Forces Penpals Review November 2024

Discover Forces Penpals - your go-to for connecting with military singles this fall. Read our review for all you need to know.
16,000 Members
 70 % ♀ 
 30 % ♂ 
Good For:
4 / 5
4 / 5
2 / 5
Success Rate:
1 / 10
38 / 10
33 / 10
Compare Forces Penpals
Age Distribution:
18-24
25-34
35-49
50+

Forces Penpals in 10 seconds

  • It is the leading military-support, social-networking, and dating site for the UK Armed Forces and their supporters
  • Most members are female civilians looking for partners who are serving or who once served the military - More information here
  • Registration is free
  • Photos containing nudity or suggestive sexual images are strictly not allowed
  • You can't send and read messages without a paid subscription
  • Premium members get to access live chatrooms and discussion forums
  • Premium members may post statuses on their profiles
  • It features an old-fashioned letter writing or 'SnailMail'
  • Members on active duty can use all the features without cost
  • Military veterans enjoy 50% discount on all subscription packages
  • A percentage of the site's profit goes to several military charities
  • It does not have a mobile application
  • You can use Forces Penpals for free
  • Pricing starts at £4.17 / Week - More Information
Chris Pleines, Author at Datingscout.co.uk
Chris Pleines
Founder of Datingscout and Author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies"
Established in 2003 and produced several success stories, Forces Penpals truly is a legit military dating site in the UK. And if you want to encourage soldiers serving overseas, try out its 'SnailMail' feature. What are you waiting for? Pick up a pen and paper and get writing!

Who is Forces Penpals for and not for?

  • Men and women in military who want to find their life partner
  • Singles who want to date military personnel
  • Civilians who want to express their appreciation to our military men and women
  • Singles who are not into long-distance dating or long-distance relationships
  • Civilians who are looking for a completely free site
  • Those who are looking for erotic adventures
Back to Overview

Forces Penpals Pros & Cons

  • Military members on active duty can use all the features without cost
  • Military veterans get 50% discount on their subscription cost
  • A part of the site's profit goes to military charities
  • You need a subscription to use most features, such as messaging, chatrooms, forums, etc
  • Most profiles are not detailed
  • It has no mobile application

How does Forces Penpals work?

Forces Penpals major functionality
  • You get 'Ideal Penpals' based on your 'Ideal Penpal Preferences'
  • Options are very specific
  • The site can provide you with new sets of 'Ideal Penpals' whenever you want
  • Profiles with photos get more messages
  • The site's core feature is the 'SnailMail'

Forces Penpals works by providing you with 'Ideal Penpals' based on your set 'Ideal Penpal Preferences'. You may tweak your preferences however you want according to the following:

  • Dating Interest
  • Gender
  • Age Range
  • Online Now / With Photos / Interested in Old-Fashioned Letter Writing
  • Location
  • Military Status
  • Build 
  • Children
  • Ethnic Origin
  • Hair Colour
  • Height
  • Marital Status
  • Smoking Habit

You'll notice how specific these are to ensure that you will really get what you want. Once you click 'Save and Search', the site will then provide you with a fresh set of 'Ideal Penpals'. Remember that you can do this whenever you feel like.

And if you want to get 12 times as many messages, adding photos to your profile does the trick.

Since it is a military dating site, its core feature is the 'SnailMail', which allows you to send mails to a physical address. If you want to encourage and support soldiers going through difficult deployment, give this feature a try.

How much does Forces Penpals cost?

Can you try Forces Penpals for free?

  • You can use or try the service for free.
  • You cannot send messages for free
  • You cannot read messages for free on Forces Penpals
Duration / Credits / CoinsCostsTotal
Premium Subscription
1 Week4.99 GBP / Week4.99 GBP
1 Month9.99 GBP / Month9.99 GBP
6 Months5.00 GBP / Month29.99 GBP
12 Months4.17 GBP / Month49.99 GBP
Forces Penpals subscription rates
Free Features
  • Sign up
  • Upload photos
  • View other members' profiles
  • Send and receive both hugs and flirts (online flirt or a virtual hug)
  • Add someone to your favourites
  • Send 'SnailMail' request
  • Read military news articles
Premium Features
  • Send and read private messages
  • Access live chatrooms
  • Join active discussion forums
  • Post statuses to your profile

