Dating Program Offers Free Gas to Encourage People to Get Out

When Gen Z it gets a lot of flack for to be singleor anti-social, there is a serious economic problem that underlines why some people are not getting out: they have no disposable income.

Dating apps, which are already struggling to get the basics right because of depression and a lack of good matchesthey are dealing with this problem.

In a sign of the times, BLK, an app for black singles, announced Wednesday that it is giving away free air in an effort to encourage people to go on dates.

As part of the promotion, BLK is offering $500 gas gift cards for 10 people who download the app and add three friends to the campaign list for all of its channels. “A relationship should not compete with the price of a full tank,” Amber Cooper, BLK’s brand director, said in a statement.

According to AAAGas prices hit a four-year high over Memorial Day weekend, with the average price of gas now $4.56, up $1.30 from the same time in 2025. US-led war with Israel on Iran high energy prices can also mean high quality food bills, increasing the situation.

A recent survey shows the average price per day has and 12.5 percent in 2026; 86 percent of US singles have hit first on their dating lifeand 33 percent of people who earn less than $50,000 a year say they want to stop dating. A new survey conducted by BLK also found that 77.6 percent of respondents said they feel financial stress when it comes to dating, with only 12 percent saying they currently have the type of relationship they want.

For Gen Z, the so-called a generation without sexthis has led to “soft chat,” where instead of expensive dinners and triple-digit bars at the latest TikTok restaurant, young people are opting for low-key experiences that cost them less.

Brands have noticed. Instead of old fashioned wallets, some companies attract users by advertising their daily essentials.

It’s not dating apps, either. As part of the latest marketing blitz, new players Riley’s shoes movie I love Boosters—about a group of professional shoplifters—received a gift of gas is offering to fill up the first 70 drivers at a Shell station in Los Angeles, where gas is already over $7 a gallon in some areas. In February, it appeared to be trying to create positive press about the negative effects of online gambling – which has led to an increase in gambling addiction in the US, according to a 2025 education-Polymarket held a five-day exhibition in New York City they gave free foodincluding food and other items such as Tide pods and toilet paper, for the hundreds of people who stood in the cold for hours waiting to get inside. (“The Bleak Scene at Polymarket’s ‘Free Grocery Store’,’” the Curbed headline read.)

Darren Martin Jr., a marketing consultant who specializes in cross-cultural marketing, says: “It’s a myth about the time when people can be argued with depression. More and more, he says, marketing strategies “need to understand real things that shape people to be able to connect with the audience in meaningful ways. Of course, there are other options but gas makes sense for now. “

Giveaway campaigns are no different in 2026, although they feel more prevalent now, Martin said, noting that radio stations have been using them as a form of advertising.