Internet dating started with the general dating category. There are now a plethora of mainstream web-based dating sites and numerous niche dating sites too. While internet dating continues to grow, wealthy dating has become a major category following its emergence in 2001- 2002. It's growth reflects the demands of our modern internet connected society. Wealthy dating sites typically attract members that either earn six figures annually or want to have relationships with those that do. Some sites require members verify their millionaire status. They typically label it Verified or Certified Millionaire. Others are more lenient with 'expectations' that members minimally earn six figures as qualification for site membership.
Just as in the rest of society, wealthy people seek relationships with people of similar interests and backgrounds. According Bradford Wilcox and Steven Nock, to University of Virginia sociologists who co-authored the study "What's Love Got to Do With It? Equality, Equity, Commitment and Women's Marital Quality," women tend to be more content when their husbands earn the majority of the household income. As Wilcox explains, "Our study suggests that women who take a man's wealth into consideration when dating are likely to be happier down the line."
Wealthy dating sites have undergone a consistent expansion since 2002. At one time, the category was exclusively occupied by “Traditional” dating sites. Now, the rising popularity of “Arrangements”, coupled with the quality of service those sites offer, has resulted in four arrangement sites making it into our top ten list of wealthy dating websites.
For clarification, we define a “Traditional” wealthy dating site as one where members seek relationships with those of relatively equal socio-economic means. “Arrangement” wealthy dating sites are defined as a mutually beneficial relationship between a wealthy individual and a not-so-wealthy partner. The most common arrangement is the “Sugar Daddy” or “Sugar Mom” serving as the generous mentor to a usually younger, attractive "Sugar Babe" of either sex.
While the sugar daddy (arrangement) sites have multiplied and flourished in recent years, traditional wealthy dating sites feature a far greater number of members overall. Whatever your preferences in relationship type (traditional or arrangement) we've rated all the sites in the category based on their ability to meet the ratings criteria below (plus the extra features aspect). If you haven't already, we advise you to get acquainted with the top wealthy dating websites through our reviews at No1Reviews.com.
In rating the sites we sorted out the key common areas that impact the members the most. Site selection in the end is a personal choice. Site quality in our view is measured by how well the sites met the following common criteria and what extra features they offer to make a better site for their membership.
These are the four factors that impacted our rankings of the sites most:
- Number of members:
While it's not a guarantee of success, it does help greatly to have more prospects to choose from. When there are hundreds of well suited prospective members in your locale, the odds of realizing a good match become more favorable. This criteria weighs heavily in favor of sites like Millionaire Match.com which has literally millions of members from all over the world. Other sites have sizable membership databases as well.
- Activity and members' involvement:
For activity we look for a feature called 'Last log in'. We use this to determine activity levels for the larger groupings (by age and sex mostly). We randomly check how frequently the typical 'established' members come onto the site. When patterns emerge (good or bad), they're factored into the ratings.
We also get an idea of how involved the membership is by checking it's chat activity, blog input and forum action. More activity and involvement presents a more enjoyable, dynamic experience for members. After all, who wants to belong to a site where you feel ignored or not part of a community.
To a certain extent, member retention is a function of the features available and by the activity levels induced by the site. It's certainly possible to build a great site and service members well without having overwhelming membership roles.
Active chat-rooms, blogs, and forums are all value-added factors in a site's ranking. Some of the lower rated sites have “stale memberships”. Inactive members are kept "on the books”, when in actuality they have not been on the site for many months. We penalize sites that practice this with poor ratings.
- Contact Options:
This one is critical for obvious reasons. Most traditional sites offer 'flirts' and 'interested in' features to give new Standard members options to indicate interest. Site e-mail is a different matter. As a Standard (free) member, accessing e-mail is a big plus for getting to know prospects.
Most sites feature one way only e-mail or none at all between Standard members but do allow contact to or from Premium (paid) members. We look for sensible access for the members (free and paid), as a way of measuring this key feature. (Readers can look for these e-mail particulars in the features list of our reviews).
