We want to start off our Charm Date review with a little visualization. Imagine you are going on a blind date with a woman. When she arrives, you realize she’s got a beautiful smile and a smokin’ hot body. She wears a gorgeous outfit and walks like she owns the room. Wow, this is going to be great!
She sits down across from you at the table and before you can ever say hello she says, “I just want to say right off the bat that I am not crazy. I have never cheated on any of my boyfriends. Seriously, I haven’t stolen my ex-boyfriend’s car and driven it into the ocean. I would never, ever do any of these things. Really.”
Then you ask the waiter for the check ASAP. Because you know, like I do, that immediate, emphatic denials are always a red flag. That’s basically what using relatively unknown dating sites like CharmDate is like. Essentially, this is what this site has to offer compared to our top pick, AFF:
Site
Our Experience
Our Rating
Free Trial Link
Experience Highlights
Try AFF For Free
Experience Highlights
Try CharmDate
I’m an experienced dating expert who has coached hundreds of guys how to meet great women online, so I know how frustrating it is for men to waste their time and money on a dud dating website.
That’s why I was so keen to complete a CharmDate review on behalf of HeartInsider. This website certainly looks the part on first glance, but so do a lot of notorious scam dating websites.
By putting it through its paces in a full Heart Insider review, I can provide a reliable verdict on this website.
If you want a quick summary of our CharmDate review to save you some time, here you go:
Online dating is all the rage in the United States. Some 30% of Americans have tried it, according to Pew Research. Data from Statista suggests some $2.86 billion was spent on dating websites worldwide in 2022 and there are no signs of this figure shrinking.
At lest 1,4 million American men have used dating apps to try and find a woman overseas, and this trend appears to be growing too.
Indeed, it seems more men are voicing their frustrations with dating in the United States and their desire to find a beau in a different country. These men commonly dub themselves as ‘Passport Bros’
“The ‘Passport Bros’ Movement has been growing exponentially in recent years, marking a significant shift in societal behavior within the Western Hemisphere, and in particular, the United States,” explains a recent report by The Hudson Weekly. ”It is, in essence, a substantial response to a multitude of issues challenging the American landscape.”
Anway, Charm Date is one of those online dating websites that promises the opportunity to easily connect with European women. But how effective is it?
Methodology: How I reviewed CharmDate
Heart Insider has crafted a reputation for producing the most detailed and reliable dating app reviews on the web. This is because they instruct seasoned dating experts like me to test the app for several weeks, using the same strict methodology for each review. This is key to creating reliable comparisons between the various dating apps out there.
This methodology involves creating a profile using the same photos, bio and demographic information each time. With this profile, I sent 50 messages to 50 suitable women in the local area. These messages all came from our vault of tried-and-tested online dating openers.
After taking note of how many women responded to my opening message, I continued the conversation with each of them, attempting to swap contact details with the intention of meeting for a date. We test every feature available with each dating app, but our verdict is mostly based on how easy it is to communicate and meet with great women.
Occasionally, the app is structured in a way where we have to tweak the methodology slightly. But, our ultimate goal is to let you know how many dates you can expect on one dating app compared to another.
Our Full CharmDate Review - They're Not Trying to Scam You, They Promise!
It is red flags like these that we always look for when testing out new sites to include in our rankings for the best hookup sites to meet single women. This is more or less what happened to me when I was doing research for this CharmDate review. I navigated to the website, which seemed pretty nice on the surface. The blue and white color scheme and the photo of a happy couple looked like a sort of high-end public service announcement. I can trust this, I thought.
But that notion quickly vanished when I read the three lines of bolded text on their front page:
“Authentic profiles of quality singles from around the world”
“Optimum anti-scam protection and support from professional team”
“No language or cultural barriers with efficient services”
If you have to stress the fact that these profiles are ‘authentic’ and that you have ‘anti-scam’ protection right up front, then I am going to go ahead and assume that there has been a problem with these things in the past. And what, exactly, are ‘efficient services’?
The site was starting to seem less charming by the minute, more like a Charm Date scam.
You will "Charm" way more women on other sites, especially AFF
In our Charm Date review, we found a site that is trying to look legitimate but not doing a great job of it. They want you to think they are helping you find a real relationship but then it turns into a Cam site. Not great.
