 12 weeks). It is my opinion that finding dates with other activities for less than this cost would be a tall order.

For example, there is a hidden cost to going to bars or clubs (or whatever) because we rarely track our spending. If you were to go out once a week to a bar with the intent of meeting other singles, how often would you spend less than $5? In this light, I think the price of Match.com is great when you consider how little you actually pay over time. 

Be Aware of Auto-Renewals

As far as I am aware, all online dating services implement auto-renewals. You should be warned of this when signing up but most of us quickly by-pass those screens. Auto-renewals are important to keep in mind because whatever time period you sign up for the first time will be the time period they sign you up for when the auto-renewal occurs. This means if you sign up for 6 months and then find that special someone, you need to remember to cancel your account. Don’t just forget about it or you will end up having to call Match.com to get the auto-renewal reversed. Basically, be sure to update your account status when you’re done using the service.  

Match.com Free 3 Day Trial

If all of this sounds interesting to you, you can try Match.com free for 3 days. This will provide you full use of the site to determine if it is something you would find benefit in using. I wrote about this in detail in my post here.

 

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About the Author:

Brad initially struggled with online dating but over time became quite successful using it. He met his wife using online dating and has been giving advice and helping people improve their results since 2007. He has written a Free Online Dating Guide to help others find success with online dating. You can learn more about his personal experience using online dating and running this website here.

Comments

  1. Laura Durinski  January 12, 2011

    can you tell me more about the 6 month “guarantee”? What’s involved with that?

  2. Brad  January 12, 2011

    Hi Laura,

    You can find details on the 6 month guarantee and what it takes to qualify (which can be tricky) in this article:

    http://www.datingadviceguy.com/2008/02/08/issues-with-the-matchcom-six-month-guarantee/

  3. Bob Saget  September 10, 2011

    If you use the 7 day free subscription can you then use the 20% discount when the 7 days has expired?

  4. Brad  September 10, 2011

    I would think so…even if they had to be used separately I don’t see how Match could prevent you from creating a new account to take advantage of the 20% discount once you knew you liked the service. But my guess would be that you could use both.

  5. Scott Thornburg  May 2, 2012

    What is the price of Match.com for six months? I am interested in purchasing a six month plan to start. What is the difference of “Regular pricing?” $17.99 and “Match Promo?14.99”. I am confused and want to make a purchase. Where do I make my payment; is it throug registration which I have already registerd.

    • Brad  June 2, 2012

      Scott, the full price for match fro 6 months would work out to around$100 (or $80 if using the promo). You just take the price per month listed above and multiply that by the number of months (keep in mind, that except for a few promotions, dating services will charge you the full amount up front). The 20% promotion is a link you can use to sign up and then subscribe. All of the pricing is for when you subscribe which happens after you create an account (although it doesn’t have to – you can just use a free account for a while although that’s very limiting on what you can do).

  6. Aurora Collins  June 1, 2012

    I have an issue with this billing method. When I first joined match.com they gave me the impression that I would only be paying $17.99 for 6 months because that is exactly what it said. It was some kind of promotion deal. After serving in the military I read everything, and I mean everything. This is ridiculous that I’m paying $107 for this crap. Not only that but my email is provided and I expected an electronic bill as proof of purchase. I’ve only had the service for 2 days and I want a refund. I’m not satisfied with the program, website, prices, or customer service thus far.

  7. Brad  June 1, 2012

    Aurora – did you try calling them? I was under the impression that if you called within a few days of subscribing they’ll cancel the subscription for you. The only thing is, the longer you wait to call, the harder it will be to get them to give you a refund.

  8. sheila lynch  October 5, 2012

    I am thinking of trying this site, but i live in Mi. and i am thinking of moving to another warmer state, how would men in other states see my profile and take interest in me ?? would only men in MI get to see my profile..??

    • Brad  October 6, 2012

      Hey Sheila – yes, it would primarily just be men in MI who would see you. However, you could put your new address in your profile as you current address so that men who live where you’re moving to would see you instead.

  9. Susan  November 6, 2012

    Be really carefully, someone tried to hack my Match.com account, I bought the 6 month Plan pllus some extra’s for $119.00 two weeks into my subsquibtion , they told me someone had hacked my account and they shut it down, they gave me a $69.99 refund and told me I would have to make a new account , So it cost me $50.00 for 2 weeks so If I want another account I will only get about 3-4 months for that $69.99 they reimbursed me, when I called to complain there was nothing they would do for me they said that was fair.

    This company is just as bad as the scammers that I met on Match.com, I met 3 scammers that seemed like my dream come true guy , my prince charming, well beware if it’s too good to be true turn around and run, because they make you fall for them, then they try to get you to send them money or open a checking account for them which I’m sure is a way of getting money out of you. BEWARE of Match.com They screw you over and then so does the men I was Matched up with.

  10. vinny  July 20, 2013

    Susan, sad to say but you are right. Match.com has played games with their guarantee, sign-up and cancellation process. all so they can get a couple extra dollars out of you. The guarantee is a joke, if you cancel your auto renew before the guarantee, if you have jumped through enough hoops, kicks in then you are ineligible for the guarantee. if you don’t cancel then they come up with a reason why you don’t qualify for the guarantee and then auto renew you.

    as far as the people, well, I have met some nice and some not so nice. why does someone believe that putting pictures and profiles on that are not accurate is a good start to a relationship. after a while its a waste of time going on the dates because you are so disappointed.

    scammers, oh yes. before even meeting a person she was talking about a process for us to consolidate our assets. I guess there are some very gullible people out there.

  11. Don  December 10, 2013

    Hello it is not in my interest to continue I want to get out of my commitment what is the right thing to do
    you are just ripping me of I don’t use the service you are working on DON

    • Brad  December 14, 2013

      Hey Don – I don’t work for Match.com so you’d want to contact them directly if you think there’s a billing error. That said, be aware that they will auto-renew people so you’ll want to go under account and deactivate your subscription if you haven’t already. It’s not going to stop on its own.

  12. Eden  August 9, 2014

    I saw the listing subscription fee was something like $9.89 for 6 months, but when i paid for it, it charged me US$59.94, probably it was a bundle that I had no way to know of..

  13. Ginery  January 20, 2016

    Can you pay in Canadian dollars. I only see US?

  14. LEA  January 30, 2016

    Do they allow contact between members on the 3 day free trial and do you need to give them your credit card if you do that first?