The big picture: Tinder has agreed to pay $60.5 million to settle a longstanding class-action lawsuit accusing the dating app of age discrimination. The case, filed in California in 2015 by user Allen Candelore, alleged that the company charged older users more for premium subscriptions while offering lower prices to younger subscribers.
According to the plaintiff, Tinder charged users aged 29 and older more for premium subscriptions such as Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold, while offering cheaper rates for the same services to users in their teens and 20s. The lawsuit claimed the tiered pricing model violated multiple California laws, including the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Unfair Competition Law.
Tinder denied all allegations of wrongdoing or liability in the case but agreed to the multi-million-dollar settlement to resolve the dispute. The final approval hearing is scheduled for May 20 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court. If approved, more than 260,000 users would be eligible for compensation.
California residents who subscribed to Tinder Plus or Tinder Gold on or after March 2, 2015 may qualify for a payout if they were 29 or older at the time of purchase. Users who were 28 or older and subscribed to either plan on March 2, 2016 or later may also be eligible. Tinder officially discontinued age-based pricing across all markets in 2022.
Users seeking a share of the settlement will need to file a claim, verify their membership details, and select a preferred payment method by August 18, 2026. Payments will depend on how much they spent on the two services, with each eligible class member estimated to receive between $100 and $150. The deadline to opt out or object to the agreement is April 8, 2026.
Tinder has yet to release a statement about the settlement, but the company previously defended its tiered pricing system by comparing it to discounted student rates offered by other online services, such as Spotify and Apple Music. A company spokesperson also argued that offering discounted rates to younger users with limited budgets helps make the premium features more accessible.