Why pay if you can use free dating sites?

Meeting people used to be simple. You’d run into someone on the street, in the bar, at an office party, football game in a pub, sandwich queue… And it wouldn’t cost you anything. Well, except dinner and drinks at the date. But just meeting someone was free.

Then online dating sites appeared and for a while nothing changed. In the beginning of the online dating era, it all used to be pretty much free.

That is not the case any more. Most of the sites charge you nowadays, and while there are still plenty of dating sites that you can use for free, somehow a lot of people still seem to prefer those where a membership costs you a pretty penny.

Why? Why should we pay big sums of money for using online dating sites when instead we could just log on to one of the free ones and use it for a big fat nothing? We like to think of ourselves as pretty knowledgeable about online dating here at the onlinedatinghelp.co.uk office and so we’ve listed five good reasons why you should think about paying for your online dating experience.

1. The most popular paid sites have more genuine profiles – simple as that. If it doesn’t cost you anything to set up dates online, then you’re more likely to take a lighter approach to the site than you are when you have to invest to that decision. A lighter approach in itself is not anything bad, but there are about a million reasons why people take a lighter approach. They might already be in a relationship and are looking for a secret affair. They are curious about what’s out there. They’re bored. They want to have some little innocent fun. They are timewasters. They are spammers. Just to name a few. When you are serious about finding a date online, you surely don’t want to spend your valuable online time on a bunch of no-goods who are not actually committed to the whole thing. Of course there are genuine people on free dating sites too, it just takes you much longer to seek them out from the flotsam and jetsam.

2. Paid sites make an effort to match you with someone like you. Most of them have some kind of a profile test, which in itself is fun to fill and they will look out for your interests in finding someone truly suitable for you. Match, for example, has an extensive profile test, which defines your personality type while eHarmony’s test takes into account 29 different dimensions of your character. That means they’ve really put their mind and heart to their job of finding you a perfect partner.

3. Paid sites have loads of extras. Some of them offer lots of different options of how to get in touch with someone – from winks to multiple-choice questionnaires to different kinds of icebreakers with conversation ideas. Some of the sites have chatrooms and or webcam options. Some of them give you a secure phone number for chatting on the phone without actually having to reveal your phone number. The list goes on. All of it is designed to make your dating experience as fun and easy as possible, while also keeping it safe and secure for you to use.

4. The best paid sites are usually better designed and easier to use. There’s really nothing more to say to that.

5. Last but not least – paid sites give you an opportunity to actually give something back for other people’s hard work. Most paid sites have an army of dedicated people behind them, making your dating experience fun and safe. You want to reward their hard work, for in a way what they do, is most noble – they help you find true love. Surely that’s worth some of your hard-earned money?

Not sure which paid dating site to join? Read our Online Dating Site Reviews to help you decide.

About the Author

Aet Suvari has been reviewing and writing about the world of online dating since 2008 and the launch of Online Dating Help. A stickler for promoting ethical practices within the UK dating industry she champions the sites that get it right while highlighting those holding it back. You can follow her on Google+