Tinder passport: What is it and how to use it?

Unfortunately, there's no free passport feature. Tinder passport is a premium feature and you'll have to upgrade to a paid account in order to use passport.

While you might be reluctant to spring for a paid feature, keep in mind that it will come with a variety of premium features that can make Tinder a lot easier — and more fun — to use. So it might be worth trying for at least a month, to see if it feels worthwhile for you.

Once you upgrade, you'll have access to the Tinder passport feature.

As Tinder explains, setting your new location is easy:

1. Tap the profile icon

2. Open app settings

3. Scroll down and tap “Location”

4. Add a new location

   
   

Keep in mind that while you can change your location as many times as you want, you can only appear in one city at a time.

If you regularly travel for work, or if you like to go on dates when you're traveling for pleasure, then Tinder passport is absolutely worth the $9.99 it costs to upgrade your Tinder account to Tinder plus.

Not being tied to your current geographical location gives you the freedom to find more human connection and get more matches in your upcoming destination city.

Anyone who has spent time on a dating app knows that getting from a swipe to a date can sometimes take a few days — at least. That means that the time you save by swiping in advance of your trip can make all the difference between wasted time and frustration, and actually getting to meet new people. By the way, you can increase your chances of getting a match by using a Superlike!

Learn more about tips and tricks of creating a compeling Tinder account here

Is it obvious to potential matches that you're using Tinder passport? Yes and no.

While there's no notification that pops up saying you're using the passport feature, your distance does show up for other users so it'll likely be obvious that you're not in town yet.

There is a paid feature that will allow you to hide your location, but having your distance be invisible can be more of a red flag than appearing far away.

The best way to handle this is to update your bio when you update your location. Simply explain what you're up to. For example, "I'll be visiting New York City for a week next month and I'd love to find a date to a Broadway show!" Or, "Don't let my location fool you, I might not be in town right now, but I spend about one week a month in San Francisco for work, so I'd love to make friends and go on dates when I'm in town."

As usual, honesty is the best policy. So simply explain whether you're just passing through, or whether you visit these cities or countries on a regular basis. Not being a local isn't necessarily a mark against you. In fact, some people really enjoy showing a newcomer around (especially if you're footing the bill.)

Want to know how to increase your chances of getting a match? A Swipe Surge can help!

Just remember that when you change your location, after about 24 hours you're no longer visible to people in that city. So it's worth staying put — at least digitally — long enough to get matches and send a first message.

Once you've started a conversation, you won't lose the connection even when you switch to another location.

All this sounds pretty good, right? But what if you want the feature without having to pay for it?

You might wonder if it's possible to spoof your location and hack the system. The short answer is yes, it's possible. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea!

Because Tinder relies on your phone's GPS to determine your location, you can use a third-party app to spoof your location.

But you'll run into the same potential problems that always come up when trying to hack the system with a third party app.

1. The apps can be buggy and often fail
2. The third party apps aren't always free — so what's the point?
3. If Tinder catches you, you'll get banned. (And getting unbanned is a huge pain.)