Reviewed On: 10/3/2007

Price/Period: $55/100 Tokens



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Reviewed by Cupids Reviews Staff

The profile process is simple. It lacks the essays and endless questions that haunt traditional singles portals. Instead, you face a handful of multiple-choice questions that target the practical details of what you want in an encounter with someone new. Some sex dating sites do the same, but you'll feel that Ashley Madison is sincerely providing a place for inconspicuous meetings. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that there’s not much to look at when it comes to members' photos.

"...there are essentially people who may attempt to contact you without any genuine interest in hooking up."

Free advanced search options allow you to find results up to 20 miles from home if you want, as well as selecting several criteria and even doing keyword searches. As with better dating sites, AshleyMadison has laid the groundwork for good member growth. Guests can wink and show interest in anyone on the site, as well as reply free to messages from paid members. That means if you are able to get your winking down to a science and can find members who’ve paid for credits, you might not have to hand over a dime to make a connection.

There are a few cute features. For example, a 'panic button' redirects you to a movie trailer site, if someone comes up behind you snooping at what you're doing. There are tips, not designed to tell you how to go about cheating, but instead, how to find success on the site. They give some sage advice, such as pointing out that if you're single, it may be harder to hookup with individuals who are attached as they're risking more.

The site's popularity has waned in the last while. It had gotten attention (not always positive, given its mandate) from mainstream news and information sources. That may have drawn curious, but not serious, visitors for a while. They have added a three-month unlimited email plan with 500 tokens for instant messaging, which costs over $200 to buy. You can start with 100 tokens for $55 as the lowest cost alternative, which allows initiating 20 emails, or five hours of instant messaging maximum. AshleyMadison.com offers a unique service, but its tokens are somewhat expensive. However, they allow greater flexibility than most monthly membership plans.

Finally, it should be noted that if you read the terms and conditions page, it states the following: "From time to time this service may include, offer or initiate winks, collect messages or instant chat from Market Researchers (Online Hosts) posing as attached or single men or women." We take our hat off to the site for at least blatantly telling us what many other sex dating sites won't, which is that there are essentially people who may attempt to contact you without any genuine interest in hooking up. Be wary of this. It could mean the difference between happy endings and an unhappy financial undoing.

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