Tinder’s $60.5M Wake-Up Call: Are Apps Profiting From Age Discrimination?

Tinder users in the 30- to 40-year-old range, your ship may have come in: Tinder has finally settled a decade-long lawsuit alleging that older users were charged more for premium subscriptions than younger users. The dating app company will answer for the alleged age discrimination to the tune of $60.5 million. 

The settlement is not a win or a loss for Tinder, but it does shine a light on how app users — and perhaps even the apps themselves — treat people when they enter their 30s. 

Apps like Tinder currently have a precarious position in society, making them more vulnerable to criticism than ever. You’d think that offering a high-quality service to people of all ages would be a priority for dating apps today, not an afterthought produced by a stubborn lawsuit. 

30-Somethings Allegedly Charged Double For Same Product

Plaintiff Allan Candelore first filed his lawsuit against Tinder in 2015, claiming users under 30 were charged $9.99 for a Tinder Plus subscription while those over 30 were charged $19.99. 

Prosecutors argued that the price differences were a form of age discrimination, kicking off a 10-year battle between dating app users and the Match Group behemoth. 

The alleged discrimination reportedly went on until very recently, with the lawsuit noting age-based increases between March 2, 2015, and Sept. 30, 2025. The New York Post reports that approximately 260,000 users will be eligible for payouts from Tinder as a result. 

How much, exactly, did those more than 260,000 users overpay during that vast time period? Approximately $16.144 million, Top Class Actions calculates. 

If you were over the age of 29 when you subscribed to Tinder Gold or Tinder Plus in California on or after March 2, 2015, or if you were over the age of 28 on or after March 2, 2016, then you may be entitled to financial compensation — but only if you were charged more for your subscription because of your age. 

Tinder Claimed People Over 30 Are More Financially Stable 

Tinder initially argued that the price differences were based on logic, not on discrimination, and that it’s “self-evident that people under 30 face financial challenges.” These “self-evident financial challenges” create “a reasonable and non-arbitrary basis for Tinder to offer a discount to people under 30,” the app company posited in 2018. 

But California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act doesn’t leave room for interpretation: It’s illegal for a California-based business to discriminate against someone for their ancestry, race, color, disability, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and yes, their age. 

And charging a 30-year-old and a 20-year-old differently for the same service is a discriminatory action, according to the lawsuit. 

After all, Candelore argued, when you blow out the candles on your 30th birthday cake, all you typically gain is another year of life — not a financial windfall that suddenly gives you more money to spend on a dating app. 

The lawsuit also cites California’s Unfair Competition Law, alleging Tinder falsely advertised by charging older users more for the same premium subscriptions.

There aren’t additional features or benefits for those who paid more for their subscription; Candelore and his attorneys argue that users received the exact same product despite older users paying more for it. 

30-Somethings are Overlooked on Dating Apps

The over-30 crowd continues to exist in a kind of “no-man’s land” on dating platforms. Are they too old for Tinder but too young for eHarmony? Are they too rich for dating apps but too poor for matchmaking? Do people unofficially “age out” of Tinder once they turn 30? 

Don’t get me wrong: Tinder has expanded and diversified its offerings in recent years. Cutting-edge safety innovations and AI advancements aim to satisfy Tinder users of all ages and backgrounds. But this doesn’t negate that Tinder has a history of generalizing the needs and abilities of its own users. 

In today’s day and age, it’s reckless for anyone to make sweeping generalizations about people’s age, finances, or dating goals, let alone one of the most powerful dating apps in the world. 

Now, Tinder will likely put millions of dollars toward answering for these generalizations. But let’s be clear: Tinder has not formally admitted to discriminating against older users. The payout is simply an expensive means to an end — a way to finally turn the page on a long, high-profile chapter in its history.