Match Me Cards: The Alternative to Online Dating

This Valentine’s Day, it will be 11 months since the COVID-19 pandemic started to impact the lives of millions. Although we are doing what we can to survive and not go stir-crazy in quarantine, for single people, the pandemic has caused a major disruption to dating lives.

So, should single people try to date at all? Match Me Cards says, yes! Just be safe about it.

An alternative to online dating, Match Me Cards are personalized dating cards available in both print and digital formats that help singles engage their personal network to connect with more meaningful dating experiences.

“It is a very condensed version of an online dating profile,” Founder Erica Younkin said. “The cards are a starting point for conversation between the person wanting to be matched, their matchmakers, and potential matchees. We do not believe in algorithms. We believe in instincts and first-hand information.”

With the help of her business partner and Chief Technology Officer, Bill Catlin, Match Me Cards officially launched in August 2020.

“I have always felt like dating apps are not the best fit for me,” Younkin says. “I am already on my computer and looking at my phone a lot for work, so I try to keep the rest of my life offline. In also felt like the algorithms in dating apps are good at matching me based on mutual interests, but they cannot really convey if someone is
truthful, accountable, kind to strangers—things that I really value. I was lamenting to one of my mentors that I wished matchmaking between peers would make a comeback, and that is when the idea started.”

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The cards are created using the online designer tool, and after uploading a photo for the front, users choose and response to one topic from each of four curated categories for the back: Age, Places, About, and Relationship. The final field, How To Reach Me, gives users the flexibility to choose how they want to be contacted.

“My hope is that Match Me Cards fills a need for people who are looking to add a new tool to their dating toolkit,” Younkin says. “We are not saying don’t use dating apps. We are saying, there is this other area of opportunity you an explore, and maybe even grow more from as a person because it requires you to be vulnerable. Of course, the real hope is that people make more meaningful connections from it.

“Certainly, it’s not as easy to go on physical dates as it was pre-pandemic, but putting dating on hold isn’t healthy for your heart or mind,” Younkin continues. “You need to connect. The upside is that this is a great opportunity for singles to practice clear communication, boundary setting, and self advocacy.”

There is no account or monthly membership required with Match Me Cards, and it takes less than 30 minutes to create and order a dating card.

For more information, follow Match Me Cards on Facebook and Instagram, or visit their official website. Through February 14, singles can order a free digital card with code RECONNECT.