Unlike sweetman's incredible exploits I'm finding SA to be getting worse and worse. This week every SB I chatted with (20+ of them) ALL want money to meet for coffee. There must be a new web site out there with fairy tales

I get lot of requests for $$ for a coffee meet too.  But I tell them firmly but kindly why I won't do that.  Sometimes they bail and that's the end of it.  More often though they say ok I understand and we keep moving forward.  The last girl who asked me for $$ in advance, plus $$ to meet wound up driving a ways to meet me near my home for coffee.  We wound up going directly from coffee to BCD, had a wonderful time, and all for the $200 I had offered her in our messages.  Hell, I gave her another 20 for gas money since she drove to me.

There have been spells where more of them had unrealistic expectations.  Sorry to hear you are hitting one of those in your area.  I often tell them I think we should both be motivated enough to meet and spend an hour chatting, with no obligation or expectation other than two people checking each other out to see if there's chemistry.  If she's not at least that interested, I'm not either! The sugar starts after we create an arrangement. The coffee meet is to decide if we both want to create one.  This is the kind of explanation I use, maybe it will help you too.  

I've only had a couple ask for money for the first public meet.  Aside from being ridiculous, it puts it way way too far into the mercenary category.  I know they're in it for the bucks, but allow some room for fantasy ...

Also I think it is a way to brush you off without saying their true reason.  They know most guys won't go for pay just to see them in public for a few minutes (or at least I hope most guys wouldn't.)

What I had in the last few weeks was a lot of girls short on rent payments etc ... literally begging to meet.

I've just let my 3 month subscription to SA lapse.  I gotta adopt some fiscal responsibility.  This shit can drive you to the poor house.  

A few days ago I reported a predator alert scammer to SA including copies of the extortion texts I received. Guys, don't do it. Apparently once you complain or report someone you are then under the microscope.  In effect the scammer's profile is still up while I received a permanent ban today for "soliciting sexual favors".  

People on reddit's forum advise to initiate a charge-back on my credit card.  I'm actually relieved because I've had it with seeking and the girls there - at least in my market.  Japan was great but here it's turned into a cesspool.

I have a several phone numbers I collected to keep me busy for a while

I have reported a few of the most blatant scammers and I have had no adverse effects from doing so.  

 
I feel your pain regarding the girls who DEMAND tribute simply for showing up for a free meal. Those kind of girls seem to run in streaks from my personal experience. I will get lulled to sleep for a while during my good runs when almost none of the POT SB's seem to ask for upfront money or money just to "watch them eat" lol, but then I too will run into a bad streak where it seems like every woman on the site is trying to pick my pocket while offering virtually nothing in return.

 
A few words of advice for anyone else reading this about how not to get kicked off of SA. NEVER use the term PPM, nor should you ever discuss "sex for money" any more than you would when contacting a hooker. Anything that could even remotely be construed as soliciting prostitution should be kept OFF of SA's servers and only discussed in person, I will sometimes have some such discussions by phone or text, but if you want to stay 100% safe I wouldn't even advise doing that.

 
And yes, I would definitely charge back your membership fee on your credit card. It only takes a couple of minutes and although it's only a few bucks, at least you won't be rewarding them for fucking you over.

First meet benefits both parties. It's a form of mutual screening. Also SB's are different from escorts legally.  So as a technical legal matter ppm should be avoided. I'll buy drinks or dinner sometimes, just like I would for other social engagements.

The other factor of paying for first meet is that they can get rich that way without ever going out on a real date. They just line up a series of first meets and the laugh on the way to the bank.

I tell them I am in it for the sex. Everyone knows that means sex for money, but since money isn't mentioned, it's perfectly legit to say it on  the SA message system.  If they express interest I then direct them to email or text where I quicky make the ppm offer. It's not on the SA system so difficult to prove. And those who respond to sex requests are as likely to complain, as they usually are in it for the money as well.

Those that want bucks for meeting are usually looking for hundreds of bucks, I think.    I have treated some to share a pizza, etc.  But I shy away from that now as there doesn't seem to be a benefit in doing so.  

I think there are a lot more chicks on SA than men willing to pay.   Many chicks do have standards (age, looks, physical shape, race) where they will pass you up regardless of money (well, maybe not, but I'm not willing to bid high enough to find out.)  But there are enough out there who kinda want money pretty badly, so even if they aren't the majority, I still think there are more of them than guys on SA.  

