Secret Benefits is free to join and browse, but starting a conversation costs 10 credits, and DatingScout listed the smallest pack at $59 for 100 credits in October 2026, so each new conversation costs about $2.89 to $5.90; sources disagree on whether sugar babies ever pay.
Secret Benefits has no monthly plan. Members buy credit packs and spend them on actions, mainly unlocking a conversation with someone new. The site's own terms say you can "sign up for SecretBenefits.com at no cost", and that contacting members may require payment.
The official site blocked automated requests in October 2026, so the terms quoted here come from an archived copy of its homepage captured on October 12, 2026. The archived official pages show no price list, so all prices below come from third-party reviews and are labelled that way.
The short answer
- Free: an account, search, viewing profiles, likes, seeing who visited you and saving favorites, according to DatingScout.
- Paid: starting a conversation, unlocking a private "Secret Album", priority support, extra visibility and bids to become someone's "Top Admirer".
- Cost: 10 credits per paid feature. Packs are listed at 100 credits for $59, 500 for $169 and 1,000 for $289 (third-party).
- No renewal: packs are one-time purchases and credits do not expire, per DatingScout. VIDA Select says unused credits are non-refundable.
- Sugar babies: VIDA Select says they use the site free. DatingScout says messages cannot be sent or read for free, and makes no exception for women.
What is free and what costs credits
| Item | What the record shows | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-up | "You can sign up for SecretBenefits.com at no cost" | Secret Benefits terms (archived October 12, 2026) | October 2026 |
| Paid features (official) | Contacting members, viewing photos and favoriting profiles "may only be available if you're a paying subscriber" | Secret Benefits terms (archived) | October 2026 |
| Free features (third-party) | Account, search, profiles, match suggestions, likes, album access requests, profile visitors, favorites | DatingScout UK | October 2026 |
| Paid features (third-party) | Start conversations, unlock Secret Albums, priority support, higher visibility, Top Admirer bids | DatingScout UK | October 2026 |
| Credit packs (third-party) | 100 credits $59, 500 credits $169, 1,000 credits $289; table updated October 10, 2026 | DatingScout UK | October 2026 |
| Cost per action (third-party) | 10 credits per paid feature; at least 50 credits to bid for Top Admirer | DatingScout UK | October 2026 |
| Expiry and renewal (third-party) | Credits do not expire; packs do not renew | DatingScout UK | October 2026 |
| Refunds | VIDA Select: non-refundable. DatingScout: usually partial. Terms: a reversed payment can end the account with no refund | VIDA Select, DatingScout UK, terms (archived) | October 2026 |
| Sugar babies (third-party, conflicting) | VIDA Select: "Sugar babies use the site at no cost". DatingScout US: "You cannot send messages for free" | VIDA Select, DatingScout US | October 2026 |
| App | "There is no need to download or install an app"; no Secret Benefits app in a US App Store search | Secret Benefits homepage (archived), Apple search | October 2026 |
| Screening | The terms say the site does not run criminal background checks or security screening of members | terms (archived) | October 2026 |
| Trustpilot | 1.6 out of 5 from 979 reviews; the page shows no replies to negative reviews | Trustpilot | October 2026 |
What one conversation costs
Because each unlock costs 10 credits, the pack you buy sets the price. Using DatingScout's third-party pack prices, 100 credits ($59) cover about 10 conversations at $5.90 each. 500 credits ($169) cover about 50 at $3.38 each, and 1,000 credits ($289) cover about 100 at $2.89 each. VIDA Select says that once a conversation is unlocked, you can keep messaging that person without paying again. You pay for the unlock whether or not the other person ever replies. Our page on how Secret Benefits credits work goes through the math in more detail.
Where sources disagree
Do sugar babies pay? VIDA Select says women use Secret Benefits free and only sugar daddies buy credits. DatingScout's US review says messages cannot be sent or read for free, with no exception for sugar babies. The archived terms do not split features by gender, so check what your own account allows before buying credits.
