What Is Sugar Dating: Confusing Things Explained Simply

Sex, money, luxury gifts, and travel are all the core of sugar dating. But what exactly does it mean to sugar date? Are all sugar dating relationships the same? That’s what we are going to explain today. Read on!

What Is Sugar Dating?

According to the Urban Dictionary, a sugar relationship is a mutually beneficial arrangement between two consenting adults. In it, one partner provides financial support in exchange for companionship and often sexual favors.

Dictionary.com defines the process as providing romantic companionship or intimacy to an older rich guy in exchange for a monthly allowance or PPM and gifts. The age gap of 15+ years is a common thing, but it’s not a defining factor.

So, traditional sugar dating is a unique relationship between a sugar baby and a sugar daddy or mommy based on NSA romance with a twist. The twist lies in clear rules of dating and financial support for a sugar baby. All the conditions, expectations, and boundaries are thoroughly discussed before the first date.

What Is Online Sugar Dating?

Online sugar dating, also known as cyber sugar dating, is a type of mutually beneficial relationship when sugar daddies or mommas don’t expect to meet their sugar babies. The whole relationship is held online. It often consists of regular conversations and emotional support, as well as romantic online dates, spoiling with presents, and spicy video chats.

Though online sugar dating exists, cyber SDs and SMs make up only around 5%. The majority are looking for traditional arrangements with intimacy in their local area.

Sugar Dating Terms — Must-Know

Being new to sugar dating might be confusing, as there are a lot of different terms, phrases, and slang. To help you keep up and understand all the articles and forums, here are the explanations of the most used sugar dating terms:

Sugar bowl – a community of active sugar daters.
POT – potential partner for a sugar relationship.
Sugar daddy (SD) – a wealthy, usually older man who is looking for a young woman for a mutually beneficial relationship and is ready to provide financial support and other perks. Some SDs also provide gifts, paid vacations, luxury experiences, mentorship, and networking.
Sugar baby (SB) – a young woman or guy seeking financial help and willing to go on dates, vacations, or business trips with an older guy or woman.
Sugar momma (SM) – a rich older woman who is seeking a sugar baby for companionship and sexual favors in exchange for financial help and various perks that range from pre-paid shopping sprees to tuition paid.
Sugar arrangement (SA) – a mutually agreed–upon arrangement between a sugar baby and a sugar daddy/momma that includes the type of sugar relationship, regularity of meetings, size of financial support, additional requirements, boundaries, and other expectations. Every SA is different and is often negotiated before the start.
Mutual Agreement (MA) – is coming into agreement about all aspects of the sugar relationship.
With allowance (WA) – this is a type of sugar dating in which a sugar daddy or mommy provides financial support in the form of a monthly allowance or weekly or biweekly payments. It’s a common form of a long-term sugar arrangement.
Pay per meet (PPM) – is a type of financial support provided by a wealthy sugar partner where a sugar baby gets paid after each date. It’s a common form of payment for the first sugar date, short-term arrangements, or those that happen rarer than once a month.
Meet-and-Greet (M&G) – a niche name for the first date between the two sugar partners. Its main aim is to make sure that an SB and an SD are comfortable with each other, and it rarely includes any form of intimacy.
No-Strings-Attached (NSA) – that’s an important concept of sugar relationships, as they are not traditional romantic relationships, and neither partner owes anyone anything (except what is stated in the SA).
Short-term (ST)/Long-term (LT) – ST relationships are less than 2 months, and LT relationships are 2+ months.