We've tried out over a hundred different sites and apps and the best options we've found for most guys has been AFF, especially if you're more interested in a hookup. There are a couple of reasons why we think AFF has worked so well for so many guys:
First, they are very focused on connecting people for fun in bed, not long-term relationships. Other popular apps that claim to help guys find girls for more casual fun have devolved into basic dating apps, like Tinder. AFF actually maintains that focus so every woman on this site is looking for exactly that.
Second, there are a LOT of women that actually use this site. With over 60,000,000 active users it doesn't really matter where you are, there are women nearby who are active on the site. You can try them out for free here so you don't have to take my advice. You can see it for yourself. It's the best option out there we've seen.
To give you a more detailed look at how AFF works and how it performs for regular guys, you can also have a look at our Adult FriendFinder review.
Either way, skip Charmdate.com and don't look back.
What people are saying about Adult FriendFinder:
Mike T. - SiteJabber
I enjoy my membership with AFF as much as I do it with couple other sites I use to have a guaranteed success. But guys, stop complaining that there are so many fake members on the site! Yes, dating industry is suffering from Nigerian scam and cam girls. Keep your mind clear and don't send any money to the members of the site. None of real members would ask money from you. And if hot looking girls inviting your to another site to have a private chat - report them straight away!
u/CelebrationOk7819 - Reddit
Been on AFF as a couple looking for married/single men. It is completely legit, have met many good people. Mostly milfs. That's correct. The problem that I have dealt with, that makes ALOT of guys think it's a scam, is they are not gold members. As a couple, if you can't afford gold, then you can't see our pics or actively chat with us... so, we will not bother. Then, the some that pay, get pushy and expect, because a woman is on there, they are expected to hook up just because they are asked. Women don't want little dicks, guys that don't take care of themselves etc.... with that being said, the positive reviews from men looking for females, are the guys that know how to talk, approach, bathe and have a package to offer.
Charm Date is Straight to Cam, No Foreplay
I made an account for Charm Date to do some deeper investigating. It took about one minute to create, providing a minimum amount of information. They don’t seem all that keen on having guys actually fill out their profiles.
Once I logged in, I noticed that the title on my web browser’s tab changed to “Camshare Ladies”. The page that loaded featured gorgeous women in scandalous poses, each with a name like Karina or Olga and a little button below their picture that said “CamShare”. The caption at the top of the page said, “Want to see what your lady’s up to and her to see you through webcam?” This site is, apparently, not one to beat around the bush. They want you ‘chatting’ right away.
Of course, by ‘chatting’ they also mean paying. I clicked on one of the women’s pictures and it brought up a window with a chat box that enticed me to buy ‘credits’. Typically this would be enough to stop our review and declare that a site has no place in our review of the most useful sites for dating older women but we pressed on!
These Are The Dating App Experts Think Regular Guys Get The Best Results With
Guys that struggle online are almost always using the wrong apps. There are a lot that are just a big waste of time. If you want real results start with these three that dating apps have found to work the best for regular guys:
| Site | Our Experience | Our Rating | Free Trial Link |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For Relationships  | Experience Highlights
| 9 | Try eHarmony |
Best For Casual Fun | Experience Highlights
| 9 | Try AFF For Free |
Great If You're Handsome  | Tinder Highlights
| 8 | Try Tinder |
Insufficient Credits....
I remember when I was a kid I used to go to an arcade that had ‘tokens’. You had to exchange your quarters or dollars for tokens. One quarter was worth one token, but of course it never felt that way. Tokens felt like monopoly money, fake. It’s a lot easier to spend fake money than it is to spend real money.
This is why Charm Date puts their prices in the form of ‘credits’ rather than dollars. It’s only .5 credits for every minute of chatting! Well, .5 credits is 1 dollar, but it’s easy to forget that. In fact, the term ‘credits’ seem so innocuous that you could feel like you aren’t paying anything at all. You could feel like this is just an ‘authentic’ interaction with a real woman, no money involved.
I wouldn’t call it fraud, but it’s not exactly honest, either.
From Russia with Love was a Common Theme in our Charm Date review
When you are logged onto this site there are constant pop ups in the corner of the browser from women who want to talk. The pop ups stack on top of one another, like small puppies jumping over one another, vying for your affection. It can be tempting to click on them just to make them stop.
The women on Charm Date all have Russian sounding names. In fact, the website is clear that it’s all about helping “men from all over the world and beautiful women from Russia and Ukraine connect for romance, love and wonderful relationships.”
There are no user counts listed on the site, but there seem to be hundreds of profiles at least. Many of them have generic biographies and interests. However, most of the profiles do have multiple pictures, suggesting that the women are real, even if the biography information is created by a computer program.
