Everything about eHarmony. Tips, test reports and experiences with eHarmony in Canada

eHarmony is a matchmaking service, which is somewhat different from dating. Essentially, the site promises to connect you with selected singles who are looking for a serious relationship and whose personality is so well compatible with yours that the likelihood of a relationship being successful is high.

The average age of eHarmony users in Canada is higher than on less serious dating sites – and roughly double the average on apps like Tinder. According to eHarmony-founder, octogenarian Neil Clark Warren, the average age on eHarmony has come down slightly, but it's still in the high 30s. The perfect age for settling down with that perfect partner.

eHarmony is well known, as is its founder, and has long been popular in Canada. Neil Clark Warren based his first idea for eHarmony on his experience as a psychologist and relationship advice author. Of course, neither Warren nor his company are above criticism and have been rebuked and sued for the lack of inclusivity offered by eHarmony. However, whether your own values align with those of the conservative Christian Warren, there is little reason to doubt that he really does believe his method is the best way to find a suitable partner.

eHarmony really is good at matching people and getting people hitched. Their success rate can at least partly be attributed to the effort required when registering and the focus on serious relationships only.

There's no way of using eHarmony.ca without registering. There isn't even quick reg that allows you to have a look at the site by providing just a few details and complete the rest of your profile later. You really have to go through the entire, long registration process before you even get a first glimpse of your matches.

You can use eHarmony without paying. However, you shouldn't even consider signing up unless you are willing to pay at some stage, once you're convinced that the site is worth the money. If you sign up hoping for a free matchmaking experience, you'll only be disappointed in the long run.

You can complete the questionnaire, create your profile and see your matches without paying, but you can't see their profile photos – at all! Unlike other dating sites, eHarmony won't even show you a blurred photo without paying. Free members can send a smile or get in touch with others through pre-written questions – formerly known as “guided communication” - but can't write their own messages. Again, there isn't much point in engaging another member in a conversation unless you're willing to pay and write a proper personal message somewhere down the line.

You can pay for all eHarmony-memberships with credit cards or Paypal.

Yes. If you choose Paypal as payment method, you can connect your Paypal account with your bank account instead of a credit card.

You can contact eHarmony customer care through an online contact form here. There is no official customer service hotline number published on the site, but every now and then, a toll free number manages to get out. Here's a crisis hotline we found when eHarmony's passwords were hacked: 1-877-904-4812

There is no eHarmony.ca trial membership and the minimum you can sign up for is 6 months. There is, however, the famous eHarmony free communication weekends. They aren't all they're cracked up to be and if you're expecting to use every waking hour of that weekend writing long, meaningful messages to the love of your life, you're going to be disappointed. First, you have to jump through all kinds of hoops, sending back and forth the pre-determined questions allowed to non-subscribers before “unlocking” a free message. Or, to be more precise, ONE free message. You won't be able to read the reply unless you subscribe. You also won't be able to see any profile photos. Again, don't rely on this free weekend if you're not willing to pay in the long run – but it is a great way to dip your toes in and see if eHarmony is right for you.

The key to eHarmony success is the profile: allow at least one hour to answer all the questions, pick a good profile photo and complete your profile. Once you're registered, start messaging your matches. There's no need to play it cool, as everyone on the site is in the same boat: they (more or less) desperately want to be in a relationship.

The chances of finding a suitable match through eHarmony are relatively high. After all, you're dealing with a pretty small, very specific sample of singles who all want the same thing. If the science based matching works as it should, you've got a good chance of being connected with someone who could be your perfect partner.

While you're clicking your way through the eHarmony registration, you can always go back to correct a wrong answer (simply click on “oops!” at the bottom left of each questionnaire card). You can also change personal details and search criteria under “My Profile” and “My Settings.” If you want to re-take the entire personality test, you need to contact customer service who will “reset the Relationship Questionnaire under certain circumstances.“

To mitigate the fact that eHarmony is extremely expensive, there are plenty of opportunities to soften the blow with promotional codes, coupons and the aforementioned free communication weekend. The promotional code offered directly on the eHarmony website brings the price per month down a little, but only applies to the 12-month membership. Oddly enough, eHarmony gift vouchers even allow for a 3-month membership, so maybe gift one to yourself? It's also worth checking coupon sites like Groupon that regularly do eHarmony promotions. Long story short: there's no reason to pay full price for eHarmony.

The eHarmony price structure is a bit inconsistent, but with special offers and promotions factored in, they break down like this:

• $37.95 / Month (6 month plan regular price) special offer: $27.95 / Month (6 month plan)
• $20.95 / Month (12 month plan regular price) with promotional code: $15.95 / Month (12 month plan)

As far as we can tell, there are few to no fake profiles on eHarmony.ca. Why would scammers go to all that trouble registering and paying the high fees when there are many dating websites out there making it a lot easier for them. The only thing we noticed is the very real problem of fake-looking profiles, probably by people who registered but weren't willing to pay for a full membership.

There are no tell tale signs of a fake (I.e. inactive) profile on eHarmony. Your best bet is to test the responsiveness of a profile by asking in your first message that they send you a personal response. If you get back a pre-written eHarmony message you can assume they haven't paid and won't be able to communicate. Don't make your first message to others a pre-written one either, or they'll assume you're a non-subscriber. 

eHarmony went to a lot of trouble with its app, available for Apple, Android and Windows phones. Obviously there would be no point in trying to go up against competition like Tinder with this app, so instead it simply offers eHarmony members on the go access to profile, matches, messages and – probably one of the most convenient aspects – photo uploads.

You can cancel your eHarmony subscription quite simply by deactivating auto renewals in your eHarmony account. Just click on "Account Settings" and „Billing,“ choose "Cancel My Subscription" and follow the instructions. If you cancel within three days of purchasing your subscription, you can even request a refund!

Deleting your eHarmony account is similarly uncomplicated. Under "Account Settings" and „Billing,“ click on "Close Account." Make sure you cancel your eHarmony subscription before closing your account!

“We're sorry – we are unable to find the right type of people for you.” If you receive this message after completing the eHarmony personality test, you are not alone. Apparently, around 20 percent of all people who take the test are rejected, which may be a blessing in disguise if it's saving you from wasting time and money on a dating website that isn't right for you. It would, however, be a lot less infuriating if the rejection didn't just come out of nowhere after an hour of dutifully clicking through dozens upon dozens of questions. That's an hour of our life we're never getting back! Of course, eHarmony insists that “it's not you, it's us,” but really it's probably you.

As far as we know, there are two factors that can definitely lead to a rejection: being gay and being depressed. The former was the subject of a lawsuit and a settlement that involved eHarmony setting up gay dating site Compatible Partners, the latter may really be a severe impediment to a long lasting relationship, although locking people suffering from depression out also seems discriminatory. There are several other supposed and suspected reasons for eHarmony rejections, like answering questions inconsistently or being insufficiently enthusiastic about monogamy. In one of our trial registrations, it was the fact that our tester consistently stated that religion was not important to her that probably got her turned away.