Those are the most used sugar dating terms. But you might also stumble upon other terms like:

Honey daddy (unicorn or whale) – a very wealthy guy who is rare in the sugar dating bowl. He is often ready to provide more than $5,000+ in allowance in addition to paid luxury vacations, daily salon visits, and designer shopping.
Salt daddy – a man who wants to have all the benefits of an SD but doesn’t have the means or want to provide financial support to an SB.
Splenda daddy – a guy who wants to be a sugar daddy and can provide some sugar, but his money for an allowance PPM and gifts is limited. It’s like an SD on a budget.
Angel baby – in sugar dating is an elite SB with a lot of experience who is confident and skilled. Angel baby knows what she wants and wouldn’t settle for less.
Road sugar – it’s an SD who only goes for relationships outside his location of residence. Relationships with such SDs often require extra secrecy, as they are often married.
Cookie-jarring – dating multiple SDs at once or keeping in touch with potential SDs to have a safety net.

Also, you should keep in mind that though the core terminology remains, many new slang words are mixed in almost every day. If you are unsure what your SD/SM or SB means, just ask. However, knowing the terms can help you come across as more experienced, find more suitable sugar partners, and avoid miscommunications.

Is Sugar Dating Legal in the US?

Sugar dating is legal in the US, though it lies in the grey area. The reason is whether a sugar relationship sticks to the norms of sugar dating. Agreement to having a romantic and sexual relationship is legal, but sexual service is not, except in certain parts of Nevada. Also, there is nothing wrong with helping your partner financially; however, paying for intimacy is illegal.

Is Sugar Dating Legal in the UK, Canada, and Australia?

The situation with the legal side of sugar arrangements in the UK, Canada, and Australia is similar to the US but not the same.

In the UK, sugar relationships are legal, as well as prostitution and escorting (except in Northern Ireland).
In Canada, sugar arrangements are legal, but SDs need to be careful in making sure that the relationship is not transactional. Under Canadian law, it’s legal for women to offer sexual services, but it’s illegal to pay for sex.
In Australia, sugar relationships are not forbidden by law, as is sex work in general, but the rules differ by state.

So overall, sugar relationships are legal in all three countries.

Is Sugar Dating Prostitution?

No. It’s a common misconception that sugar dating and prostitution are the same. To make things clear, they are not. The main difference lies in that a prostitute has a certain rate per hour or per night for her sexual services. A sugar baby might have preferences in allowance or PPM, but there are no rates for intimacy.

Also, an SB might not receive money at all but gifts that an SD chooses, paid vacations, and other non-financial benefits like mentorship or networking. Some sugar relationships, though rare, are strictly platonic. They might include romantic or erotic conversations but no intimacy.

Sugar Dating Rules

To be successful at sugar dating, you need to know and follow the main sugar dating rules:

Safety is key, so never share your real identity. SDs and SBs create personas they adopt. Also, mind what personal info you share.
Both parties should understand and agree to the peculiarities of the arrangement. You should discuss everything beforehand, from the type of relationship and expectations to the payment amount and regularity of dates. Both parties are expected to do their part.
Set clear boundaries and limits. Sugar dating can be confusing, especially if it includes mentorship. That’s why it’s important to establish clear boundaries, and this also applies to intimacy.
Don’t have false hopes, as sugar relationships are NSA. Every relationship will end, and you need to be ready for that and have a plan B.

Those are some ground rules, but each relationship is unique and might have additional privacy and exclusivity rules.

Sugar Dating Tips

To be popular among sugar daters and also have a positive experience overall, here are a few sugar dating tips to follow:

Know what you want from the sugar partner and communicate your expectations clearly.
Know the average rate for PPM and allowance to ensure that you are not underpaid (for SDs, it’s a good way to have estimates).
Choose the right sugar dating site, as that’s 80% of your success.
Be discreet and don’t share the peculiarities of your arrangement with others, as most SDs and SBs value privacy.
Don’t get emotionally attached, and don’t confuse mutual benefits with love.
Trust your gut feeling, and if something is off, get yourself out of the relationship.

Sugar arrangements are fun and mutually beneficial, but only if both parties play nice. We hope our tips will help you navigate the experience with ease.

Final Thoughts

Modern sugar dating is very diverse, and the trends of new slang are fast-changing. But knowing the lingo is key to understanding and navigating this type of relationship. And we hope that we helped you with that!