Your subscription is automatically renewed at the end of each subscription period. You may change or cancel your subscription anytime by going to the 'Manage Subscriptions' section of 'My Account'. In settling your payment, you may also add a donation for the charity Combat Stress, which specialises in treating veterans with PTSD and other mental health issues.
Members who are on active duty receive a completely free subscription, which means they can use every feature on the site without cost, but everyone else has to avail of a paid subscription to access all the features of the site. However, the site gives military veterans a 50% discount on all subscription packages.

How can I delete my Forces Penpals account and cancel my subscription?

Please find more information here

Back to Overview

Who is signed up on Forces Penpals?

Members
16,000 from United Kingdom
Members activity
4,000 active weekly
Gender Proportion
70 %
30 %
  • The site aims to serve military personnel
  • Civilians are welcome
  • There are more civilians than military members
  • Females dominate the site
  • Anyone who respects the military can join

Forces Penpals is open for UK military veterans and those who currently belong to the Army, Navy, RAF, Royal Marine, Army Reserve, Reserve Force, and Gurkhas as well as civilians. However, civilians outnumber military members. Also worth noting is that there are significantly more females than males on this site.

Apparently, the site’s goal is to serve military men, but its services attract thousands of single women who are looking for a loyal, strong, and devoted partner. Approximately 70% of Forces Penpals members are women, and most of them are civilians. 

Basically, this site welcomes anyone who respects and appreciates the military.

Females
Males

Forces Penpals Age Range and Age Distribution

  • 18-24
  • 25-34
  • 35-44
  • 45-54
  • 55+

New members at Forces Penpals in November 2024 in comparison

Here you can see how membership figures at Forces Penpals are developing compared to others

Test Match for free
Back to Overview

Forces Penpals in Detail

  • Reading time 16 minutes
  • Lots of insider information for more success

How to Sign Up for Forces Penpals

Forces Penpals registration process
  • It is easy and free
  • Just provide your basic information
  • You may also use your Facebook account in signing up
  • You need to indicate whether you're a civilian or a military member
  • Photos uploaded have to be checked by the admin staff first

Signing up on the site is easy and free. You only need to provide your basic information, such as your email address, nominated password, preferred username, birthdate, location, and gender. Note that if you prefer not to use your email address, you have the option to sync your Facebook account instead. In this step, you also need to indicate whether you’re interested in friendship/support or dating (or both!) to let people know your intentions upon joining the site. Afterwards, since only those military members who are on active duty can avail of the free subscription costs, all new members need to identify themselves by choosing any of the following:

  • Civilian
  • UK ex-forces or veteran
  • Army
  • Navy
  • RAF
  • Royal Marine
  • The Army Reserve
  • Reservist
  • Gurkhas

That's it. A welcome message then pops up.

Once done signing up, you may start completing your profile.

Uploading photos can be done for free. You may also add captions to your photos. However, all photos have to be approved by the admin staff to ensure that there are no photographs containing nudity or suggestive sexual images. Profiles containing such are automatically banned.

Afterwards, you will be asked to write something about yourself, but skipping this step is also possible.

The last step to complete your profile is providing the information that will be displayed on your profile, such as your preferred partner's age range, height, hair colour, smoking habit, etc. However, you also have the option to skip this step.

Note that you won't be required to enter your phone number upon registration. However, you need a verification code every time you try to log in again to the site, which means you will be compelled to provide your phone number. This is to ensure each member's safety.

Making Contact on Forces Penpals

Forces Penpals contacting feature
  • Sending virtual hugs and flirts can be done for free
  • You need a subscription to be able to send and receive messages
  • It has a letter-writing feature called 'SnailMail'
  • There is a chatroom

Once done creating your profile, you'll then be directed to the site, which shows your 'Ideal Penpals'. They are those who match your dating and partner preferences. You may browse through those profiles and see who among them you want to connect with.

