SAN ANTONIO — Three out of four Americans struggle with loneliness.
- Rental friends start at $10 per hour
- Site membership fee is $25 per month
- People can browse friends for free
That’s according to a study published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics in December 2018.
Though loneliness is subjective, companionship is one way to combat the feeling.
RentAFriend.com allows people to rent a companion starting at $10 per hour. More than 1,400 San Antonio-area “friends” are available.
The platform is not a dating or escorting website. It is for platonic companionship only.
Scott Rosenbaum of Stewartsville, New Jersey, started the site in 2009. He was inspired by the popularity of rent-a-family companies in Japan.
"Family structure is a very big part of their society, and the companies were offering fill-in or stand-in family members,” said Rosenbaum. “If there was a divorce, death, or situation in which a parent was not available, one could hire someone to pretend to be that family member.”
Rosenbaum realized that there weren’t any companies catering to the friend market in the U.S.
“There are thousands of dating websites, but no websites where you could hire a local platonic friend," said Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum says there are many reasons why someone would want to rent a friend. He says people use his website to hire a local person to show them around town. Or someone might want to hire a friend when they want a companion to go to a movie theater or restaurant with.
Another example — someone may have an extra ticket to a sporting event or concert. He or she can rent a friend to have someone to tag along.
People can browse friend profiles for free, but to contact a friend, one must be a member. Anyone can apply to be a friend. Membership fees are $25 per month or $70 per year. Friends charge between $10 and $50 per hour.
Members can contact friends directly to arrange times, costs, and activities. According to the website, most friends are willing to negotiate or even waive their fee depending on the activity the member wants to do.
Anyone can sign up to be a friend. RentAFriend.com does not do background checks on friends or members, but they do offer safety tips. The site suggests you always meet in a public place and have a phone with you during meetups.
