My ritual evening scroll came to a sudden halt when I came across an advertisement for a dating app that had been all over my feed – Breeze.
The video below introduced me to what Breeze is:
‘A dating app designed for people who rather go on a date than talk about going on one?’ This was new, and I immediately needed to know more.
Was this legitimate? Did you really go on dates without texting the person first? Is this safe?
From Hinge to Bumble, there is a dating app curated for just about everyone’s dating needs. I had dipped my toes in the water of a few of these apps, but the story always ended in me losing interest after mindless swiping for months on end.
After some swift research, I came to find that Breeze set out to eliminate these frustrations; the uncertain swiping, the awkward small talk over text, the ghosting that we are all too familiar with.
Curious about this new dating landscape, I decided to download it.
First Impressions
My initial reaction to the app was that it felt very inclusive. It offers a much larger range of sexual preferences and gender identities in comparison to apps such as Hinge.
The app also creates a selection of people for you to decide on everyday at 19:00, removing the endless scrolling that makes dating apps feel like a part-time job.
Despite this positive first impression, the thought of skipping the comfort of small talk and diving straight into face-to-face dating set off panic alarms in my mind.
As a female student, safety on dating apps is a priority of mine. I want to know that I can speak to someone and decide from first impressions if they’re a match for me, if it would be safe to meet up with them and most importantly, for my friends to nit-pick apart their profile.
Under its ‘Safety and Consent’ section on its website, Breeze states that it will only send you to one of its approved partner locations for a date. Living in Stirling, however, was the first barrier as the app only included options for me to date in Glasgow.
Diving in further I discovered that users are asked to accept or decline a date based on only a handful of vague details, such as if someone describes themselves as ‘outgoing’ or what their star sign is. This doesn’t exactly scream reassuring when meeting a stranger.
The Price of a First Date
When you match with someone on Breeze, you must put down a £9.50 deposit to secure your date, and if you’re anything like me, this is squeezing the last drops out of an already tight student budget.
This deposit does secure you a drink token for the date. However, with the prices of drinks today, my beloved pornstar martini will still be leaving me in debt at the end of the night.
So now your bank account is £9.50 lighter and you’re travelling 30 minutes from Stirling to meet up with a Capricorn who likes pizza. But what happens if you get cold feet and decide to cancel?
The Cost of Cancelling
Breeze’s cancellation policy allows users to cancel up to 4 hours before your date, but you’re highly encouraged to reschedule or to give your date an explanation as to why you cancelled.
As a people pleaser, this can be a dreaded scenario.
However, if you cancel within those 4 hours, you lose your date token and therefore your £9.50.
This deposit can be a double edged sword, as the security of knowing the other half of the date has paid can result in the peace of mind that your date is likely to show up.
However in the case of an emergency (or with how unpredictable student schedules can be), cancelling can be a financial risk, especially for those at university.
The Final Verdict
The appeal for Breeze is easy to understand. Its a breath of fresh air in the dating world, forcing users to stop the mindless hesitation and plunge themselves head first, something a lot of Gen Z (including myself) can struggle with.
Despite challenging the traditional dating apps, Breeze does have its flaws.
Whilst its focus on human connection is admirable, the cost of travel, limited locations and deposits doesn’t make it the most student friendly dating app on offer.
I would recommend Breeze to someone who wants a break from the traditional dating app, especially those who are more adventurous, extroverted and have a bit of extra money in their pockets.
However, if you rather worry about flat deposits than date ones, I would keep Breeze sitting in the app store for now.
Featured Image Credits: Photo by James Hall