DateableWhat to do the day before a Board date
Read the safety checklist, confirm time and place, tell a friend where you are going, and charge your phone before meeting someone from the Board.
The day before a Board date, read the safety checklist Dateable sends you, confirm the time and place in messages, screenshot the listing and their profile, and tell a friend who, when and where. Then plan your own way there and home, charge your phone, and set a check-in time.
Read the safety checklist Dateable sends
The day before a confirmed Board date, both of you receive the first-date safety checklist. Read it properly, even if you have been on dates before, and use the rest of this list alongside it. Dateable's safety page has more.
Confirm the time and place in messages
Message your date on Dateable to confirm the exact time and place. The venue name on a listing is shown only to the accepted guest, so if you are the guest, repeat it back; if you are the host, make sure it is in the conversation. Keeping it in Dateable's messages means there is a record.
Just confirming: 6pm tomorrow at [venue] on [street]. I'll be there a few minutes early. Looking forward to it.
If they try to move the conversation off Dateable before you have met, pause. If they change the place at the last minute to somewhere you do not know, cancel 1. You do not need a reason, and a genuine date will not argue.
Screenshot the listing and profile
Before meeting someone from online, screenshot their profile and your messages 2. For a Board date, add the listing: it records what the host said they would provide, and when. If something goes wrong, you have a record even if they delete their profile.
Note whether they are verified and the month shown on the badge. Verification shows they match their photos; it does not check identity. Send your friend one of the profile photos too.
Tell a trusted friend everything
Tell at least one person you trust:
- The exact place and time you are meeting
- Your date's name and what they look like (send a photo if you have one)
- How long you plan to stay
- When you will check in with them
"I'm meeting someone from Dateable" is not enough. Tell them who, when and where, and when you expect to be home 1. The first date safety guide has a message you can copy.
Plan your own way there and home
Take your own transport, so you control when you leave 1. Drive, catch public transport, or know which rideshare app you will use. Do not rely on your date to pick you up or drive you home, even if the listing says the occasion is hosted.
Look up the route and how long it takes. If the venue is new to you, check it online: where the entrance is, where you might sit, where the nearest taxi rank or pick-up point is. The guide to planning a first date covers choosing a place if the details are still open.
Charge your phone and set a check-in time
Charge your phone fully tonight and pack a charger or power bank. Turn on location sharing with your trusted friend for the evening 3.
Set a specific time when you will message or call your friend. For a one-hour date, check in at the one-hour mark. For a longer date, agree on a check-in time before you go. If you do not check in, they know something is wrong and can act.
I will text you at 7pm to let you know I am OK. If you do not hear from me by 7.15, call me.
If you need to cancel, do it now
The day before is the last easy moment to pull out. On the Board, a cancellation inside 24 hours of the date is recorded, and three in 90 days pauses posting or applying for 30 days. If something has come up, or you have simply changed your mind, cancel through the listing with a short reason, and message your date:
I'm sorry, I can't make tomorrow after all. I didn't want to leave it to the last minute.
Safety comes first, though: if something worries you on the day itself, cancel then.
Decide your limits tonight
Decide now, while you are calm, what you will not do tomorrow: go back to their place or a hotel room, change venues to somewhere you do not know, or stay longer than you planned. A first meeting on the Board is never in a private home or hotel room; a listing that asks for one is refused. Keep your address and workplace to yourself 1, keep sight of your drink, and never send money to someone you met on a dating site 4.
If it does not feel right on the night, leave, and do not feel bad about cutting it short 4. On a Board date, report anything that worries you from the listing or their profile; a report reaches a person.
Sources
- Sexual Assault Resource Centre, North Metropolitan Health Service (Government of Western Australia) (2021). Safe online dating.
- eSafety Commissioner (2026). Online dating | How to stay safe.
- Victoria Police (2025). Safety tips when meeting someone from online.
- New Zealand Police (2026). Safety advice.
