Owner of Match.com, OkCupid, Other Dating Sites Will Pay $14M in FTC Action Over Subscription Practices

Match Group will pay $14 million and make significant changes to its business practices to resolve a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit that alleged that the company for years deceptively induced consumers to subscribe to its online dating services, unfairly locked users out of their accounts, and intentionally complicated the cancellation process.

According to a 16-page order issued on August 13, 2025 by United States District Judge Ed Kinkeade, Match Group, in addition to paying the settlement amount, must also simplify its cancellation processes, more clearly disclose certain terms and conditions, and agree to refrain from retaliating against or threatening with adverse action any consumer who files or threatens to file a billing dispute. Match Group is also ordered to submit compliance reports and create records pertaining to consumer complaints, refund requests and its advertising, marketing and promotion of any “six-month guarantees” offered by the dating platforms it operates.

The FTC released a press release about the Match Group settlement and business practice changes on August 12, 2025.

The FTC’s 26-page lawsuit, filed in September 2019, alleged that Match Group—owner of popular dating sites such as Match.com, Tinder, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish—lured new users with the promise of a free six-month subscription renewal for anyone who did not “meet someone special” during their first paid subscription period. The suit charged that Match Group failed to adequately disclose that users had to satisfy “onerous” eligibility requirements to receive the guarantee, including maintaining a public profile photo, contacting five unique subscribers each month and complying with a lengthy list of program rules.

As a result, the FTC alleged, few users received the free six-month subscription they were promised, and many were surprised to discover that they’d been billed for another six months at the end of their initial subscription period.

“Between 2013 and 2016, consumers purchased nearly 2.5 million subscriptions subject to the guarantee but only received 32,438 free six-month subscription packages during the same period,” the filing said. “In contrast, [Match Group] billed nearly 1 million consumers who purchased a guarantee for an additional six-month package when the first six-month period expired.”

The Match Group lawsuit also asserted that the company, until 2019, unfairly retaliated against consumers who unsuccessfully disputed subscription charges. According to the complaint, when the company won a billing dispute, it often terminated the user’s account and deleted their profile, denying them access to services for which they had already paid.

Moreover, the FTC’s suit argued that the multi-step cancellation processes for Match Group’s dating sites were “confusing and cumbersome” and frequently misled consumers into believing they had cancelled their plan when they had not. Often, consumers only realized their subscription was still active when they were billed again, the case said.

What online dating platforms are involved?

The suit involves certain online dating services that Match Group or a subsidiary owns or operates, including Match.com, BlackPeopleMeet, BLK, Chispa, Upward, Yuzu, Salams, The League, HER, Stir, OurTime, OkCupid, Archer and Plenty of Fish.

Is this a class action lawsuit? How do I join?

No, this case is not a class action lawsuit, and there’s nothing that consumers need to do to sign up or join.

The FTC is a government agency authorized to take action against companies or individuals thought to be violating the law. Some lawsuits filed by the FTC result in refunds to consumers if successful. Head to this page for details about how the agency issues refunds.

ClassAction.org will update this page if information about potential consumer refunds becomes available with regard to the Match Group lawsuit. The FTC’s complaint can be read below.

Check out ClassAction.org’s lawsuit list for current class action lawsuits and investigations.