If you're chasing online hookups, you'll inevitably come across AdultFriendFinder, one of the oldest and most popular adult dating sites for going on three decades. With more than 80 million registered users worldwide, and some two million weekly users, it's a giant social network for horny adults everywhere, and the ideal place to find a fling.

But once you've created a profile and registered an account, you'll quickly realize that the functionality of free memberships is strictly limited, and the real fun begins when you upgrade your account. Here's everything you need to know about AdultFriendFinder's premium membership from a billing perspective:

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AFF membership tiers and costs

If you decide to upgrade from a free membership to a premium membership, you'll gain access to many useful features, including unlimited one-on-one messaging, expanded search functionality, and the ability to see photos and videos in high resolution. AdultFriendFinder has two premium memberships, Gold and VIP, but to become a VIP you must first opt into a Gold membership, so it's worth exploring that tier first.

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A Gold membership will set you back $39.95 per month if you sign up for a single month, $26.95 per month if you commit to a three-month membership, or $19.95 per month if you commit to an entire year. VIP members don't gain any additional on-site functionality, but they do unlock exclusive perks that make them more visible to others, including a special VIP badge, access to a VIP lounge, and priority placement in search results.

Multiple payment options

AdultFriendFinder offers a wide variety of payment methods, far more than the typical online dating site. You can, of course, opt to pay with credit card (Visa, Mastercard, and Discover — sorry AmEX users), or with a bank transfer/direct debit payment, but you can also pay with a gift card or cash/check/money order (in the United States only), while residents of the United Kingdom can even pay via SMS order on their smartphones.

If you're especially cautious or privacy-minded, you might be interested in the gift card, money order, or SMS payment options. This withholds more of your personal data.

Watch out for the auto renew feature

One key thing to be aware of is that your premium AdultFriendFinder membership will automatically renew at the end of your billing cycle, unless you deliberately disable this function or you used a one-time payment method to purchase your membership, such as a gift card.

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To disable the auto renewal feature and prevent unwanted credit card billing, navigate to the My Stuff tab, scroll down to My Account, and then click Billing History & Credit Card Info. Under the Subscription and Product Status menu, you will see your premium memberships and an On/Off toggle for the Auto Renew function. Note that if you have more than one paid membership, such as both the Gold and VIP tiers, you need to toggle off the auto renew button for both memberships to prevent further charges.

Billing statement

Because discretion matters, especially to a lot of AdultFriendFinder users, it's worth knowing that the AFF billing statement is reasonably anonymous. The only wording that will appear on your bank or credit card statement is "FFNHelp.com*FRIENDF." 

Troubleshooting

If you have a question or concern about your bill that wasn't answered by any of the above, you can always reach out to the AdultFriendFinder support line, toll-free, at 888-575-8383.