I'm sure I could have a date every other day with new girls from SA if I had the money.

Agreeing to pay a "small fee" doesn't make make an SD "serious" IMHO, what it does is prove to the POT SB that SHE is "in charge" and it just sets the wrong tone to start the relationship.  

 
It's not a matter of being cheap, I don't do "coffee" dates, I prefer dinner, or at least drinks and I don't mind at all if we "run up the tab" to way more than the $20-50 that you are talking about, but what I won't do is give any kind of "allowance" to a woman I am not sleeping with. I don't mind having several dates with a woman before going BCD with her, but I am not going to be paying her simply for her company, no more than I am going to pay a hooker for "time and companionship".  

 
I know you are going to have a hard time believing this coming from a self admitted oink oink man like myself, but I am actually ok with going out with women where I know we are never going to be anything more than friends, but I don't pay my "friends" to hang out with me.  

 
BTW SB's outnumber SD's by a factor of several to one on SA, IMHO  it's more incumbent on her to prove that she is "serious" than it is for me to prove the same to her. My time is much more valuable than any twenty something year old POT SB, not to mention I am springing for dinner, drinks or whatever so the only "risk" she is taking is the risk of accepting a  free dinner from some guy she ends up not being interested in. One other thing to keep in mind. I might be a pig, but I am a pig with standards and hot pics don't guarantee a hot woman is actually going to be who shows up. If a hooker or an SB who expects to be paid for her "time" shows up not looking like her pics, I am going to turn around and walk without leaving a nickel. OTOH, if a POT shows up a little chubby or not as attractive as her pics and I decide that I don't want to have sex with her, I am still going to go through with the date and buy her dinner or a few drinks before parting ways. I would not be so magnanimous if she was expecting to get paid too.

I usually meet the first time at lunch and occasionally dinner.  I will gladly pay  ~$100 for food and drinks to get a sense of the lady  BUT I will not pay “show up” money unless she drove a couple hours & then I would consider some gas money.   They have a site for “show up” money and it’s called What’s Your Price.  It is a waste of time and money (for the guys).

I’m no expert on this but I beleive the good ones are out there and over time the numbers will even out so keep the faith.  I see fewer P411 ladies since hunting on SA.  Each month I get a little better at picking out good prospects.

I must disagree with you here...  
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I never mention sex at all. Not on SA messages, not even in my texts and I generally don't use email prior to a M&G, or after, unless I need to for some low risk purpose like sending a link to a restaurant on Yelp or an item on Amazon.  
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Why? Every message (on SA and off)  you send and receive can be captured by the POT (or others!) and sent to SA or LE as support for claims of soliciting. Note that meeting some legal standard of "proof" is irrelevant. SA will kick you for anything that even smells like you might be trading money for sex now or at some point in the future. I really think the last round of TOS changes (mostly in response to FOSTA/SETSA) were not really a restriction of how to use the site. Rather it serves as specific instructions on how to ensure you can continue to use the site!  
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To paraphrase Tyler Durden:  
The First Rule of Sugar Club is "You do not document your talk about Sugar Club!"
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As suggested, wait to meet face to face and see if you want to go further. Then you can open negotiations about what an arrangement might look like; when and how often you will meet, what type of things you will do together (dinner, shopping, fun), and how you might help her with her life needs (cover a bill, buy her needed or nice things, cash to help her pay rent, etc.). Even during this phase whether it's face to face or by text, I never get explicit. And I never mention anything about allowance, cash, gifts, etc. in the same sentence (or paragraph) where we discuss anything salacious.  
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Finally, I no longer report scammers to SA. When I did so years ago, they appeared to take no action. I don't want to be on thier radar, and I don't want to get into a he said/she said deal either. To be sure, I've been scammed in the past - a few dollars to several hundred. But if I was ever really hurt by a significant loss, I'd go straight to LE and tell all. (It helps that I'm not married and don't have a GF).  
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So learn from this and get back in the saddle. Lot's of fresh and tender SB's out there!
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Life is good.
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-The Cat

Copied text messages and emails are poor proof because anyone can create a fake one.   For instance here is an email an escort just sent me ... "You have the biggest cock I've ever seen."   Hey, it must be real, its an email!!

So it doesn't matter if you mention money and sex or not, someone can always claim you did.

Your method of delaying talk of money IS probably safer, but I just don't have the patience for that.  The only time I got in trouble was when doing so using the SA messaging system.    Never over email.