What is MatureDates all about? According to the dating site, the system has been set up for people in the UK who are over the age of 30 to find each other. The site can match people based on photos, interests, locations, etc.
What is Maturedates.com?
If you are tired of dating apps and sites for teens and younger people, then you are probably looking for one that caters better to your age group. In this case, you will have come across MatureDates while doing your research. So, does this site actually help older individuals find love? What is the user experience like and is MatureDates an effective dating site?
Find out the answers to these questions and more in this review below:
The Premise
What is MatureDates all about? According to the dating site, the system has been set up for people in the UK who are over the age of 30 to find each other. The site can match people based on photos, interests, locations, etc.
MatureDates isn’t necessarily for monogamous dating, although you certainly have that option. It is better suited to casual relationships or hookups. However, it functions in a similar manner to other dating sites.
Signing Up
Signing up with MatureDates is a pretty simple process. First, you have to provide your gender and the gender of the people that you would like to be matched with. Then, you have to select a part of the UK that you would like to focus your attention on.
The next step is to create your own account. You are asked for a username of your choosing as well as a password that will allow you to access your account. You have to provide your email address as well. The company will use this to verify your account.
Is MatureDates Suitable for UK Users?
As mentioned, MatureDates is largely meant for UK users. So, how well does the site live up to its claims? Well, the site does actually cover a great deal of the UK. You can meet people from East, North East, North West, South East, and South West England.
In addition, the site also covers the West and East Midlands, London, Yorkshire and the Humber, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Therefore, it doesn’t matter which part of the UK that you live in, you should be able to use MatureDates.
Does MatureDates Work for Older Users?
Considering the entire premise for MatureDates it is important to know whether or not the site actually caters to an older crowd. Now, the site does allow people up to the age of 99 to sign up with the site. Therefore, you can say that you will find more older adults than on other sites.
At the same time, though, the site also allows people as young as 18 to join up, much like all other dating sites. This can be a bit frustrating if you are specifically looking for an older partner. Once again, you will need to wade through a wider age range to find who you are searching for.
The good news is that the profiles show more people in their late twenties and over the age of 30. Therefore, there is a chance that you may have a bit more success on this site than others.
The User Base
For a dating site to function well there has to be a balance between the number of men and women on the site. Does MatureDates offer this equilibrium? Unfortunately, it does not. If you are a woman on the site, then you should find many options available to you. This is because there are significantly more men there. As a result, you may often find yourself having to field a greater number of messages as well.
Men can struggle quite a bit on this website and this had led to many complaints. Not only aren’t there a lot of women, but the site has been accused of setting up fake profiles and bots in their place. This means that men will match with profiles but will find that they receive basis messages that will not go any further.
Membership Costs
While registering for the site is free, users are required to pay to access other parts of the site. How much does the service cost and where does it fit in with other dating sites?
The cost system at MatureDates is based on credits. If you want to send someone an “icebreaker” message, this will cost you two credits. Such a message can only be sent once at the beginning of the conversation. For a regular message, you will be charged 10 credits per message.
To send messages, you have to at least 10 credits in your message. If your account is empty, you will have to top it up before you can send any more messages again.
There are four packages for you to select from – Standard, Premium, Elite, and VIP. If you want to pay per credits, then you can opt for the Standard package. Here are the costs associated with the package:
- 220 credits = £29.99
- 400 credits = £49.99
- 900 credits = £99.99
- 2500 credits = £249.99
For the premium package, the cost is as follows:
- 3 months: £39.95
- 6 months: £59.95
- 12 months: £99.95
The Elite package is £29.99 for 3 months, while the VIP package for 3 months is £59.99.
MatureDates falls into the middle of the pack when it comes to costs. While it isn’t cheap, it is overly expensive either. However, the site fails to fully outline the difference between the premium, Elite, and VIP packages.
Not to mention, these packages are also set to auto renewal. This means that if you sign up for them, you will be automatically charged each month. You will need to contact the company before the month is up if you want to stop this from happening.
The Payment System
Currently, MatureDates only accepts payment via major credit cards. In some cases, your debit card may be accepted as well. Once you have made payment, your account will be activated immediately.
The only setback with this option is that you have to take MatureDates’ claims that it is completely secure at face value. However, it can still be a little daunting to give out your credit card information to a site that you may not be entirely familiar with.
Privacy and Security
So, just how private and secure is your information?
Now, MatureDates only requires you to use a username when signing up and this is what you will use to chat with other people. You are also in charge of how much information you will give out to other members. Due to this, it can seem like a safer or more anonymous way to keep in touch with strangers over the internet.
As for MatureDates itself, the company claims that all your information is stored on a secure server and in some physical locations. It ensures that only specific staff have access to these and that the information stored is only according to the law.
At the same time, MatureDates does give itself some wiggle room in sharing your information with third parties. Due to this, it is tricky to know precisely who has your information in terms of advertising and marketing purposes.
If you do want to know what kind of information is stored about you, you can contact MatureDates. By law, they do have to give you a list of what they have stored on you. Therefore, there is some level of transparency here.
You can also delete any of the information that you have provided to MatureDates. To do this, you will first have to deactivate and delete your account. Then, you have to contact the company directly to have the information permanently deleted. You should be aware that the company maintains the right to store some information about you even when you are no longer a member.
The Final Verdict
Now, based on all this information, what is the final verdict on MatureDates?
The main perk of the website would be the fact that it allows UK-based members to find locals a bit more easily. This comes in handy especially if you want to date or hookup with people and don’t want to travel as much.
Apart from this, though, the site doesn’t really do that much to distinguish itself. For instance, although it is aimed at older individuals, the site does give people of all ages the opportunity to sign. Needless to say, this can make using the site a bit more frustrating for older users.
Another issue is that there does appear to be more men than women on the site. This is compounded by the fact that the company is using bots to make up for the lack of the women. This does feel borderline fraudulent and can be annoying to male users.
All in all, MatureDates may not be the best option for you as there are far better sites available to people in your age range. Not only are these better known with a much more balanced user base, but you can also find ones that are more affordable as well. Therefore, you may want to keep looking rather than settling for MatureDates just yet.