A Chinese woman who bought a “love insurance” policy for 199 yuan (US$28) in 2016 claimed a 10,000-yuan (US$1,400) payout ten years later.
The payout came after she and her partner officially registered their marriage in 2025, following a decade long relationship.
The woman surnamed Wu from Xian, Shaanxi province in central China, met her husband, surnamed Wang, in secondary school.
The pair began dating and officially entered a relationship in 2015 after enrolling at the same university. They were both born after 1995.
In 2016, Wu bought a discounted “love insurance” policy for 199 yuan as a gift for her boyfriend.
Wang recalled that he was initially very sceptical, saying: “She said she bought love insurance; my first reaction was that she had been scammed.”
The policy, whose standard price was 299 yuan (US$42), was issued by China Life Property and Casualty Insurance Company Limited.
It was structured as a high-stakes bet on the couple’s commitment: if the policyholder married their designated partner on any date within ten years after the third anniversary of the policy’s effective date, they would be eligible to receive either 10,000 roses or a 0.5-carat heart-shaped diamond ring.
On January 5, a customer service representative told Jimu News that the “love insurance” product had been discontinued in 2017, but existing policies could still be redeemed.
Policyholders could choose either 10,000 yuan in cash or 10,000 roses.
In October 2025, Wu and Wang officially registered their marriage after their decade-long relationship.
They took the cash payout.
Wu said: “The wedding is already over. I would not know how to preserve 10,000 roses.”
Wang said he had already submitted a request to the company and was waiting to claim the amount.
“The customer service department said they would send us an email within one to two business days so we can submit the required documents.”
“The wedding and honeymoon are already done. We will decide what to do when the money arrives,” Wang added.
In 2017, the former China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission mandated that insurance companies stop creating “gimmicky” products lacking genuine legal or insurable interest, leading to the phase-out of so-called marriage insurance and love insurance.
The couple’s 10-year payout sparked a lively online discussion.
One person said: “My husband and I met in college, dated for five years and have been married for nine. Why did we not know about this kind of insurance back then?”
Another said: “Looks like the actuaries believed that relationships lasting more than three years rarely end in marriage.”
While a third person added: “Not only did they want to sell me insurance, they also wanted to ‘trick’ me into falling in love and getting married.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
