Terms of Service

Last updated September 28, 2026

Draft: these policies haven't been reviewed by a lawyer yet.

These terms are an agreement between you and Hearts & Stripes ("we", "us") about using Hearts & Stripes. By creating an account you agree to them and to our Privacy Policy.

1. Who can join

• You're at least 18 years old and can form a binding contract.
• You haven't been banned from Hearts & Stripes before.
• You aren't required to register as a sex offender, and you haven't been convicted of a violent or sexual crime.
• You'll have one account, with your own real details and photos of yourself.

2. Your account

Keep your password private: you're responsible for what happens on your account. Tell us at support@heartsandstripes.us if you think someone else has used it. You can delete your account at any time from your profile page.

3. Community rules

Treat people the way you'd want to be treated. You may not:

• harass, threaten, stalk, bully or intimidate anyone, or post hateful content;
• ask anyone for money, gift cards, crypto or financial details, or run any kind of scam;
• advertise, sell, or recruit for other services, websites or apps;
• pretend to be someone else, create fake or duplicate accounts, or use bots, scripts or scrapers;
• post nudity, sexual content, violence, or anything illegal;
• share other people's private information or photos without their consent;
• try to get around a block, a ban, or the site's security.

4. What you post

You own your photos, bio, letters and messages. You give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to store, process, resize and display them to run Hearts & Stripes. The license ends when you delete them or your account, apart from copies in backups, which roll off within 30 days. You're responsible for what you post, and we may remove anything that breaks these terms.

5. Meeting people

Hearts & Stripes doesn't run criminal background checks on members or verify their identities. You're responsible for your own interactions, online and in person. Please read our Safety Tips, and use the Report and Block buttons if anyone makes you uncomfortable.

6. Letters, Forever Stamps and First Class

• Forever Stamps let you send letters on Hearts & Stripes. They're a limited license to use a feature. They aren't money, have no cash value, and can't be sold, transferred or exchanged.
• Stamps you buy don't expire while your account is open. You can hold up to 3 free stamps at a time.
• Refunds: email support@heartsandstripes.us within 14 days of a purchase, and we'll refund that purchase if none of its stamps have been used. Used stamps can't be refunded. Stamps aren't refunded if your account is banned for breaking these terms, except where the law requires it.
• Payments are processed by Stripe. Prices can change, but that never affects stamps you already have. Filing false chargebacks can get your account suspended.
• If we ever close Hearts & Stripes, we'll give at least 30 days' notice.

First Class membership

• Hearts & Stripes is free to use. First Class is an optional membership that adds extras, such as seeing when a match is typing and when they've read your messages. Members can turn off their own read receipts at any time.
• Automatic renewal: First Class renews automatically at the end of each plan period (1, 3, 6 or 12 months, as you chose), at the price shown when you signed up, and your card is charged each time, until you cancel. We'll tell you before any price change affects you.
• Cancelling: cancel anytime online from the First Class page. You keep First Class until the end of the period you've already paid for, and you won't be charged again. Deleting your account cancels it right away.
• Refunds: email support@heartsandstripes.us within 14 days of your first payment for a full refund. After that, and for renewals, we don't refund partial periods, except where the law requires it. A membership isn't refunded if your account is banned for breaking these terms, except where the law requires it.

7. Moderation and ending your account

We review reports, and we may remove content, limit features, or suspend or ban accounts that break these terms or put others at risk, with or without notice. You can stop using Hearts & Stripes and delete your account at any time.

8. No guarantees

Hearts & Stripes is provided "as is". We can't promise you'll find a match, that the site will always be available, or that other members are who they say they are. We aren't responsible for how other members behave.

9. Limits on liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, we aren't liable for indirect, incidental or consequential damages. Our total liability to you is limited to the greater of $100 or what you paid us in the 12 months before the claim. Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

10. Disputes

If something goes wrong, email support@heartsandstripes.us first; most problems can be solved that way. These terms are governed by the laws of the state where Hearts & Stripes is organized, and either of us can bring a claim in small claims court.

11. Changes

We may update these terms. If a change is significant, we'll tell you on the site or by email before it takes effect. Using Hearts & Stripes after that means you accept the new terms.

12. Contact

Hearts & Stripes · support@heartsandstripes.us