Are favorites and album requests free? The terms list "favoriting profiles" among features that may need payment, while DatingScout and VIDA Select both say favorites are free. DatingScout also lists requesting album access as free, but VIDA Select says a Secret Album request costs 10 credits.
What an unlock costs. Most sources say 10 credits. One passage in VIDA Select says unlocking a conversation "costs up to 60 credits", while the same page gives 10 credits elsewhere.
Ratings. VIDA Select describes "3.4 stars on Trustpilot and roughly 70% positive reviews". The live Trustpilot page showed 1.6 out of 5 from 979 reviews in October 2026.
Refunds. VIDA Select says credits are non-refundable. DatingScout says refunds are "usually partial", reduced by credits already used. Neither is an official policy.
What users complain about most
Secret Benefits scores 1.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 979 reviews, and the page shows the company has not replied to negative reviews. The recent pattern is consistent. Reviewers describe profiles that send a first message to prompt a credit purchase and then never reply, suspected fake or bot profiles, credits that run out after very few real conversations, the same few profiles shown again and again, and accounts locked or banned without explanation. A minority report meeting someone and say the site is not a scam.
Risk notes
- "Free" mostly means browsing. For a sugar daddy, the free account shows who is there. Talking costs credits from the first conversation.
- Credits buy access, not replies. An unlock is charged whether or not the other person answers.
- Chargebacks have a cost. The archived terms say a reversed payment can close your account immediately with no refund. Try support first.
- No background checks. The terms say the site cannot guarantee members look like their photos. Read how to background check a sugar daddy before meeting anyone.
- Scams and the law. Never pay a "verification fee" or send gift cards to someone you met on the site; see sugar daddy asks for a fee or gift card. The terms ban any use involving "coercion, exploitation, abuse, or control" of another person. Arrangements between adults are legal in many places, but paying for sex is illegal in many jurisdictions; our guide is sugar dating legal explains the line (not legal advice). Before you trust an X (Twitter) handle a match sends you, look it up in Account Radar.
Who it suits
Secret Benefits suits a sugar daddy who would rather pay per conversation than pay a monthly fee, and who is selective about whom he unlocks. The 100-credit pack is a low-cost way to see whether your area is active before spending more. It may also suit sugar babies, if VIDA Select is right that women use it free.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you plan to message many people. At roughly $3 to $6 per new conversation, the bill grows with every profile you try. Skip it too if you want a native app or a written refund policy before you pay. For full prices see Secret Benefits pricing, and if trust is the question, read is Secret Benefits legit. Leaving later? Our cancel and delete guide covers it.
FAQ
Can you message on Secret Benefits for free?
Not to start a conversation. DatingScout lists starting conversations as a paid feature costing 10 credits, and says messages cannot be read for free either. Likes and favorites are free, per DatingScout.
Is Secret Benefits free for sugar babies?
Sources disagree. VIDA Select says sugar babies use the site at no cost and only sugar daddies buy credits. DatingScout says messaging is not free and does not make an exception for women.
How much does it cost to message someone on Secret Benefits?
Unlocking a conversation costs 10 credits, per DatingScout and VIDA Select. With third-party pack prices from $59 for 100 credits to $289 for 1,000, that works out to about $2.89 to $5.90 per new conversation. VIDA Select says you can keep messaging that person after the unlock without paying again.
Do Secret Benefits credits expire or renew?
DatingScout says credits do not expire and packs do not renew, so there is no monthly charge to cancel. VIDA Select adds that unused credits are non-refundable.
Sources
- Secret Benefits official site (blocked automated access in October 2026)
- Secret Benefits homepage and terms, archived October 12, 2026
- DatingScout UK: Secret Benefits cost
- DatingScout: Secret Benefits review
- VIDA Select: Secret Benefits review
- Apple App Store search: secret benefits (US)
- Trustpilot: secretbenefits.com