AshleyMadison.com is a Canadian-based adult dating site targeting people who are already in relationships, with the slogan “Life is short. Have an affair.” The site, which is now available in some thirty countries, advertises discreet encounters with its millions of anonymous members. AshleyMadison has gained some notoriety in recent years for a series of unsuccessful bids for high profile sports sponsorships and other endeavors. The site takes its name from two popuar female baby names, Ashley and Madison. It operates with on a credit system, rather than by monthly subscriptions.

 Features

• Initial sign-up is free.
• Over 22,745,000 members and counting.
• Very simple member sign-up process.
• Easily navigable site layout
• The relationship type a member may be looking for has many varied choices, including “whatever excites me” and “cyber affair”
• Members’ height, weight, body type and ethnicity are required profile information when signing up
• Option to add a “discreet photo,” which partially masks a user’s face
• Conversations between members operate on a credit system; one member must pay five credits to initiate a conversation and any subsequent communication is free
• There is also the option to use credits to pay for a certain time allotment of chat
• Users can apply for an “Affair guarantee,” which offers a full refund for unsuccessful three month subscriptions, though to actually apply for the refund requires fulfilling a long list of criteria

The Good

AshleyMadison is a fairly well laid-out site and it does have some interesting feature, albeit nearly all of them will cost you some credits. The credit system in itself is fairly is somewhat innovative and entertaining, though perhaps somewhat more complicated than a more simple flat fee.

The Bad

As is the case with many of the most popular adult dating sites, AshleyMadison is full of fake profiles. You may find yourself receiving plenty of messages from “specially selected” matches in your area that turn out to be little more than useless fakes. Attractive photos are used to get your attention, but this site had so many fake accounts that it actually becomes pretty obvious which ones are to be ignored. The site’s “Affair Guarantee” offer seems quite generous at first, until you realize that to even apply for the refund you must honor several criteria including leaving a full profile visible for three months, sending “qualifying” mail messages to at least 20 members each month, sending at least five “Ashley Gifts” per month and participating in at least 60 minutes per month on live chat. Otherwise, if you want to cancel your account, you’re going to have to pay an annoying deactivation fee. Furthermore, AshleyMadison has simply earned a bad reputation thanks to several botched bids for high profile sponsorships and becoming known as a business “built on the back of broken hearts, ruined marriages and damaged families.” It’s a sneaky website to say the least.

Pricing

AshleyMadison is free to join, but in order to start interacting with the members, you’re going to need to purchase some credits. The site offers three initial payment options. An introductory membership gets you 100 initial credits for $39.00, while any additional credits can be purchased for $.0.39. The Elite membership starts you off with 500 credits for $125.00, with additional credits available for $0.25. Finally, the Affair Guarantee membership offers 1000 credits for $175.00 while more credits can be bought for $0.18. Five credits buys you a priority message to another member and timed messaging sessions are available at the following costs: 30 credits for 30 minutes or 50 credits for 60 minutes.

Conclusion

AshleyMadison does not appear to be worth the money or the time. The set appears to be plagued with fake profiles and scammers, and its sneaky terminology will eventually have you spending money to have your profile removed from the site. The credit system, though perhaps attractive on the surface, will eventually turn into an endless cash-grab. The site has deservedly earned a bad reputation, but what else could you expect from a site based around lying and adultery.