Most dating apps work on a ‘freemium’ model. You get access to all of the most basic features pro-bono, with the fancier stuff locked behind a paywall. Tinder is no exception, and now it’s upping its freemium game with the introduction of an in-app currency.
Tinder mints its coins
Like most apps with currencies, there are two ways to line your virtual pockets: slowly earned through using the app, or coughing up some irl currency for a quick buck. In terms of earning through the Tinder app, users can do so by keeping their profiles up to date or by simply remaining active on the app. So it’s an incentive for users to keep using the app.
Once you’ve acquired enough coins, you can use them to spruce up your profile or buy things to better your chances of finding a soul mate, like Super Likes and Boosts.
Tinder’s ‘coins’ will land first in Australia later this month before expanding to the rest of the world. According to Bloomberg, Twitter wants the in-app currency to make the dating app more than a game of ‘swipe-left-swipe-right’ for users, and more profitable for the company that owns the platform, Match Group Inc.
Chief financial officer Gary Sidler told Bloomberg believes that coins, “will play an important role as the Tinder experience evolves and becomes more immersive because virtual currency is useful in the context of gifting digital goods.” It might sound a bit odd (like a dating app opening a restaurant), but apparently, it’s something users are keen on. At least, that’s what Tinder took away after testing the feature in small markets back in quarter 2 of this year. Personally, we’re just wondering what the company has planned next. Loot boxes, maybe?