It’s easy to register on this website exclusively for over 50s, and even easier to get going – ideal for technophobes! To get started, simply input who you’re looking for, your name, date of birth and email. Fifty Plus Dating has members all over the UK, from Aberdeen to Surrey, and can even help if you’re looking for a date from overseas, including Australia and South Africa. The organisation also has a range of other mature dating sites, such as Over 40 Dating and Over 60 Dating, so you can find someone your age.
Bonus that it tends to come with much less drama. If you’re looking for love and you’re not sure where to start, read on for a list of tips on mature dating for over-50s to help you find your soulmate.
Safety is key – don’t think because you’re older you won’t be catfished (deceived) or even assaulted. “When the time is right remember to meet in a public place and keep friends and family updated,” says Hayley. “If someone is pushy when it comes to meeting beware! Any serious, and respectful, potential partner will be happy to get to know you online first.”
"Much of the fun that came with being single when you were younger was due in large part to having lots of single friends to hang out with. However, when you're in your 50s, the vast majority of your friends are likely married or in serious relationships," says dating expert and writer Kevin Darné. "A lot of people are not all that comfortable going out to places alone, and their number of outings is based on the availability of their friends."
If you're meeting someone for the first time, play it safe and let a friend or family member know where you'll be. At the very least, they can come rescue you if your date just isn't a good fit.
It's free to register so you can browse members, but a subscription enables users to read messages and chat with other singles. One month costs £29.99 a month; three months costs £19.99 a month; six months costs £9.99 a month.
Pros There is a lot of choice of men and every day I get winks and emails, which makes me feel popular.
7. Asking for a second date is tricky. Most men I dated asked me at the end of the first one for a second. This made it really hard to say no.
Niche sites out there include Muddy Matches for rural dating, My Lovely Parent, where the children of single parents in their 50s recommend their parents for dates, and the well-known My Single Friend, where a close friend writes your profile and introduces you to potential dates.
In practice, dating after 50 can be very different than it was earlier in life. Health issues, complicated families, and different wants and needs can make dating feel like a totally different ballgame than it was in your 20s and 30s. So try to cast those expectations aside once you put yourself out there again.
Our over 50s niche offers a variety of on-site blogs and other media specifically designed to meet the needs of the over 50s market.
One of the biggest online dating websites, Match is great for all ages. You can be specific and find matches using the criteria search, browse through members' profiles, or opt for 'zen mode' – which means you’ll only be contacted by those who meet your criteria. “It’s important that any platform you use has enough potential matches so you can attract a broad dating pool. Over 1.6 million people have already met their partners on Match, and this is a great dating app for people living in regional areas,” says Hayley. “They also moderate all their profiles making it a really safe site to use.”
In your 50s, you might face a lot of negative self-judgements that make it hard to attract the love you deserve. "You could be putting additional burdens on yourself by focusing on all your undesirable personality traits or threading over the emptiness that has grown in you after each and every unsuccessful date," Thomas says. "If you are one of those people, it's time to accept the truth and let go of the troubling emotions."
Free membership allows you to start six conversations per day or upgrade to 12 conversations per day if you subscribe for £24.99 per month.
According to Elizabeth Kuhnke, the author of Body Language: Learn How to Read Others and Communicate with Confidence, physical signs can speak volumes. "A man who is into you wants to make you happy and will do everything he can to make you feel love, cherished and adored," she suggests. "He looks at you when you’re speaking. He responds to what you say, and asks questions.
PARSHIP and eHarmony offer long and detailed psychometric tests that, boringly, take hours to fill in. Doing Something is a good idea: people say what they’d most like to do on a date, and have lots of fun ideas. But there are too many choices and all in their twenties and thirties.
By the time you reach your fifties you also have the confidence and experience to make booking and taking a solo holiday work. You’ll be able to plan your own itinerary, explore at your own pace and make connections with people you might never have met had you been travelling with friends.
From a dating perspective, especially over-50s dating, taking up a hobby can be a great way to connect with like-minded people in a relaxed and fun environment. Common hobbies adopted by older people include cooking classes, book groups, choirs or learning a new language or instrument.
"It also gives you the opportunity tofocus on deal breakers [such as living arrangements and finances] and what you want and need – this will dictate the app you use," says Nia Williams,founder of Miss Date Doctor relationship counselling service.
