Tinder is getting a virtual currency, option to buy your match a Lyft
posted Monday Oct 11, 2021 by Scott Ertz
Years ago, Tinder changed the dating game by popularizing swiping on photos rather than communicating with profiles. Since then, nearly every dating app has added this feature or pivoted its entire brand in that direction. But, Tinder has also tried to stay above the industry, creating new features, abilities, and partnerships to stand out in a crowded industry.
Virtual Currency
Soon, all users will have access to a feature that was recently tested with a small percentage of users: a virtual currency. The currency can be purchased to be used in-app for purchases of perks and features, including those which are already available. There are two reasons why this is different from the current process: there are ways to earn coins and they likely have to be purchased in blocks.
Ways to Earn
Users will be able to earn coins, as well as purchase them, by using the app. Some of the activities that will earn you coins are regularly using the app and maintaining your profile. One of the common issues on these dating apps is that profiles become stale. With Tinder, profiles can cycle back through the system when a user updates it. All of this, the company hopes, will drive additional engagement through the system.
Buy them Instead
If you want to use the perks and bonuses faster than you can earn them, you also have the ability to trade real-world currency for Tinder's in-app currency. Depending on how this is implemented, it might end up costing you more than the current process. For example, today you can pay a small amount of money to turn on Boost. After the currency is rolled out, you might have to buy a block of coins in order to trade for features. This could, like in Pokemon Go, cost you more than you had hoped for the same features.
Partnership with Lyft
Another interesting feature coming to the app is the ability for you to buy a Lyft ride for your match. In the younger generations, it is becoming more common for people to not own a car, even outside of New York City. This has been created in part by the availability of services like Lyft and Uber. In addition, as the usage of Tinder has shifted from proper dating to more of a hookup culture, not wanting to drive your own car has also increased. In response to this trend, Tinder has partnered with Lyft to allow you to pay for your match's Lyft through the app.
Lyft describes the service as being seamlessly integrated within the Tinder experience, but that might not be entirely true. You can purchase a Lyft ride credit within the Tinder app, but the end result is not as seamless as you might hope. What you'll get is a shareable link to the credit which you'll then have to manually send to your match. The match can then accept the credit through that link, and it will be added to their Lyft account. The user must also have the Lyft app installed on their phone, making it even less seamless than advertised.
