How to reply when she says she doesn't usually date this early

Read the 'but' and the second half of her message. People who are only being polite do not usually add a warm line about enjoying the chat. Here she has told you where the boundary sits, which is useful information. It means she is comfortable with the conversation and wants to keep it going at this pace before anything in person.

It also tells you what she values right now: getting to know you through messages, probably at a slower rhythm. That is a preference, not a verdict on you. Some people have had a bad experience with someone who pushed to meet in week one, and some simply prefer to build a sense of someone before committing a whole evening. Neither needs to be uncovered to respond well.

Once you have accepted the boundary, the job is to keep the chat alive in a way that feels easy for her. Respond to something specific she said or shared, and ask a question that invites a longer answer about her, not a question that pulls for a commitment. The aim is to show you are paying attention and that talking to you is pleasant enough that she wants to keep doing it.

Avoid signalling that you are waiting for the moment to suggest meeting. If your messages keep circling back toward a plan, she will feel the pressure even if you never say it outright. Let the conversation carry its own weight for a while.

Timing matters more here than people expect. Reply when you would normally reply to someone you were enjoying talking to, not in a rush to show how much you are into it. A reply that arrives within a few minutes at midnight can read as more intense than the same message sent the next afternoon.

If she goes quiet after you respond, give it a reasonable window before following up, often a day or two depending on how the thread was going. One gentle message is fine. If there is still nothing, let it go and do not send a series of check-ins. Stopping at that point is the respectful move, and it keeps the door open if she comes back later.