I was scrolling on Tinder, desperately swiping right to find a match. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the Tinder Platinum upgrade. Was this shiny new service my golden ticket to more dates, or just a way for Tinder to cash in? I decided to try it out for myself to see if it was really worth the hefty price tag.
Now here, I’m sharing my experience and explaining all the features of Tinder Platinum so that you can make a more informed decision.
A Quick Refresher: Tinder’s Subscription Levels
Before getting into Platinum, let’s review the subscription levels that came before it…
Tinder Plus offers:
- Unlimited Likes instead of the free version’s 100 daily limit
- Unlimited Rewinds to undo accidental left swipes
- Passport to change locations
- No ads
Tinder Gold has all the above, plus:
- 5 Super Likes per week
- 1 monthly Boost
- View who already liked you
- See daily “Top Picks”
Finally, we have the shiny Tinder Platinum. This includes all features from lower tiers, as well as:
- Message Before Matching
- Prioritized Likes
- Viewing sent Likes from the past week
Now let’s dive into those Platinum specifics and see if they can take your Tinder experience to new heights.
Platinum Feature #1: Messaging Before Matching
Tinder normally requires a match before either party can message. With Platinum’s “message before matching”, however, you can break the ice with someone in your messages as soon as you Super Like them.
To access this perk, simply Super Like a user as you normally would while swiping. On their profile, you’ll now have the option to compose a message up to 140 characters long to go with your Super Like.
I tried this feature out on 10 different profiles during my trial. For most, I kept it simple with a comment or question about something on their profile. Overall, I’d say it made a positive impact – 7 out of 10 ended up matching with me later, compared to my usual Super Like success rate of around 50 percent.
So while not a slam dunk, messaging before matching does seem to improve your chances – likely because it shows more sincere interest off the bat versus a “blind” Super Like.
That said, a couple of caveats…
- Firstly, avoid openers that are overly eager or cringey.
- Secondly, some users may still find Super Likes themselves too intense, pre-messaging or not. So consider the overall vibe of a profile before pursuing this approach.
All in all, though, it’s a fun way to get on someone’s radar if you’re willing to pony up the cash and Super Likes. Just use good judgment if taking advantage of it.
Platinum Perk #2: Priority Likes
Similar to Bumble Boost or OkCupid’s Premium A-List feature, Platinum members supposedly get bumped higher up the card stack so your profile will be seen faster by new users.
In theory, this should improve your chance at coveted “first impressions”…if the algorithm gods deem you a worthy suitor.
In practice, however, I didn’t notice much benefit from prioritized likes during my trial. Over a few days of intensive right-swiping, my match rate seemed comparable pre- and post-Platinum – no Tinder boosters or other aids involved.
Perhaps there’d be more impact for extremely active profiles in dense cities where competition is fiercest? As a suburban Tinderer, though, it didn’t give my performance a visible uptick.
I also couldn’t find concrete details from Tinder on how your profile gets ranked or elevated among Platinum subscribers – just generic PR speak. So the inner workings remain a mystery.
Long story short: nice idea, but your mileage may vary.
The Rest: Likes You’ve Sent and No Ads
The remaining Platinum features are small but practical:
- Viewing Likes you’ve sent in the past week: helpful for avoiding drunken double-taps or keeping your left/rights consistent when revisiting past cards.
- No ads: one less annoyance to deal with. Tinder holds your attention captive enough without random ads, so why not ditch them?
Neither are major wins on their own but provide subtle quality-of-life bumps with the subscription.
Verdict: Pass on Platinum, Stick to Gold
Based on my experience, here’s the verdict on adding Tinder Platinum to your dating portfolio:
Most users can safely pass. Between pricing nearly $10 higher than Tinder Gold and spotty value from perks like priority likes, Platinum felt more “novelty” than necessities for this Tinder vet.
Gold remains the best investment for blending useful features at a reasonable price. For social butterflies on an app with ample traction like Tinder, Gold supplies the core tools you need.
Platinum could appeal to selected niches. Travelers might enjoy messaging matches in upcoming destinations, while super users in urban hubs might manifest better results from perks like prioritized likes. But it’s still a “maybe”.
Go month-to-month if you do test drive Platinum – $40/month over a 3+ month commitment is harder to justify without knowing if you’ll use and benefit from those add-ons.
At the end of the day, Tinder Platinum doesn’t provide enough bang-for-the-buck improvements over Gold’s slick features and noticeable upgrades from free swiping.
For most users, the standard paid package hits the sweet spot between perks and price. But if you want to chat someone up before matching or benefit from subtle fixes like ad removal and revisiting past likes, I would say Tinder’s premium tier could give your love life a little extra sizzle.
