An investigation by consumer watch group Which? has found Tinder is charging young gay and lesbian users, and people over 30, more for its premium dating service.
Which? asked nearly 200 mystery shoppers to create real profiles and make a note of prices quoted for Tinder Plus, a premium package with perks such as unlimited ‘likes’ and ‘rewinds’ and the ability to undo accidental selections.
The research showed some gay and lesbian users were paying more than 10% (£6.74) compared to bisexual users, and more than 8% (£5.28) compared to heterosexual users.
The brand said such findings would suggest possible discrimination and a potential breach of UK law.
Which? found that gay and lesbian people in the 18 to 29 age bracket paid £60.15 on average. This was 37% more than straight users aged under 30 (who paid £44.06 on average) and 30% more than bisexual users under 30 (£46.09).
When it came to age, those in the 30-49 age bracket paid 48% more (£24 difference) and over 50s paid 46% more (£23.19 difference) on average, for a 12-month Tinder Plus subscription.
Across the entire mystery shopping exercise, quotes for a year’s access to Tinder Plus ranged wildly from £26.09 to £116.99, with 20 different prices quoted in total.
Which?’s investigation said that Tinder has an algorithm that is opaque and unpredictable.
The team analysed Tinder’s terms of use and privacy policy and found that users were not made aware of such vastly different pricing.
Which? has reported its findings to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and called on them to investigate whether there has been a breach of UK law.
Which? said it believes that if a business uses personal data to set the prices it charges then it must be transparent about what data is used. If the company is not comfortable publicly defending the use of personal data for pricing then it should not use that data.
Tinder has responded to the allegations, saying that older people do have to pay more in some countries, but claimed the price difference was ‘a discount for younger users’. However, Which? found that this had not been made clear to people using the app.
A Tinder spokesperson said: “Tinder is free to use and the vast majority of our members enjoy our app without upgrading to the paid experience.
“However, we do offer a variety of subscription options to help our members stand out and match with new people more efficiently. Tinder operates a global business and, in some geographies, we offer discounted subscriptions to younger members. In addition, we frequently offer promotional rates – which can vary based on factors like location or length of subscription. No other demographic information is considered in our pricing structure.”
The spokesperson added: “It is categorically untrue that our pricing structure discriminates in any way by sexual preference. Any reporting or inference is patently false and outrageous.”
The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to charge people of one sexual orientation more than others unless there is a clear justification for this.
It is occasionally justifiable under UK law to offer age-based price variations for the same product or service, such as discounts to over-65s or students, where it can be shown there is a legitimate basis for this.
