Will my Tinder subscription show up on my bank statement? How can I keep my Tinder activity secret from my partner? Any tips for leading a double life while on Tinder?
You would be amazed at the number of times these questions have come up following our Tinder coverage over the past months.
TechJunkie doesn’t judge, it just provides answers and this piece is going to answer all three of those questions.
Will my Tinder subscription show up on my bank statement?
What will show on your bank statement depends on what you use. Apple just shows an iTunes purchase with no details as to what it was. Google Play Store does apparently say something like ‘Google payment – Tinder’. I haven’t been able to test this myself which I normally would do as I am married and that could be more trouble than it is worth!
Anyone who knows differently can let us know in the comments section to help other Tinder users out there.
How can I keep my Tinder activity secret from my partner?
This question and ‘Any tips for leading a double life while on Tinder? ’ are very similar so I’m going to turn them into a single question about using Tinder privately, or as privately as possible. Here are some actionable ways to keep Tinder secret from everyone, whoever they might be.
Use Tinder without Facebook
While Tinder didn’t share to your Facebook account, having at least one degree of separation between your two lives is key to maintaining them both. Now Tinder allows you do have an account without Facebook, this is definitely the way to go. You will need a burner phone or SIM for this to work but you’ll need one of those anyway to use the app.
Select Log in with phone number on the main Tinder page and you can create a new profile with your burner. This does mean you will have to manually create your profile and upload images but that is a good thing anyway. If you’re secretly using Tinder, you don’t want to use anything that links one life to the other.
Alternatively, create an entirely new Facebook account with a new persona.
Create a new persona
You have to be careful when creating a new persona. You have to make it different enough to be safely separate but similar enough so you can remember it. It needs to be different so someone who knows you and comes across your profile on Tinder won’t immediately recognize you. It needs to be similar so you don’t get caught in a lie and don’t mislead people too much.
Create a name similar to your own but different enough. Try to keep the first name the same or initials so you can remember it. Create a fake address, a new email address and perhaps even social media accounts under your new identity. Again, keep it as similar as possible while also being different.
Take a series of images to use on your profile reflecting your backstory. Think about how that kind of person would look, what they would wear, where they would pose and so on. They should be very similar to your real personality but again, different enough.
Use a prepaid credit card or gift card
Linking to the original question, one way for Tinder to not appear on your bank statement is to link a gift card or prepaid card to iTunes or the Google Play Store. That way it doesn’t matter what appears on the statement as you won’t be getting one. Just remember to set up a payment method to that prepaid card that isn’t tracked either.
Don’t use the app on your main phone
Even if nobody else has access to your main phone, don’t install Tinder on it. Use your burner phone or the browser version of Tinder. If you use your browser, use Incognito Mode to make sure you leave no tracks. A burner phone is useful as you can also swipe while out of the house. How you manage this is up to you as long as you don’t install the app on the phone everyone knows about.
Be careful of your location
Ever heard of the term ‘Don’t s**t where you sleep? ’ This is one of those times. If you live in a small town, don’t set your Tinder location there. If your significant other isn’t a member, someone they know might be. This isn’t so bad if you live in a big city but be mindful of how easy you are to track if someone does come across your profile and gets curious. It may mean a bit of driving between dates but keeping your two lives separate has to be worth the effort right?
