Been thinking about this a lot lately and figured I'd ask the community directly. Premium features on most sites are genuinely not worth it unless you're in a very active metro area.
Honestly the best results I've had were on smaller niche platforms rather than the huge mainstream apps. Never share your real last name, address, or workplace before meeting someone in person.
The trick is being upfront in your bio. Nobody wants to waste time guessing what you're after.
A few things worth keeping in mind:
- Payment requests from matches should always be treated as a scam regardless of the story behind them.
- Report suspicious behavior to the platform — most have dedicated teams for this now.
- Separate browser profiles and email addresses for dating activity are basic hygiene at this point.