FilipinoCupid.com is a nice and active paid Filipina dating site.
- Profile Detail
- Features
- Ease of Communication
- Usefulness - Free
- Usefulness - Paid
- User Base Size
- Value of Paid Membership
Summary
Pros:
The site has a large user base and nice search functions. Its gold membership upgrade is a good value for the money.
Cons:
It's not possible to use the site for free. The site has a reputation for scammers, and a higher number of users not looking for a real relationship. A minor annoyance is that before sending a message you get a pop-up box.
FIlipinoCupid had a large user base, about the same size as PinaLove.com, see our PinaLove review for more information. Unfortunately, FilipinoCupid has acquired a reputation as a haven for scammers, but if you’re smart and know what to look for, you can easily avoid them. The site is well designed and functional site and easy to use. However, you won’t get much use out of it unless you pay.
User Profiles
The user profiles give a lot of information beyond the basics usually found on dating websites. Much of it is mandatory, so you’re getting good information about the person you’re viewing. Users can fill out both information about themselves and what they are looking for in a partner. However, the freely written descriptions are not required and can be left blank, and a lot of women write very little. You can see how long ago they last logged on so you won’t waste time with inactive users.
Photos are of a medium size, but you can’t view them full screen. They are large enough to see detail, but it’s always best to be able to view them at the maximum size.
Communication
When you click on the message button, a message box pops up. This takes a few seconds and seems like an unnecessary delay. Previous messages can’t be seen directly on the profile. You have to bring up the messaging box and see it there. Unless you are an upgraded member, all messages are ‘locked’ if you message someone who is also not upgraded. The person will see you’ve sent them a message, but will be unable to read anything but the subject line. This makes the site useless until you’re willing to pay to upgrade.
Searching and Usability
FilipinoCupid allows you to search with highly detailed filter, and it lets you sort by new members and when members were last active. This lets you be sure you are not wasting time sending messages to inactive members, and it lets you ‘catch up’ on members who have joined recently if you’ve been off the site for a while. One nice feature is that you can search by country, province, city, and proximity to a city. This feature makes the site a bit easier to use over other sites like ChristianFilipina. It’s a nice feature if you’re living in or planning to visit a certain region in the Philippines.
The site has a detailed help section with a help ticketing system. Some users report problems with billing issues and need to call an EU phone number to have it resolved. Apparently, users paying with a credit card may be required to provide copies of the card used and a photo ID. MasterCard, Visa, Delta, American Express, and PayPal are payment options.
Additional Features
You can verify your identity and have this noted on your profile, making you look more trustworthy. You can also be more sure about the women you are talking to. Of limited value is the site’s tagging feature.
Paid Vs Free Features
Without paying, you’re able to have a look around and see how the site works, but it will be useless for meeting anyone. Without a paid membership, you can frustratingly only see that you have a message and who it is from, but not read it. for a membership allows you to read emails and anyone you send an email to can read it. You also have access to live chat, and you can hide your online status and choose not browse anonymously.
A gold membership will cost you $139.99 for a year, $69.98 for 3 months, and $34.99 for 1 month. A gold membership allows you to read emails and anyone you send an email to can read it. You also have access to live chat, and you can hide your online status and choose not browse anonymously.
The platinum membership costs $159.99 for a full year, $79.98 for 3 months, and $39.99 for 1 month. With the platinum membership, you’ll also be able to rank above others in searches and your profile will be highlighted, and you get a few more search options like waste size. You also have “advanced matching algorithms,” though it’s unclear what that means. Since most of the woman you’ll be talking to will be those
Since most of the woman you’ll be talking to will be those you find in search, there aren’t many benefits to choosing platinum over gold. If it takes you more than 6 months to find a good match, you’re doing it wrong, so I recommend signing up for the 3-month gold plan and seeing how it goes.
Conclusion
Despite its reputation as a place to get scammed, FilipinoCupid.com is a highly usable site with a very large and active user base. Even though it’s extremely limited for free users, it’s moderately priced, coming in just a little more expensive than the also large but less sleekly designed PinaLove, and far cheaper than the smaller but more serious ChristianFilipina.
