Jennifer Lopez might have sung B次元官网网址淟ove DonB次元官网网址檛 Cost a ThingB次元官网网址� more than 20 years ago, but these days, itB次元官网网址檚 not uncommon to drop some cash in the hunt for a partner.

For a monthly or annual fee, there are many dating apps and sites that will give you access to their pool of suitors. Others like Hinge, Tinder, Grindr and Bumble have free versions along with paid tiers or features that banish ads, allow messaging prospective dates before matching or show the userB次元官网网址檚 profile more prominently.

But does paying for a service or feature actually increase the odds of finding a partner?

Not necessarily, say matchmakers and Canadian daters, who have found an open-minded attitude and the right profile are the biggest indicators of success on paid and free dating apps alike.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really about thinking about what you want to put that money into and doing your research rather than being like IB次元官网网址檓 going to join Match and pay whatever,B次元官网网址� said Shannon Tebb, the Toronto dating expert behind boutique matchmaking service Shanny in the City.

B次元官网网址淒o you have a good profile? Do you have good photos? If no, I donB次元官网网址檛 know why you are already joining the membership.B次元官网网址�

There has been little recent public research specific to success with paid dating services, but shopper advocacy publication Consumer Reports studied user experiences on dating apps in a 2017 survey of 115,000 subscribers.

A subset of 9,600 respondents who used an online dating service in the two years before the survey rated the sites based on factors like satisfaction, quantity and quality of matches, value, privacy settings, messaging and appearance.

Free sites OkCupid, Tinder and Grindr received marginally higher ratings than paid sites.

Ashley Madison, which is marketed to people who are married or in a relationship and suffered a massive breach involving the data of 30 million users in 2015, had one of the highest fees for its services, but was among the lowest scoring online dating services.

The success of services that only accept paid users often hinges on the quantity and quality of daters it attracts.

Too many people can trigger choice paralysis and make users tired of swiping or scrolling through a seemingly endless ream of options, but too few might make matches difficult and prompt cancellations.

Striking a balance is key but often no easy feat.

A survey of 644 people from Statisa found only 19 per cent of male and six per cent of female dating app users were paying in January 2018. Twenty-two per cent of men had paid in the past and 12 per cent would consider it in the future, while 15 per cent of had paid for dating services before and eight per cent were open to trying it for the first time.

Those that pay B次元官网网址� whether itB次元官网网址檚 for a members-only service or special features B次元官网网址� can sometimes be perceived as more B次元官网网址渉ighly-motivated daters.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e putting money into anything, whether itB次元官网网址檚 a dating app or working with an expert, I think you are more intentional and youB次元官网网址檙e going to take it more seriously,B次元官网网址� said Tebb.

Tinder is using that logic to test a $500 monthly plan and Hinge has a $50 offering that promises to help your likes get seen faster.

After hearing about a friend who had a good experience with HingeB次元官网网址檚 premium service, 26-year-old Carol Eugene Park paid $50 for one month in November.

The payment gave the Vancouver journalist access to HingeB次元官网网址檚 preference filters, which narrow down potential matches based on criteria such as their religion, ethnicity, education and height.

The first day she had the filters on she was only served three choices.

Her roommate insisted she was too picky, so she dropped some deal-breakers like having an undergraduate and a masterB次元官网网址檚 degree.

That brought up 10 choices, including several men she had matched with before paying a premium.

B次元官网网址淚t was just weird that I was paying for this thing, but I was still talking to the guys that had matched before, so I was like why am I spending money on this?B次元官网网址� Park recalled.

Tebb frequently reminds people not to B次元官网网址渙ver-filter,B次元官网网址� especially with location or hobbies, and to focus on weeding out people only for your top three deal-breakers rather than many.

SheB次元官网网址檚 had clients who were too restrictive on where they wanted potential suitors to live, but when they loosened up their parameters founded a lasting match.

Before plunking down cash on paid dating offerings, she recommends people look closely at what their profile is projecting and ask friends or a dating coach how they can spruce it up.

For some, swapping photos or hiring a photographer to take lifestyle-focused images can help attract better matches.

B次元官网网址淪ometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes,B次元官网网址� Tebb said.

Others need a hand evaluating the vibe they give off in written prompts.

Bumble, for example, advises users to be themselves, specific and intentional.

That means instead of answering a question about non-negotiables in potential partners by saying something like B次元官网网址渘o drama,B次元官网网址� Bumble recommends an answer like, B次元官网网址淵ou HAVE to be willing to sing karaoke in the car with me.B次元官网网址�

As for Park, she didnB次元官网网址檛 renew HingeB次元官网网址檚 premium service for another month and realizes she should have been more open-minded but wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be opposed to trying other paid apps.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not really a Bumble girlie, but I heard from a few friends that the paid version is a bit more successful,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淏ut then again, thatB次元官网网址檚 what I heard about Hinge, so I donB次元官网网址檛 really know if thatB次元官网网址檚 true or not, but I would be open to Bumble.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擳ara Deschamps, The Canadian Press