You can also view profiles of those who are currently online and those who are new members of the site. But if you want to search for a specific member, you may do so by entering his or her username under the 'Find User' tab in the 'Find Penpals' menu.

Once you find someone who attracts your attention, you can send virtual hugs and flirts. You may also add him or her to your favourites.

However, sending and receiving messages are only available for premium members. Premium members can also engage with one another in open discussion forums or live chat rooms. These premium-members-only spaces create a safe place for members to make meaningful connections.

Forces Penpals believe that writing letters may be an old-fashioned way to support soldiers but is still one of the best. So if you want to boost the morale of soldiers through a difficult deployment abroad, try 'SnailMail'—a letter-writing feature. Basically, it is a private correspondence with someone who may be serving overseas. This feature has given civilians an outlet to express support and create genuine connections with our military personnel. Who knows? Maybe this old-fashioned service is the way for you to find your soulmate in this modern dating era.

Forces Penpals Profile Quality

Forces Penpals member's profile
  • Your basic information and physical attributes are shown in your profile
  • Only premium members can view or post statuses on their profiles
  • The profiles are not very detailed
  • The profile information can be changed later
  • Profile pictures are visible to everyone for free

Profiles on Forces Penpals have the following tabs:

  • About
  • Interests
  • Statuses

The 'About' tab shows a member's basic information, including his or her physical attributes. But if you want to know someone on a deeper level, check out his or her 'Interests' tab. But if you still aren't satisfied and want an avenue to get a glimpse of his or her personality, the 'Statuses' tab can definitely be your go-to. This tab apparently shows someone's posts regarding his or her thoughts, activities, present situation, etc. However, note that you can only post and view statuses once you become a paid member.

Since it's not mandatory to fill out those fields on your profile and most members didn't write an extensive 'About Me' paragraph, most profiles on this site are not that detailed.

There are also several fake profiles on the site since it doesn't have strict security measures.

Forces Penpals App

Forces Penpals mobile-site version
  • It does not have a mobile app
  • Accessing the site through your mobile browser is possible
  • You can still use all the features using your mobile device
  • Dektop version and mobile version are similar
  • The mobile site is made more compact

Forces Penpals does not feature a mobile application. But there's a mobile site for it if you want to use your phone for easy access. Just use your mobile browser to log in to the site.

There is no difference when using the site through your mobile device and through your desktop. The design and features are exactly the same.

The only difference is that the mobile version is made more compact to accommodate all the site's features.

Special Features

The best way to make the most out of the site is to use all its special features. You surely would not want to miss all these out, especially if you're a premium member. Note that all these can be used without cost by our servicemen on active duty.

SnailMail

One way to support and encourage soldiers is by writing letters, and you would be surprised by how much this means to them. Check out this feature to know how.

Statuses

You can let other members know how your day went or what your thoughts are by using this feature. You may also check other members' statuses to get a glimpse of their characters.

Chatrooms

If you avail of a subscription, you automatically get a pass to the site's live and engaging chatrooms. Check this feature out to get involved in some famous military banters.

Forums

Want to share funny stories, find old military friends, or organise charity events/parties? You may avail of a subscription to be able to join the site's active discussion forums.

How can I delete my Forces Penpals account and cancel my subscription?

How can you cancel your Subscription?

  • You can cancel with customer support

Will your subscription automatically renew?

  • Yes, your Forces Penpals subscription will automatically renew. The notice period for opting out of automatic renewal is 1 Day.

Is there a money back guarantee and do you get refunded the full amount?

  • Usually you will not get back the full amount, it will be reduced by the time or credits you used for Forces Penpals.

Forces Penpals FAQ

Facts

What is Forces Penpals?

Forces Penpals is the top military-support, dating, and social-networking site for the UK Armed Forces and their supporters.

What was Forces Penpals' history?

Forces Penpals was first launched as an old-fashioned letter-writing service for the UK Armed Forces. Handwritten letters were lovingly picked and sent to specific military people out on deployment in Iraq at the time. However, the response was overwhelming, and the original owner soon found that she couldn't keep up with the demand. So she realised that a website would be needed.

When was Forces Penpals launched?

Forces Penpals was launched on November 1, 2003.

