Welcome to my review of eHarmony UK. During the past 4 months I have been an active member on eHarmony. If you would like to learn about my experience and whether or not I would recommend that you join eHarmony yourself, then please do read on…
Quick Navigation:
- eHarmony Introduction
- How Does eHarmony Work?
- eHarmony Membership Cost
- Comparison of Membership Plans
- What does the Free Account Include?
- Current Deals and Promotional Codes
- Our Reader Reviews
- eHarmony Conclusion
- Online Vs Offline Dating
eHarmony Introduction
If you are not aware of eHarmony then I’m going to assume that you’ve been living in a cave for the last 10 years without an internet connection. So let me give you a quick introduction before jumping into this review.
eHarmony has now been around for over 16 years. In the UK their dating site has more than 3.5 million members, and unlike many other more dubious dating sites, these members are real! You’ll find singles on eHarmony come from a wide range of vocations, including but certainly not limited to: teachers, armed forces, accountants, lawyers, doctors and nurses and many business owners. Ages vary from 21 up to 70+ and there is an even split between the sexes.
Since eHarmony is a paid dating site (prices are very reasonable), it mainly attracts singles who are looking for long-term relationships rather than short-term no strings relationships.
Here’s their latest TV ad:
How Does eHarmony Work?
Unlike traditional dating websites like match.com, eHarmony is a true automated matchmaking system that matches you with members on the site with whom you share the most in common. But for this to work you are first required to complete an extensive personality questionnaire. Whatever you do, please don’t rush through this questionnaire or give false answers just to complete it quicker. If you do, you will most likely be matched with members with whom you share little in common.
Note: I have blurred the facial images to protect users privacy.
So how does this work in reality? Surprisingly well! On a traditional dating site you need to search manually for the members you would like to contact, then write them a message. However, eHarmony makes this communication process ten times easier through their matchmaking system and also through what they call guided communication.
So what is guided communication? It’s simply a four-step program of communication with your matches. The steps are categorised as: Quick Questions, Makes or Breaks, Digging Deeper and eHarmony Mail. Basically this allows you to get to know your matches better, without having to think too much about what to write, which can often be a sticking point for many people.
Quick Questions
The first step helps you to learn a little more about your matches in the simplest way possible. You are provided with a number of questions to choose from, from which you can select the ones that are most important to you. Your matches can then select from pre-selected answers, or if they don’t fit they can also write their own short answers. After answering your questions, they can then send you their own quick questions to answer.
Makes OR Breaks
Makes or Breaks are essentially your dealbreakers! What would make a relationship for you? And what would break it? You’ll want to take a little time here to think carefully about what is most important to you before sending them over to your match.
Digging Deeper
When you reach the Digging Deeper stage, you can either ask your own questions or choose from the pre-written questions. This is really your first opportunity to differentiate yourself from the crowd and find out more about your match, and them about you! When you receive your digging deeper questions to answer, it’s best to keep your answers light hearted, but also consider writing at least 3-4 sentences to show that you are a good communicator.
eHarmony Mail
If you have made it to this stage you are doing very well and certainly have a lot in common with your match. However, don’t be tempted to ask for their phone number or personal details too early, or give yours away! Exchange at least a couple of thoughtful messages to learn more about your match before asking to meet up in the real world. But nobody on here is looking for a pen pal, so do try to arrange a real date sooner rather than later. I’ve had a lot of success when asking to meet on the second message already.
Skip to eHarmony Mail
There is also the option that lets you to skip directly to messaging, so missing out the quick questions, makes and breaks, and digging deeper. However, your match will have to approve this. You might think that this is a good idea, as I did initially! But you’ll find that by going through the above stages you will get to know your matches at a more comfortable pace, and also receive a lot of help from eHarmony along the way. It also saves you from having to think a great deal about what to write, which can be a challenge if you are on the site late in the evening after work when you are most likely tired and struggling to think clearly.
How Much does eHarmony Cost to Join?
eHarmony has two different membership packages, and the price varies depending on how long you subscribe for. Typically the longer the subscription the less you will pay. The latest eHarmony Costs in 2020 are:
Basic Membership Prices in 2020:
Duration | Price per Month | Saving* |
---|---|---|
12 Months | £12.95 | 71% |
6 Months | £27.95 | 38% |
3 Months | £35.95 | 20% |
1 Month | £44.95 | 0% |
* Savings based off the 1 month full price plan.
** Savings based off the 3 month Total Connect plan.
Total Connect Membership Prices:
Duration | Price per Month | Saving** |
---|---|---|
12 Months | £10.95 | 71% |
6 Months | £27.95 | 61% |
3 Months | £37.95 | 26% |
You might be wondering what the difference is between the basic and the total connect plans. Well, apart from a few pounds – not a great deal. The total connect plan just adds a more in-depth personality evaluation (by no means essential), and Private Call. Private Call lets you call members on the site without revealing your number, but since you can also achieve this with Skype or Google Talk, you are probably better off saving your money and just opting for the basic plan, unless there is a special promotion on.
Membership Plan Comparison
The table below provides an overview of what’s included in each of the membership plans:
What Does an eHarmony Free Account Include?
