Take Into Account All the Costs of Dating Online

By Jayde Johannsen

More and more people are dating online, and for good reason. Never before have men and women had access to so many different potential partners. It used to be that folks were limited to the people they went to school, or their coworkers, or friends introduced through friends. Today, however, for a small sum billed to your credit card each month, you can enjoy connecting with millions of people across the web.

Dating sites range widely in price. Some of them are free, or offer a trial period for you to evaluate and decide whether they're right for you. The free sites generally don't offer the same functions as their more expensive relatives. For instance, you probably won't find a powerful search function that allows you to narrow down potential candidates according to interests. Instead, you'll likely be limited to searching by broad factors such as gender, location, and age.

Sites that require a monthly payment, however, have powerful search engines that allow you to quickly find exactly the kind of mate you're interested in. Do you love chess? Plug that into the field, and you'll find someone with a similar passion. Of course, if you live in a small town with hardly any people interested in online dating, this isn't a big deal. You can simply sort through the profiles on a case by case basis, looking for a mate. But if you're searching in New York City or Paris, with millions of potential suitors, it can be quite another story.

Another cost that most people don't think about? You'll likely be going on a lot more dates! This could prove doubly expensive for men, if they go the traditional route and pick up the whole tab. This is one reason (with safety being the other primary) why it's important to spend some time getting to know someone online before taking the relationship offline. And who wants to sit through a long meal with someone they're obviously not compatible with anyway?

Sites that cater towards specific nationalities or religions are also often more expensive, for the simple reason that they can be. Dating sites aimed at the broader public face more competition, so their prices, in turn, must be more competitive. On the other hand, religion based sites like JDate.com (aimed towards Jewish singles) have a huge market share, and can price their services more or less at will. That translates to higher costs for the consumer.

One last thing to keep in mind: it's very easy to sign up with your credit card, and then completely forget about it! A year later, you check your card statement, and realize you've been paying for it the whole time. That could mean a whole lot of wasted money.

Online dating sites can be a great and inexpensive way to meet the love of your life, but you have to exercise some caution when choosing a venue. Do the proper research, and you'll be just fine. - 32510

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