Maybe too Real?
On the Charmdate Facebook page there are pictures of more women and enticing little advertisements. I even found one video interview with a woman, further confirming that there are at least some legitimate humans behind the profiles. But just because a woman is real, that doesn’t mean you want to date her.
In the interview, the woman talks about wanting to go to Mayan ruins. She is clearly reading from a script. Then the video cuts to a strange montage of photos of this woman with an abhorrent cover of The Police’s “Every Step You Take” playing in the background. In case you haven’t listened to that song recently, let me remind you that it is like the national anthem of stalkers.
“Every step you take, every move you make, every breath you take, I’ll be watching you” from behind my computer screen three thousand miles away!
It’s a pretty bizarre scene.
Third Parties are the Worst Parties
In Charmdate’s own descriptions of its services, it says that they rely on a “huge network of local dating agencies all across” Russia and Ukraine. When I dug little bit deeper into this issue, it became apparent that this means many of the women are part of large, shady schemes to make money off of foreigners.
For this CharmDate review I looked over the site’s whole user agreement. I found many sketchy phrases about sharing user information with third parties for ‘promotional purposes’ and about how the site could never control what happened once you connect with a ‘lady’ (which is the only word they use to describe the women on their site, even in their user agreement).
But the weirdest part of the agreement is where it explains how “We do not rule out the possibility that besides using this Site and the Services, some of our members might at the same time have relationship with certain service provider that this Site presently cooperates with and/or used to co-operate with, and even pay for their service that is in no connection with this Site.”
Well, that’s vague. Who are these other service providers that may or may not be connected with the Charm Date scam? I searched even deeper into the agreement and found a possible answer: “Please bear in mind, however, there may exist service agreement between lady member & service provider by which, for example, contingency fee payable to service provider upon the lady getting married through our Services.”
CharmDate Mail-Order Brides?
After closer examination, it seems like CharmDate.com is just an elaborate front for a mail-order bride service.
The site offers a few different ways to ‘get to know’ your dating partner. But the most expensive and involved offer is a ‘Cupid Date’. This is a 1.5 hour, pre-arranged, in-person date with your ‘lady’. The site even arranges a translator to be present at the date.
Let me be clear: this is a date arranged for you to meet this Russian woman in-person, in Russia! I hope you get to have some really nice instant messages before you fly across the world to meet a woman for 90 minutes.
Members who are from the United States are actually required to fill out something called an IMBRA form before they go on one of these dates. I had to look up what an IMBRA form is. It is a form required by the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, which regulates all dating and marriage services between Americans and foreign nationals. The act was passed after multiple women were murdered by their husbands. How romantic is that!
Our Charm Date review verdict - Not Worth the Trip
One in six Americans have used a dating app to hook up, according to the latest Esquire Sex Survey, but it will take a lot of time, effort and money to do so with CharmDate. You’re unlikely to find true love either.
I hope this CharmDate review has helped you realize that it’s just not worth the trip. Not to Russia or Ukraine, and not even to the website itself. Thankfully, there are some 2,500 dating websites available in the United States as reported by Forbes, so you can forget about CharmDate and use an app that works better.
But what do I know? Maybe you really like receiving messages like this one: “Will you blow out my fire inside?”
Or this one: “Listen, and you are doing today in the evening? Bad not think! Well, if you think - do you like the idea?”
I think will need that translator...
What Other People Are Saying About CharmDate
Many other CharmDate users came to the same conclusion as me. Here are some notable comments from the Google Play store.
Jason - Google Play
“Big $ pit. Yes, the women are very beautiful, so much so, that's it's unrealistic to believe that they can't find a significant other. Think of it as a virtual call girl service. For almost every communication, it's going to cost you, per message. Of course the initial contact with them is free, to lure you in.”
Aleksy Rodin - Google Play
“All girls are professional models on pictures. You have to pay to even start chatting. Waist of time.”
Ken Weagle - Google Play
“I tried this app again. Don’t know why. It;s just the same girls or bots over and over again. I’m glad I never spent money on this app. They’re too pretty and I think they get paid for suckering people on to the website. I'm too old and would rather be alone than have false hope.”
Should You Consider A Mail-Order Bride?
A mail-order bride is any woman who seeks a husband from a different country through an agency that facilitates these connections. There is a lot of criticism aimed at these agreements, mostly by those who insist such women aren’t marrying out of love. This arrangement seems to be what CharmDate is pushing for.
