The latest research follows two studies that found similar price differences on Tinder, one conducted in Australia in 2020 and another in the UK that was published around two weeks before Tinder announced its change in price policy. price. In a press release, Tinder says it has offered price reductions “to make Tinder affordable for those in school or early in their career.”

In most countries covered by the Consumers International study, people in their 30s and 40s were offered higher prices than any other age group. In the United States, their average price was 42.4% higher than the price for adults under 30.

People over the age of 49 saw slightly lower prices on average – much more than people in their 20s, but slightly less than people in their 30s and 40s.

The age gaps were even higher elsewhere. Dutch Tinder users between the ages of 30 and 49 were cited more than twice as much on average as younger users in the CI study.

When Tinder Plus launched, age discrimination for membership was no secret. In the US, swipers over 30 paid $19.99, while younger users paid $9.99.

After the rollout, a Tinder user sued the company for age discrimination under California state law. Tinder eventually agreed to settle the class action lawsuit for $24 million; the terms of the settlement were recently overturned by an appeals court. Tinder hasn’t admitted wrongdoing, but it promised in 2019 to stop the practice for users in California.

The Consumers International study found no statistically significant evidence that gender or sexual preference were related to pricing. However, in the United States, men who participated in the study saw an average price that was 6.5% higher than women. Americans outside major cities were cited 11.5% more than residents of major metropolitan areas.

In the United States, prices were only marginally different for people with different sexual orientations. However, in the Netherlands, Dutch users looking for opposite-sex partners were offered 10.6% higher prices than people looking for same-sex partners.

The study also revealed that the overall prices of Tinder Plus varied by country. Dutch users saw the highest average price at $16.46, while Brazilian users saw the lowest price at $3.49.

Computer scientists say the algorithms can use a vast array of ever-changing data points to set prices and can produce effects that companies using them had no intention of predicting. According to the study, “Even assuming that gender or sexual preferences are not deliberately factored into Tinder’s pricing algorithm, there is potential for unintended discrimination if specific demographics are consistently charged more than their counterparts.”

Tinder says no social demographic information has ever been used to set prices on the platform. “Allegations that Tinder uses gender identity and sexual orientation to set prices are absolutely false,” a Match Group spokesperson said.

Companies often keep the inner workings of their pricing decisions secret. Consumers International recommends that companies and regulators strive to make these decision-making processes public. “Companies should make it clear to consumers when and how personalized pricing is used, while governments and regulators should establish and enforce these transparency requirements,” the study says.