The Single Cynic: Do you need good credit to score a date?

Would you date someone who had a bad credit history? That’s just one question provoked by the launch in the US earlier this year of Score, a dating app that requires users to have a minimum credit score.

The new app is partly a response to an American trend that emerged last year of people posting their credit scores on their dating profiles. However, it also partly seems to be a marketing ploy of Neon Money Club, a division of credit card provider American Express.

Besides, a low credit score may not necessarily be the useful dating indicator it first appears. In the US, it’s not unusual to leave university with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt, particularly if you work in a profession. Struggling to pay that off might indicate wider issues that signal red flags to potential dates; then again, debt in the US could also simply be because of medical bills.

On this side of the Atlantic, the credit score craze seems not to have taken off, but, still, certain lifestyles and wealth are typically considered desirable in a partner.

Some dating app profiles show off lifestyles that may or may not be real. People pose on yachts or on the steps of private jets. Men are often pictured with their cars. Others might mention they own their own home or a business. (However, the downside for those who do so is that they risk attracting fraudsters.)

One of my female friends dated an airline pilot for a while and enjoyed trips with him to the Caribbean, Africa and Miami. Another was invited to join a potential date on a holiday to Thailand, flying there and back by private jet. Other aspects of this date’s partying lifestyle were unappealing, however, so she declined.

It’s not uncommon, either, for people to write something about their ideal partner ‘having their shit together’. But Ireland’s ongoing housing crisis amid cost-of-living pressures means many, unfortunately, do not.

Over half a million 18 to 34-year-olds in Ireland live with their parents. That results in all sorts of dating headaches. The aspirations of home ownership and starting a family remain painfully out of reach for far too many of us, especially when compared to our parents’ generation.

While different attitudes towards money can sometimes be dividing lines, the harsh lending criteria of many Irish banks means a good credit score is but one of a number of boxes you need to tick to get a mortgage approved.

Would a dating app be popular in Ireland if it encouraged people to post a salary range and whether they own a home, rent or live with their parents in their profiles?

‘Money diaries’ of spending and saving habits over the course of a week have been popular for some years now in some US, UK and Irish media, as well as on social media. While it might be a step too far from a privacy and personal data point of view for many, don’t be surprised if one of the apps finds a way to similarly exploit our financial curiosity in the near future.

Are you struggling to navigate the world of online dating? Check out our masterclass with cyberpsychologist Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton to better understand how it all works.