A controversial dating app uses credit scores to create matches

Source: Mashable Tech

Introduction

Just when you thought the outcry against dating‑app culture couldn’t get any louder, an old app returns to remind us that there truly is no floor.

Score was first launched in 2024 by a financial‑services company looking to promote greater openness about personal finances. To qualify for Score membership, users had to prove they had a credit score of 675 or above, a gimmick that garnered north of 50,000 active users.

According to a recent interview with TechCrunch, Score founder Luke Bailey is eager to relaunch the app. There is already a Score website where you can sign up for the waiting list and discover their new tagline: “Dating For People With Good Credit.”

New Features and Membership Tiers

The new‑and‑improved Score focuses on inclusivity. The app will offer two membership tiers:

• General‑access membership – open to everyone.
• Verified‑credit tier – members who verify their credit scores unlock additional quality‑of‑life features, such as sending video introductions or messaging people who haven’t already swiped right.

Privacy and Verification

Score is teaming up with Equifax to handle both credit and ID verification, prompting tech‑savvy critics to raise privacy concerns. Bailey, however, argues that using a credit score is not inherently superficial:

“We look at credit not as a measure of wealth, but as a reflection of consistency and reliability. Most dating platforms measure attrition. We measure reliability alongside compatibility.”
— Luke Bailey, press release

The idea is that someone who reliably makes credit‑card payments is also less likely to ghost matches.

Market Context

The timing of the Score launch is inauspicious. Younger Americans are simultaneously experiencing a credit crunch and a weakening job market comparable to the 2008 financial crisis, with average credit scores falling at a faster rate than at any time since 2009. Score’s bet is that, in a search for financial stability, users might re‑prioritize the credit‑worthiness of potential partners. Yet it’s equally possible that young people will view this move as another crass attempt to harvest user data under the guise of offering a worthwhile service.

Underlying Thesis

Are credit‑worthy people also inherently more reliable in dating? Does a missed credit‑card payment suggest a flaky personality, or someone likely to forget to return a phone call or remember a birthday? The market will ultimately supply the answer to those questions.