- Profiles and Photos:
Sites that give Standard (free) members ready access to members profiles and photos (at least partial), provide another key tool for finding the right partner. It's in the profile that you begin to discover the values and traits important in a relationship. Sites do vary with some allowing access here for Standard
members. Certain sites offer limited access while others offer considerable access.
Sites with a high percentage of members posting photos are doing a good job of inducing membership involvement too. This factor combined with good photo handling software results in a site getting upgraded for that in our review process.
Those are the main criteria we use to rate the sites collectively. Beyond those key factors, we evaluate a site's special features. When these features contribute something to a site's quality in terms of members' activity or involvement factors we grade up for that. That's the biggest key for us. Are they doing a good job of keeping their members satisfied, and providing good value at the same time? When we see indications of a flourishing, active membership it's reflected in the review and star ratings a site receives. For us, it's not easy to determine how much emphasis to place on a feature that is less accessible to Standard members but is a great one that Premium members love. We do our best to judge it's overall impact on the site and explain it with (hopefully) objective commentary.
When you've chosen a site to join (free or paid) here are some “Dos”:
- Always post a picture (less than six months old). If you've had a significant weight change be sure to use a current photo. Photo listings get 3 to 7 times the response of non-photo listings.
- Complete your personal profile when joining. Don't worry about it being perfect, you can edit it later. Just have something there of substance because as a new member you're a “featured item”, but only for the first month or so. Make the best first impression by having your input there at the fingertips of the other members.
- Let your feelings be known in your profile and in the traits and characteristics you desire in a relationship. Don't be reluctant to be honest and up-front about what you want or have to offer. It's better to reasonably inform someone than to leave yourself open to misinterpretation.
- Check-in to the site often (more than twice a week). Checking in once a week or only on the weekend just doesn't cut it if you're going to stay in good contact with your prospects. Remember, others may be trying to get in touch with you and you don't want them wondering when you'll get back to them.
- Avail yourself of all the features the site offers. Trying them all is the best way to get involved and get the most out of the experience. Examples of the things to check are: Blogs, Chat-rooms, Forums, and Video or Audio messaging. Every site is different.
- Use the site's 'block' feature when contacted by those you'd rather not be in touch with. It's not rude to serve notice to those in whom your interest level is nil. But when possible, inform them politely first.
And a few of the “Don'ts”.
- Don't let your lack of site familiarity or computer skills limit your using the site to full effectiveness. When you're new, you are a featured member. Take full advantage of that and get busy using the site's socializing options (chats, blogs). Initiate contact with appealing members and make the experience count.
- Don't limit yourself to just one or two sites. Even if you're a Premium member on one site, there is nothing stopping you from having your foot in the door exploring other sites that may offer some potential.
- Don't get trapped into longer term memberships if you're relatively new to a site. If you just love the place, OK. Value considerations aside, a shorter membership will either produce results or it won't.
- Don't be surprised by terms and conditions rules that cause your credit card to be auto-billed (without your knowledge). Some sites auto-bill you, some will not. You need to know what a site's cancellation policies are. It's mentioned in FAQ's, or “contact us” administration area of most sites.
The wealthy dating category offers many an opportunity to find relationships with others of similar means, with like minded attitudes, and for those who want the higher standard of living that can be experienced with a partner of high net worth. It's an area of dating that will continue to change as social acceptance of 'arrangements' broadens. In time, we'll see subcategories emerge from the arrangements category that will one day stand on their own.
The internet opens doors for communicating, networking, and socializing. As the socializing aspects of the internet expand, coupled with technological improvements, we'll see more and better opportunities for things like casual lunch dates generated from on-line activity. Imagine using your mobile phone to access your favorite site and within 2 hours having a delightful lunch date in a convenient, enjoyable setting. How distant into the future we'll see that would be just a guess, but it's probably closer than we think.
