# Barclays survey says UK dating app spend rose 51.1% in a year > By Kim Harris | Edited by Bill Alena | Published: 2026-10-28T07:21:47.621117+00:00 | Section: Data | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/barclays-survey-uk-dating-app-spend-rose-51-1-percent | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc) Barclays-commissioned Opinium research finds 48% of UK daters report rising costs and dating app spend up 51.1%, to £7.10 a month among single daters. ## Key points - Barclays says Opinium research it commissioned finds 48% of UK daters report dating costs have climbed, and dating app spending is up 51.1% year on year. - Barclays reports single daters spend an average of £7.10 a month on dating apps, up from £4.70 in 2025; men spend £9.20 and women £4.20. - Barclays says 27% of Gen Z have cancelled, rearranged or declined a date over cost concerns, against 14% overall. - Opinium surveyed 2,000 respondents in each round on 25-29 September 2026; Barclays also launched Statement Dating, a social-first series hosted by Ellie Taylor. ## Article - Barclays says Opinium research finds 48% of UK daters report rising dating costs. - Single daters report spending £7.10 a month on dating apps, up from £4.70 in 2025, a 51.1% rise. - 27% of Gen Z say they have cancelled, rearranged or declined a date over cost, against 14% overall. - Bumble and Match Group payer counts fell in Q2 2026 while revenue per payer rose. Barclays says research it commissioned finds 48% of UK daters report that dating costs have climbed, and that dating app spending is up 51.1% year on year. The bank published the Opinium-run findings on 26 October, alongside the launch of Statement Dating, a social-first content series hosted by Ellie Taylor. This is a bank's marketing survey, not independent research. Still, the app-spend number lands in a market where payer counts are under pressure. ### The DII Take Treat the 51.1% with care: it is a self-reported average among single daters, and the release does not say how many of the 2,000 respondents were daters. The likelier reading is that a shrinking pool of payers is paying more each, which fits what Bumble and Match Group reported. Cost sensitivity is now a product problem, not just a Gen Z talking point. ### What Barclays and Opinium found - Single daters report spending an average of £7.10 a month on dating apps, up from £4.70 in 2025. - Men report spending £9.20 against £4.20 for women, and millennials are the top spenders at £12.20. - 62% of Gen Z and 57% of millennials have noticed dating costs rise. - Cheaper formats such as coffee meetings and running dates are favoured by 54% of Gen Z, 44% of millennials and 16% of those aged 46+. - 49% of respondents say technology is making dating feel impersonal and disconnected. Seema Sachdev, Head of Customer at Barclays UK, said: 'Money is increasingly shaping how people date, who they pursue and how relationships develop.' Opinium surveyed 2,000 respondents in each round on 25-29 September 2026, a sample representative of UK consumers. The release labels some Gen Z figures as 18-29s elsewhere. ### How it sits against operator filings [Bumble](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/bumble) (BMBL) reported Q2 2026 revenue down 15.2% to $210.5M and paying users down 16.4% to 3.2 million, while ARPPU rose 1.2% to $21.96. [Match Group](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/match-group) (MTCH) reported 13.3 million payers, down 6%, with revenue per payer up 6% to $21.13. Hinge payers rose 17% to 2 million, according to the Motley Fool transcript. DII has [covered that payer split](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/feeld-user-numbers-rise-cities-match-group-payers-fall). Match Group has guided Q3 revenue to $885M to $895M, down 2% to 3%. 24/7 Wall St. reported that results are due on 2 November. > Single daters report spending an average of £7.10 a month on dating apps, up from £4.70 in 2025. ### What to watch Match Group's Q3 payer and revenue-per-payer figures will show whether higher spend per payer holds. Watch also for cheaper-date and split-bill behaviour: Barclays says 40% prefer to split the bill on a first date, rising to 48% among women. - Barclays-commissioned data points to higher spend per payer, matching Bumble's and Match Group's Q2 revenue-per-payer gains. - The survey is self-reported and company-commissioned, so use it as a signal, not a benchmark. - Match Group's Q3 results, reported as due on 2 November, are the next hard test. **Sources:** [Coffees over cocktails: half of Gen Zs opt for affordable dates, as money moves up the dating agenda (Barclays press release)](https://home.barclays/news/press-releases/20260/100/coffees-over-cocktails--half-of-gen-zs-opt-for-affordable-dates-/); [Barclays Research Shows Rising Dating Costs Are Reshaping Relationships as Statement Dating Launches (EuropaWire distribution of Barclays release)](https://news.europawire.eu/barclays-research-shows-rising-dating-costs-are-reshaping-relationships-as-statement-dating-launches/eu-press-release/2026/10/26/15/21/04/184363/); [Banking on love: Gen Z's financial confidence hinges on finding the 'one' (Barclays, September 2025)](https://home.barclays/news/press-releases/2025/09/-banking-on-love--gen-z-s-financial-confidence-hinges-on-finding-the-one/); [Bumble Inc. second quarter 2026 results (SEC 8-K Ex. 99.1)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001830043/000183004326000099/bmbl-ex991prxq22026.htm); [Match Group Q2 2026 shareholder letter / Q3 guidance (SEC 8-K Ex. 99.2)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000891103/000089110326000128/mtch8-k20260804ex992.htm); [Match Group Q2 2026 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool)](https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2026/08/11/match-group-mtch-q2-2026-earnings-call-transcript/) ## Key takeaways - Barclays' data suggests higher spend per paying dater, which matches Bumble's 1.2% ARPPU rise and Match Group's 6% revenue-per-payer rise in Q2 2026. - The £7.10 monthly figure is self-reported by single daters in a bank-commissioned survey, so operators should treat it as a directional signal rather than a benchmark. - Match Group's Q3 2026 results, reported as due on 2 November, will test whether payer declines and rising revenue per payer continue. ## FAQ ### How much do UK singles spend on dating apps according to Barclays? Barclays' research reports single daters spend an average of £7.10 a month on dating apps, up from £4.70 in 2025. Men report £9.20 and women £4.20. ### What percentage of UK daters say dating costs have risen? Barclays says its Opinium-run research finds 48% of UK daters report dating costs have climbed. The figure is 62% among Gen Z and 57% among millennials. ### What is Barclays Statement Dating? Statement Dating is a Barclays content series made for social media and hosted by Ellie Taylor. It draws on people's actual spending habits to test whether talking openly about money can make couples more financially confident. --- Canonical: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/barclays-survey-uk-dating-app-spend-rose-51-1-percent Citation: "Dating Industry Insights" (https://www.datingindustryinsights.com)