What are the odds that you, as someone from the Caribbean, would run across someone else from your same hometown? Granted there are more than 43.5K there, but what are the odds that you’ll find plenty to choose from?
In this Caribbean Cupid review, you’ll find out just how to find someone who either would love to be with someone from the Caribbean or is someone who is already from the Caribbean. This is your time to not only celebrate where you’re from (or where you plan to live and/or work).
It’s also an opportunity to find a significant other while you’re there. With such a wide assortment of countries to choose from (entirely too many people just assume it’s the Bahamas and Jamaica, without knowing all the other locations), this may also be the time to find traveling partners to get to know more of what the Caribbean offers.
Caribbean Cupid Review
Website Overview
Although Caribbean women are seeking men and vice versa, this site is clearly geared toward women. From the homepage, the introduction says, “We have connected thousands of Caribbean women with their matches from around the world.”
There’s also a Caribbean woman gazing back at users from the desktop screen. Whether locally or internationally, she (and this site) is a place to inspire these single men and women to connect.
Interestingly, the dating site was founded in 1999 and is based on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is operated by Cupid Media Pty Ltd, a company that specializes in the development of database-driven dating sites.
Key Features
From the main page, you can get to work scrolling through photographed profiles. Choose gender, age range, country, state, city and mileage. However, don’t expect to find someone down the street from your first search because the minimum mileage is 50 miles, even when picking someone within your city and state.
Where Are the Majority of Members Based?
It’s up to you to decide which Caribbean users you are most interested in.
Choose from any of the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua, and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Virgin Islands (in the United States).
Sign-Up Process
Signing up is pretty simple. All you’ll need to include is your name, email address, gender, and the gender you’re seeking. From that point, you can dive right into what the site has to offer (depending on your membership preferences).
As with most online dating sites, the moderators highly encourage users to add a (real) photograph to their profiles. This not only decreases the odds of suspicious accounts but also helps other users find people who are actually serious about finding someone on Caribbean Cupid.
As opposed to those who start an account just to browse and lose interest. (At some point, users will leave the site if there are more profiles with no photographs and no profile information versus those who do.)
Communication Options
With gold and platinum memberships, you have the opportunity to speak with members in every possible way (likes, inbox messages, live chats, and/or translating messages into other languages). As a standard (free) member, you can only communicate with paid members.
This may become a nuisance to paid members who would rather talk to users who may seem more serious (and are paying), but it also may be an opportunity for paid members to be introduced to the new user(s) of their dating dreams.
Pricing & Membership Options
Gold membership is $8.33 per month for 12 months (or $99.98 flat rate), $16.66 per month for three months (or $49.99 flat rate), or $24.98 for one month. Platinum membership is $10 per month for 12 months (or $119.98 flat rate), $20 per month for three months (or $59.99 flat rate) or $29.98 for one month.
Pay by credit card, by PaySafe, by bank transfer, and/or Skrill. You can complete basic matching, likes, or communicate with paying members. With platinum membership, you have these options, plus you can communicate with all members (paid and free) via the messaging system and/or live chat.
You can hide your profile, skip ads, view users anonymously, rank your profile above other members, double your profile space, get VIP profile highlights, receive advanced matching algorithms and translate messages into your preferred language.
For gold membership, you have most of the platinum options except for ranking above other members, doubling profile space, VIP profile highlighting, advanced matching algorithms, and message translations.
Safety & Security
As a new member, it’s a perk being able to communicate with paid members. (It may not be for paid members who are concerned about spammers, but they also have the option to block users who seem suspicious.) There’s also a “Like” and “Basic Match” option for paid users that may help them decide whether these new users are worth talking to. But paid membership also gives users the opportunity to interact better.
However, the website is pretty strict about suspicious accounts. Within an hour of joining, and without entering more information, a startup account was suspended with the following message: “Profile Temporarily Suspended ~ The safety and security of our customers is very important to us.
Our fraud prevention systems are working 24 x 7 to protect our customers from dishonest individuals, inaccurate profile content, or offensive behavior. If you believe we have made an error in terminating your profile, please choose one of the following options.”
Of those options, users would have to identify where they’re using their personal computers; their locations; and/or a copy of their government-issued photo ID (i.e. passport or driver’s license).
Pros and Cons
As mentioned, a major pro is the ability to be able to navigate the site and see if it’s worth paying for. Unlike other sites that block photographs and profiles without paying, Caribbean Cupid will allow you to do both.
But one of the most major cons is also a pro for security purposes. Unless you act fast and upload a photograph, the moderators will suspend your account in less than an hour.
Bottom Line
As with any of the location-specific (or race-specific or religion-specific) Cupid websites, users will have to get past all the usual dating humps. Just because you’re from or living in one of the Caribbean countries does not create an automatic match.
If that’s the case, there would be no need for these Cupid sites at all. People would just find neighbors nearby or someone in their favorite hangouts. Then, voila, a match.
To be able to benefit from these online dating platforms, it is essential that you put your all into it (or at least enough of your “all” as members you are interested in). Converse about something other than the usual questions one asks on a first date. Post photographs. Share memories.
It may seem strange to do this from behind a computer screen or smartphone, but allowing users you’re interested in to know a little more about you is the basics of dating no matter where you are. If you want to get your money’s worth, you may as well do everything available in a gold or platinum membership.
What’s more exciting is you’ll have the opportunity to do so in areas outside of your usual areas of choice, maybe with someone who you would never bump into locally, in addition to nationally or internationally.
And clearly, the Caribbean is a surefire place to enjoy sightseeing, touring, and cruises. You won’t even have to brainstorm on a dating location; just about anywhere will do. As with all dating, try to find a safe, comfortable location to enjoy the area and enjoy your new love interest. Good luck!