Katya Koval, a consultant for mail order bride service A Foreign Affair, admits that such arrangements can be “risky.”
“You can take precautions to make sure that the person you are marrying is genuine and trustworthy, she says. “Agencies that facilitate mail-order marriages often screen their clients to minimize these risks.”
Ultimately, the biggest risk is that your bride marries you for nefarious reasons. The only way to truly protect yourself against that is to get to know her for a long time first. This can prove to be very expensive when you each live in different countries.
With that said, a recent study by Date4U found that only between 5-15% of mail order bride marriages in the U.S end in divorce. That’s significantly lower than the overall divorce rate. So, maybe this route as “risky” as marrying an American woman.
It was also found though that the average groom in this type of marriage was earning over $100,000 a year. Indeed, that’s the sort of salary you’d need to not find services like CharmDate expensive.
How To Stay Safe Using Dating Apps
Some $3.3 billion was lost to romance scams in the United States in 2022, according to stats from the FBI. Follow these steps to keep yourself safe.
- Be careful with your personal information. There’s no reason for a stranger you’ve met online to know your full name, address or financial information. Those who persisently fish for this information are often looking to commit some form of identity fraud.
- Don’t be too vulnerable too quickly. It might be exciting to connect with a hottie online - and potentially in the real world - but it pays to keep your head on your shoulders. Think logically instead of emotionally and it’ll be easier to spot a potentially scammer. "When we are making decisions that make us vulnerable, we need to also be thinking about safety,” explains psychotherapist Kelly Scott, LMHC. "There's a lot of physical and emotional vulnerability in dating.”
- Look for verified profiles. Catfishing is regarded as “very common” among 71% of dating app users, according to Pew Research data. That’s why it’s best to use dating websites that allow verified profiles. Most dating websites now allow users to complete a verification process to prove they are the person in their pictures. If your chosen website allows this, don’t be afraid to ask your matches to verify their profiles.
- Arrange a video call before meeting anyone. This will allow you to test for real-life chemistry and hopefully you’ll be able to tell if someone’s behavior seems “off”.
- Never send money to strangers from the internet. Promise yourself you’ll never break this rule under any circumstances, even if you think you’ve developed a bond online. Romance scammers are masters at building these bonds then finding compelling stories why they need you to send them money. “These people are very good at recognising opportunities,” says detective chief insepector Gary Miles, who specialises in cybercrime. “The social engineering is quite remarkable,” he adds.
These types of scams have increased by 25% since 2019, according to FBI data, and they’re likely to be more common on overseas dating websites, where scammers have an easy excuse to delay meeting their victims in the real world. That’s why you have all the more reason to follow these tips on websites like CharmDate if you choose to use them.
Frequently Asked Questions about CharmDate
Here are a few questions you may still have about CharmDate.com:
What is Charm Date?
Charm Date markets itself as a dating site for meeting Russian and Ukranian singles. However, it's primarily a cam site that aims to entice you into paying for a premium membership.
Who actually owns CharmDate.com?
CharmDate.com is owned and operated by AML Network Limited, a communication platform based in Hong Kong. They also own other Russian dating sites.
How can I contact CharmDate?
You can contact CharmDate via email at [email protected] or through 1-800-801-3129.
Is Charm Date real?
Yes, Charm Date is a real site where you can see attractive women. However, it's unlikely you'll meet any of them.
Is CharmDate.com legit?
CharmDate.com, from my experience, doesn't necessarily perform like a legit dating site. It's more of a vehicle for getting users to check out some cam girls.
Is CharmDate a scam or fake?
CharmDate is a low-quality dating site that's more geared towards users interested in watching cam girls. After closer examination, it also seems like CharmDate.com is just an elaborate front for a mail-order bride service. So unless you want that, this site is a waste of time.
Is Charm Date safe?
We do not consider Charm Date safe. The site is not only outdated, but it's also full of photos of women who are too good-looking to be real.
What are CharmDate.com alternatives?
We've found several great options to CharmDate.com that we've had a lot of success using. We've reviewed hundreds of different sites and have had some great success with a few. If you're looking for casual dating, check out the best hookup apps and websites we've tried recently. Have a look through the list and see what works for you.
How does CharmDate work?
When you log into CharmDate, you'll receive a variety of messages from beautiful Russian or Ukrainian women. However, their conversation is geared towards making you check out view live cams. After closer examination, it also seems like CharmDate.com is just an elaborate front for a mail-order bride service.
