Hookup apps are fun and all, but there are real privacy concerns, from the nuances of data collection to the plain fact that you'll be sharing your face far and wide on an app designed for short-term fun. You have a responsibility to take your privacy into your own hands, and that means knowing how the companies you're interacting with value discretion.
If you have a shared bank account or if, for whatever reason, it's likely that other people might get a glimpse of your credit card statement, you may want to know how various hookup sites and apps will charge your card, and how those charges may appear to a third party.
To help give you peace of mind, we dug up the billing practices of four of the most common hookup platforms, so you can better understand the risk you're taking if you decide to pay for a membership:
Hookup apps for everyone
AdultFriendFinder — readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder — top pick for finding hookups
Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups
AdultFriendFinder bank statement
Because AdultFriendFinder is the only web-based dating platform on this list, it cannot disguise its payment processing through an app store, which means you are going to get a telltale billing statement, either directly in your bank account or on your credit card statement. Thankfully, however, AFF has opted for a relatively discreet option: the charges will come from FFNHelp.com*FRIENDF.
If even that garbled assemblage of letters is too revealing for your peace of mind, there are ways to bypass the billing statement entirely, if you're clever about it.
Tinder billing statement
Unlike AdultFriendFinder, which operates exclusively as a website, Tinder operates exclusively as an app, which means all of its charges, whether for subscriptions or Super Likes and Boosts, are routed through your smartphone's app store, either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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There is an exception, though: if you purchase a subscription on the Tinder website, not the app, your bank or credit card statement will show a charge from either TINDER.COM or MATCH GROUP, depending on where you live.
It's also worth noting that Tinder subscriptions automatically renew, not just during your allotted subscription period but also after it, so you need to manually cancel your subscription when you want to stop using the app. Do not just delete the app, as this will keep your subscription running.
Pure billing statement
As an app, Pure also enjoys the benefits of being able to route its charges to you through an app store, so you won't have to worry about anything revealing appearing on your bank or credit card statement, but Pure also allows users to use their website to purchase a membership (at a discount, no less!), in which case you will get a billing statement.
What exactly appears on your bill will vary by where you live, but it will usually be some variation of PURE, without the words "app" or "hookup" appearing.
And like many hookup apps, Pure automatically renews your subscription, so if you want to end your membership, you will have to manually cancel your subscription at least 24 hours before the renewal date.
Grindr billing statement
Like Pure and Tinder, Grindr enables discretion by running its billing through whichever app store you used to download and pay for the app, so you won't have to worry about an identifiable charge appearing on your bank or credit card statement each month.
You should know, however, that Grindr's subscriptions are all set to automatically renew, so if you're intending to stop using the app, you need to manually cancel your subscription by navigating to your profile, selecting Payments (iOS) or Payments & Subscriptions (Android), and then choosing Cancel Subscription. , This will likely help to discourage the low-effort, ghosting culture that so many over-40 daters are running away from.