All dating apps have some pay-to-play feature. Their subscription services have hidden features behind paywalls and leave the user wanting more.
More than often, we’re tempted to want to purchase some or all of the hidden features. Popular apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge 
hold users from being matched until you pay the app money.
If you’re a college student, there may be a situation where you want to hide that you’re paying a dating service from your parents.
If they’re paying your credit card bill, telling them when they see a dating app come up as a charge may be awkward. It’s easier if it comes up as something normal; that way, there are no guilty explanations to be dealt with.
How Tinder Appears On a Credit Card
For instance, in many cases, Apple’s App Store will display the purchase as “App Store Purchase.” This depends on the bank and the credit card you’re using.
If you’re a Google customer, it may appear as “Google* Tinder” on your statement. We recommend purchasing a .99 item from a completely different mobile app in the app store and asking to see your parents for the statement. This will give you the best idea if the charge appears visible.
How Bumble Appears On a Credit Card
Seeing Bumble charges on a credit or debit card also completely depends on the phone’s operating system. As mentioned, if Apple is the provider, it will be charged through the app store; it may not appear on the statement.
However, if you’re using an Android, there’s a good chance that whoever owns the credit card will be able to see the purchases on the statement. The bumble purchase on the credit card will show up as “Google *Bumble.” There is no way around this, as Google is completely transparent with the credit card user.
Does Tinder Auto-Renew?
Tinder does have an auto-renewal feature. This is important to know because if you happen to delete the app temporarily and forget, there’s a good chance the app will continue to charge you.
Whenever deleting a mobile dating app, be sure to go into the settings, delete the credit card and ensure all the payments are not recurring.
This is important because Tinder’s payment features often cost anywhere between $10-$30, which can run over $100 if a user forgets to cancel the subscription over a few months.
Do I Need To Enter My Credit Card In Order To Use Dating Apps?
However, if you’re looking to enhance your dating experience and want to get the most out of each dating app, then you’ll need to pay for features.
Whether it’s popular or not mainstream, every dating app will have some sort of payment service that allows the user full access to the app.
The good news, almost all of these mainstream dating apps have free versions, which work perfectly fine if you’re new to the dating world. We’ve found plenty of great use from using the free version of the dating app. Matches will still come through and be available to free users.
However, there is a usage restriction in most cases with the mobile apps if you do not enter in your credit or debit card to unlock the full version.
We recommend easing yourself into the mobile app first before entering in a credit or debit card. Each mobile app attracts different types of users, which will either enhance or ruin your experience. See what mobile app bests fits you and determine if it’s worth entering your credit card to pay for the full feature.
Conclusion
Dating apps appear on credit cards if the user enters the credit card within the app or uses the app store to verify purchases. How it appears on the statement completely depends on the operating system that the user is using.
If they’re using apple, the statement will appear as an “App Store purchase.” If the user is using Google Play or any Android operating system, the message will typically come up with “Google *DatingApp” (it won’t say dating app, it will say the name of the dating app).
We caution the user, if they’re actually very concerned about what it might say on a credit card statement, to test out a small .99 purchase on a different app, and see how it appears.
If you’re still not convinced and have issues with parents finding out about the dating app charge, we recommend going to a local mini-mart and pre-paying a gift card. This way, you’re able to charge it directly to the card, and it will never hit the parent’s statement.
Loading up pre-payed cards to an iPhone or Android is the same way you’d load up a typical credit card. There’s no difference in how it’s entered, and it’s a lot safer in staying discreet.
The only downside is, if you continue this trend for months, there’s a good chance the money will run out, and you’ll have to load another card to the system. This process can be grueling over time, and it may be best to go to the bank and get a separate debit card that you’re able to reload.
This is not the best way, as the parents will ask you why you bought a $20 gift card, however it will be better than explaining to them about a Tinder charge.