Is there a Charm Date app?
Yes, Charm Date has an iOS app, but we don't recommend it.
How much does CharmDate.com cost?
Charm Date puts their prices in the form of ‘credits’ rather than dollars. It’s only .5 credits for every minute of chatting! Well, .5 credits is 1 dollar.
How can you use CharmDate for free?
You need to pay for credits to be able to chat with women on CharmDate.
Can you send messages for free on Charm Date?
No. You need to pay for credits on Charm Date.
How do you cancel your CharmDate.com account?
- While logged into CharmDate.comm click on "Settings"
- Click on "Switch off profile" and indicate your reason for why you want to delete your account, then click continue.
- Enter your password and click "Continue." At the prompt, click "OK."
Why are so many men drawn to CharmDate?
There’s a growing movement of American men looking to date outside of the West, and CharmDate is a website that promises them the opportunity to do that with ease.
"In many cases, these passport bros claim to seek out non-western women out of frustration or wanting something new,” explains dating coach Eddie Hernandez. “They often blame feminism and impossible standards by U.S. women as the reason for them seeking out relationships overseas."
Sadly, CharmDate was proven to be a dud dating website by our tests.
Should men be looking to date overseas?
If you like the idea of dating outside of your country, there’s nothing stopping you these days. It’s certainly easier than ever to do that thanks to dating apps and social media. ‘Passport Bros’ have been criticized by American woman and in some areas of the media but they don’t appear to be hurting anyone.
“I don't think anyone should find it strange that someone would move for a greater likelihood of finding a spouse if in this day and age it's totally common to move for a greater likelihood of finding a job,” says political and social commentator Lauren Chen. “If you're this disinterested in the men who are going overseas because you don't want the lifestyle that they're offering, why do you even care?”
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References:
Baller, E. (2023) Success rate of mail order marriages and divorce. Date4u.
Blaze Media (2023) The ‘passport bro’ movement is growing, and the feminists are triggered.
Collier, K. (2023) Online romance scams are netting millions of dollars — And pushing some to self-harm. NBC News.
Esquire. (2017). The great Esquire sex study.
Hickey, S. (2015) Scammers target lonely hearts on dating sites. The Guardian.
Koval, K. (2023) The realities of marrying a “mail order bride”. Medium.
Lanum, N. (2023) What is a passport bro? Growing number of men are ditching American women to find love overseas. Fox News.
Ludwig, R. (2017) International online dating may be exactly what the committed-to-finding-love-dater is looking for. Huffington Post.
Richer, C. (2023) Passport bros: The growing movement: A manifestation of the quest for a better quality of life. The Hudson Weekly.
Statista (2023) Online dating worldwide - Statistics & facts.
Stevens, M. (2024) Experts review and rank the best cougar dating apps and sites for 2024. Heart Insider.
Stouffer, C. (2023) Romance scams in 2023: What you need to know + online dating scam statistics. Norton.
Tandon, N. and Battle, M., M. S. (2023). Dating app safety. MindBodyGreen.
Vogels, E. & McClain, C. (2023) Key findings about online dating in the U.S.
Zwilling, M. (2013) How many more online datings do we need? Forbes.
Contributing Authors:
Joe Elvin
Joe Elvin is an internationally known confidence and dating coach with nearly a decade of experience. He is the successful author of several dating and confidence books that have helped thousands of men find success. While traveling the world Joe consistently finds new and valuable ways to meet and attract women. Joe has a Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Bournemouth University and he has been featured in many large publications including AskMen, TSB Magazine and The Good Men Project.
As one of the most prolific writers on Heart Insider, Joe has reviewed over a hundred dating apps. He is the site’s foremost authority when it comes to selecting what dating app works for whom. From an app’s mechanics to its algorithm to telltale signs that a dating app is a scam, Joe’s is able to expertly discern between dating apps that provide value and those that don’t.
Tom Senkus
For more than two decades, Tom has dated extensively and studied behavioral psychology as a way of understanding the complexities of human nature until he became an expert. After traveling as a touring musician and living in more than 15 countries, Tom has cross-referenced his experience in seduction, dating, and interpersonal dynamics with the ever-changing landscape of 21st-century dating. His work as a writer has appeared in 500+ publications (digital and print). Tom is also the author of several books (available on Amazon). In his free time, you can find Tom recording music and cooking the best Cincinnati-style chili you’ve ever had.
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