Who is Forces Penpals' managing director?

Forces Penpals' managing director is Bruno Mustone.

What kind of charities do Forces Penpals support?

A percentage of Forces Penpals' profits will go to several military charities. One of those is 'Combat Stress'. This charity specialises in treating veterans with PTSD and other mental health issues. 

Can civilians also join Forces Penpals?

Yes. The site is open for anyone as long as he or she is of legal age and respects and appreciates our military personnel. In fact, civilians already outnumbered military members on the site.

What is the average age of users on Forces Penpals?

The average age of Forces Penpals users is between 33-40 years. You can find more information here

Usability

How do I change my username in Forces Penpals?

Just send an email to info@forcespenpals.co.uk using your registered email address with the details of your current username and your new preferred username. The site will email you back once it has been updated.

What do I do if I've been sent a hug/flirt?

Receiving a hug/flirt means someone is interested in you and they want to see if you're interested in them too. So you can either start up a conversation with them by sending them a message directly, or you can send them a flirt/hug back to show that you are also interested. However, don't play flirt/hug tennis forever! If you sent the first flirt/hug and they responded with a flirt/hug, fire up a conversation. Browse their profile again and get some words sent.

How does 'SnailMail' work?

'SnailMail' is a feature that allows you to send mail to a physical address. Clicking the 'SnailMail' button on someone's profile means requesting their address. If they accept, you will then be able to see their address. At that point, they will also be able to see yours. In order to find people who are using this feature, just click 'SnailMail' tab on the 'Find Penpals' menu. You can also adjust your 'Ideal Penpals' settings to only show those who are 'interested in old-fashioned letter writing'.

How do I block someone on Forces Penpals?

Just go to their profile. On the top right is a three-dots menu that drops down a list of options. Choose the 'Block User' option.

How do I delete my Forces Penpals account?

To remove your profile from the website and delete your account, just go to the 'Privacy Settings' page. Select 'Delete Profile' tab. Note that on this tab, you can either deactivate or permanently delete your profile.

How do I stop receiving email notifications from Forces Penpals?

To stop receiving email notifications, just click the link at the very bottom of each email. Or you can also go to your account's 'Contact Preferences' page. 

Costs

What are the features that I can use for free?

You can create your profile, view other peoples' profiles, and send and receive both flirts and hugs for free to gauge what kind of success you're likely to have and get a feel for what other lovely people are already on the website.

I'm a military member. Do I need to pay for a subscription?

If you are currently on active duty, you don't need to pay for a subscription. You can use all the site's features for free. And if you're a former military member, you get to enjoy a 50% discount on all its subscription packages.

Can you try Forces Penpals for free?

How much does Forces Penpals cost?

Forces Penpals typically costs between 4.99 GBP and 49.99 GBP. Compared to other dating services, Forces Penpals's membership costs is low-priced. You can find more information here

How much does it cost to sign up on Forces Penpals?

You can sign up for Forces Penpals for free, but to use its premium features you must upgrade. You can find more information here

Security

Is Forces Penpals safe?

Since the site has been operating since 2003 and has had produced success stories, it indeed is a legit and safe site. However, if you happen to encounter a suspicious account, you may either report or block it by clicking the three-dots menu.

Does Forces Penpals sell your data?

No, Forces Penpals does not sell your data.

Was Forces Penpals hacked in the past?

No, Forces Penpals was never hacked.

How accurately does Forces Penpals track your location?

Forces Penpals tracks your exact location.

Do your Forces Penpals profile pictures or profile information appear in Google Search Results?

No, your Forces Penpals photos and personal information will not appear in Google Search Results.

Who can view your pictures on Forces Penpals?

All Forces Penpals users can view your pictures.

Is your phone number required for signing up at Forces Penpals?

No, you don't need a phone number to sign up on Forces Penpals.

Can you erase your personal data on Forces Penpals?

Yes, Forces Penpals provides an option for users to erase their data.

How can I delete my Forces Penpals account and cancel my subscription?

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Final Results table

Signing Up: 4.0 / 5
Making Contact: 4.0 / 5
Profile Quality: 3.0 / 5
App: 3.5 / 5

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