Do You Get Money Back for Unused Time When You Upgrade Tinder?

Yes, though the way it comes back depends on where you pay. On an iPhone you pay the full cost of the new plan straight away, and Apple should refund the unused time on the old one within a few business days. On Android through Google Play you are charged only a prorated amount for the difference. On Tinder.com, or with a card in the Android app, you pay in full upfront and get a refund for the remaining time within a few days.

Apple handles this one, and it works as a charge followed by a refund.

When you upgrade, you pay the full cost of the new subscription immediately. Tinder says Apple should then refund the unused time on your old subscription within a few business days. Your renewal date also moves. It becomes the date you upgraded, not the date you first subscribed.

So for a few days your statement shows the whole new charge before the refund appears. That is normal. It is not a double charge.

Google Play does the sum for you up front.

Instead of charging the full price and refunding later, Google Play charges you a prorated amount for the difference between the two plans. Your original renewal date does not change. You never see a refund, because you were never charged for the overlap in the first place.

If you paid Tinder directly, either on Tinder.com or with a card inside the Android app, it works much like Apple.

You pay the full amount upfront, and Tinder says you get a refund for the remaining time on the old plan within a few days. Here too, expect a short stretch where the full charge is visible and the refund is not yet.

The three routes behave differently, so it helps to know which one you are on before you tap upgrade.

Tinder's order numbers tell you. If yours starts with MK, Apple bills you. GPA means Google Play. TNDR means Tinder.com or a card inside the Android app. The number is on the receipt from your first purchase.

Knowing this saves you a worried week. If you are on Apple or Tinder.com, a large charge right after the upgrade is expected, and the refund follows. If you are on Google Play and see a large charge, that is worth a closer look, because Google Play should only charge the difference.

Whichever way you pay, an upgrade changes the tier and keeps the length. Tinder says a six-month Plus plan becomes a six-month Gold or Platinum plan. So the refund covers the unused time on the old tier, but you are then paying for the higher tier for the full length you already chose.

That matters if you only wanted to try the higher tier. On a long plan, an upgrade is a long commitment.

Give it the few business days Tinder mentions before you worry. Then go to whoever billed you.

Tinder says Apple handles all refunds for purchases made through Apple, so an iPhone refund question goes to Apple Support. For an order number starting with TNDR, paid by card or PayPal, Tinder says to contact it from the same email address you used for the purchase and to include the order number. Keep the receipt from the upgrade until the refund lands, so that number is ready if you need it.

The refund question is the easy one. The harder question is whether a higher tier gets you more dates.

Gold adds the ability to see who Likes You, weekly Super Likes and a monthly Boost. Platinum adds Prioritized Likes. Tinder says those get your Likes seen sooner than the Likes of non-subscribers, though it cannot promise every one is seen. Each one helps a different kind of man. Gold suits the man women already like. Platinum suits the man who likes first and hears back rarely.

a dating coach puts every paid extra through the same test. Use it for a while, and keep it only if something real improves. He also warns that paid features are multipliers, and multiplying zero still leaves zero. So note your matches and dates for a few weeks before upgrading, then change nothing else and compare after a few weeks on the new tier. If the dates did not move, a higher tier is not what your account needs. A clearer lead photo and a better opening line usually are.