Here is what you are able to do with an eHarmony free account:
- Register and complete the personality questionnaire
- Complete your profile and upload your photos
- View your matches (matches are members on the site that eHarmony thinks you are compatible with)
- View profile descriptions of your matches (but not their photos)
- Send ice breakers (smiles)
Current Deals and Promotional Codes
From time to time eHarmony has promotional offers on. And usually once a month they have a free communication weekend. During this time all free site members can communicate with other members on the site for free.
View our eHarmony Promo code page for the latest offers.
You can also follow eHarmony UK on Twitter, Facebook or Google + since they often post information about their latest promo codes and offers.
eHarmony Member Reviews
My wife left me after two years of marriage for one of my best friends. I could have let this event turn my World upside down but I’ve never been one for dwelling on the past or feeling sorry for myself. So 3 months later I washed my hands of both of them and joined up to eHarmony. I’m not sure if someone was looking over me from above, but the very first person I contacted on the site is now my fiancé and I’ve never been happier. Perhaps I should send my ex wife and ex best friend a thank you card.
Mike
Julie and I had both been divorced for over 3 years as well as in long term relationships that had not really progressed as we would have liked. Mutual friends encouraged us both to give eHarmony a try as a means to meet new people and start dating again. Encouraged by our friends successes on the site we figured we had nothing to lose. There was no overnight love story and it took a fair amount of effort and time to communicate with all of our matches. But eventually we stumbled across each others profiles and the rest as they say is history. Just don’t give up too soon! Because just like Rome, amazing things are not built in a day.
Steve
After focusing on my career for far too long, I decided it was time to put the same amount of effort into ending my days as a singleton. My requirements in a partner were quite simple. They should be hard working, family oriented, honest and a little charming. eHarmony’s match making system made it really easy to find just the type of characters that I was looking for. Still, somehow my first date was a disaster, my second not much better, but by my third date I found someone I felt I could go on a second date with. We’ve now been together for over 9 months.
Helen
eHarmony Conclusion
After using eHarmony now for just over 4 months, I can confidently say that this is the dating site to join if you are serious about finding a partner in the UK. Forget about Match, POF or Guardian Soulmates, eHarmony provides a much better service and you will most definitely meet more people on this dating site than on any other.
In the 4 months that I’ve been using the site I’ve met up with 6 women so far. Many of these dates have led to second and third dates, but as yet I’m still searching for that someone special. But I know with certainty that’s it’s only a matter of time before I meet the right person, and I also know that I’m most likely going to find that person here on eHarmony.
I have also been a member on Match and Plenty of Fish for the same time period that I’ve been on eHarmony. On Match I’ve not been on a single date, nor have I received a single message! on eHarmony I have received well over 20 messages in the same time period! On Plenty of Fish I have received 2 messages and have been on one date.
So not only is eHarmony much easier to use than other UK dating sites, but your chances of meeting someone on here are also around 10x higher!
This is really a no-brainer. If you looking for a relationship, and you are looking at joining an online dating site, then join eHarmony, I promise that you will not regret it.
5 Reasons Why Online Dating is Better than Offline Dating
1. No pressure to go on dates.
Online dating is actually “online meeting.” You aren’t required to date anyone, you are just meeting people. You are getting to know people and making connections. You are having fun. No pressure. Like mentioned above, you won’t be running into these people in person—unless you want to.
2. Delete/avoid people who aren’t compatible.
In your daily life, you come into contact with people at your work, school, organizations, church, neighborhood. Most of the time you don’t have a choice whether or not you see these people, and it’s inevitable that you will be talking and working with them. With online dating, you have complete control over who you let into your online dating pool. If someone isn’t compatible, you can delete and avoid that person.
3. Online dating fits into your life where you want it to fit in.
With online dating, you can connect anytime you want. Let’s say this week you are just too busy—so just don’t log on! Or maybe you work weird hours and can’t meet people or date during the traditional hours most people are available. Online dating is perfect for that. Go online as often as you want, when you want.
4. Large, instant dating pool.
In your daily life, unless you change something, you are going to run into a lot of the same people every day. And you are limited by the number of people who live or visit where you live. No so with online dating—you have a large instant dating pool of people who can be located anywhere and are people you wouldn’t normally run into. It really diversifies the kinds of people you can connect with—isn’t it great?
5. Get to know someone before moving to the next step.
Sometimes in our daily lives, we come into contact with people but don’t have a chance to get to know them very well. This can be a dating barrier—maybe you are too scared to move to the next step, or you have no idea whether you are even compatible or not. This is where online dating makes things easier. You have the chance to chat and connect online and really get to know someone before even meeting in person. And once you do finally meet in person, you’ll have a lot more to talk about.
Tim says
Hi Jan, if you successfully created your account you will be able to login here: http://www.eharmony.co.uk/login/
If your payment was successful you will be able to view the photos of your matches and contact them. If you can’t, then the payment most likely did not go through, just check your card statement.
You can also check by selecting Settings > Account Settings > Billing from the top menu.
Hope that helps! Filling out the questionnaire again would dost definitely be a pain! But this should not be required.
Best of luck!