I have now read through all the threads on this, but I want share my flavor and ask for advice (please add comments). I have been on SA (on and off ) for about 5 years. I typically buy a month membership, find something that works, and get off for a while. The idea of having a rotation is intriguing, I will try this next time around.  

Payment - I have been able to pay (as of last month) with a OneVanilla Prepaid VISA cards. You can call the 800 number on the back and register a 5 digit zip to them, which is what I think helps. Once they are drained, they also do not auto-renew.  

How many profiles are real? I will look harder next time, but it feels out of every 50 messages, only about 5 are even read, then only about 1 replies. I am not in the best market, but I am also not in rural WV (no offense to anyone there). It seems like they put up bogus profiles to get your attention.

30ish asian women that "are in Toronto now, but will be in your area in a month"...I have typically deleted these, but what is the scam or is there a payout at some point (like some indy traveling)?  

Accounts that message me directly from Colombia, Venezuela, or the Eastern Bloc what is up with this?  

I no longer send money in advance of a meet. I was burned about five times. Now I just think this is a scam. Am I  just to judgemental, or is this a loss leader to find a gem? I have offered to pick people up or drive to them to avoid this.  

Anyone that asks for my WhatsApp, KIK, or SnapChat....seems to be people selling pictures. Especiallying during COVID, lots of people just wanted to sell pictures, not my speed.  

I am definately taking some of the profile ideads to heart and will update mine next time around.  

Please Flame Away or offer constructive advice.

Mr. Frog, I think you have described a very accurate assessment of what's going on on SA these days. I do think that jumping in and out for a month at a time is counter productive.  I maintain my profile all the time, even though my rotation is often quite full.  But I'm always looking for an upgrade!.  Like you, I live in a target poor environment.  So I don't want to miss any opportunities when a great one pops up.  Yes it now costs over $1k/year to be on seeking continuously.  But I consider the benefits to be well worth the cost.

Payment:  I use cash, only and always.  That's it.

Real profiles are indeed rare these days, ever since Seeking Arrangement, as it was known then, quietly removed it's policy banning "online arrangements".  I haven't done the numbers recently but yours may be accurate.  I recently had over 30 conversations going, resulting in just a few M&Gs, and one BCD so far with 2 more planned for this week.  It is a numbers game, always has been, maybe fewer home runs per times at bat, but still a good game!

The Asian women scam has been written about here.  It's a sort of long con.  They lure you in, and eventually tell you about their uncle who has taught them how to make lots of money and they want to help you by letting you in on the lucrative scheme!  Just send them some money and you'll be rich!  If you believe that, I can make you a great deal on the Brooklyn Bridge!

The ones contacting us from Venezuela, Philippines, Ukraine, etc. are a different story.  Some may be so desperate they truly think a US citizen will arrange to get them out of their country. This is not realistic due to strict immigration policies even if it was totally legit.  Most will just hit you up for $$.  And as Herb has suggested, many may simply have been paid $20 by a local photographer/scammer to pose for a few pictures so he can post one more fake profile and ask for money. They seem to have an automatic algorithm that alerts them whenever you sign in to your account and you suddenly get several more of these.  Ignore, delete. block, hide them, whichever you choose.

Sending $ in advance NEVER leads to a good outcome.  We've all learned that the hard way.  Just. Don't. Do. It.

You are correct about the "content sellers".  If they want you to move to a different messaging platform, they are selling pics and vids and have zero intention of ever meeting up irl.  

Looks to me like you are using your head (the big one!) and paying attention, and learning from your experiences as well as from the wealth of other people's experiences as offered here on this forum.  Have fun building your rotation and let us know how it goes!

The ones that give me their numbers and want to take it offline right away just want to sell their videos and pics and have no intentions of ever meeting in person. I bought a few videos and pics just to show them I am serious, but when I asked to meet them, they wanted "gas" money or "baby-sitter" money upfront, they disappeared after I told them no money upfront. I also got scammed several times sending money upfront when I was a newbie.

I think my phone number has been passed around by scammers. Now I constantly get text messages and WhatsApp messages from people I never messaged on seeking. They all claim they are from seeking, but I know I have never messaged them before. They all say they have deleted their profiles so I can't find them. I can block their phone number, but it's very annoying.

I guess times are tough with the inflation being so high, so people are desperate for any money they can beg, borrow, steal, or scam.

You're getting some good advice in the last two messages, I'll just add my two cents.

I agree there are some gems to be had if you persevere and handle things well. One other point to note is that you can have a good thing going for a bit, and your sweet SB can flake on you. Obviously you can flake on them too, and you have to decide how much of a "relationship" you want for a consistent experience, within your limits.

The other hazards are the TikTok toe-dippers who think they can get into your wallet for a cuddle.  And there's inflation. In my town it's rare to find a hot SB asking less than 600.  Sometimes they can be talked down. And some want cash for a M&G which is not a good idea either.

Agree with Sweetman that it's good to stay on the platform consistently. You can see some of the same gals who delete and then start new profiles again (not clear why).  

Another point which separates the bowl from the pro experience: You're  going to find a lot of non-pros who don't want to go as far as escorting but will do it with a guy if they can choose and set the rules and price. You are playing into their fantasy too -- they want to take some risks but also get a taste of a lifestyle they can't afford, whether it's nice dinners or trips to the beach. Something else to consider.

Just a note that WhatsApp is used around the world and is a very reliable way to communicate, voice, text, pictures, etc.  Supposedly encrypted end to end.  It is tied to your smartphone number.
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I hate Snapchat and refuse to use it.  Messages disappear after you read them.  If you take a screenshot it informs the sender.   I need a record of my convos to keep things sorted.  Snapchat is horrible in that regard.
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I've never used KIK so no opinion.

Seeking is still probably king, but the month by month subscription is not optimal.  I have an account on Secret Benefits.  It doesn't get the traffic you see on Seeking.  But still there are hundreds in my area checking in during the week.  There you buy points and spend them when you contact somebody (for the first time.)  So you can really just wait for the right fish to come along.  I don't feel under any time pressure.  The downside besides the more limited selection is you can't really play the numbers game.  You'll blow through your points pretty fast.   So you have to target more carefully.

How do you pay your membership in cash or did I misunderstand. I've been banned for reasons I don't understand and have tried to register with different cards but still get banned.

Sorry, I misunderstood the question about payment, thought we were talking about paying the SBs. As for paying for the SA membership I just use my regular mastercard.  My wife knows and approves of my sugar dating so I have nothing to hide, never had a problem giving SA my card number.