Forget flowers, 'love insurance' was a trending gift on Valentine's Day
First comes love, then comes -- love insurance?
Buying love insurance is the latest trend sweeping millennials in China, with a growing number of couples signing up.
The idea behind it is that couples pay companies a one-time fee to agree to get married within a set time frame.
If they do end up getting married, they receive a payout, usually in the form of a larger amount of cash.
And they're doing it because the "insurance" provides them with a sense of security, according to the social media buzz. Many take the policies as assurance that their partner is serious in furthering the relationship.
"With the love insurance, I now feel a sense of security," posted a female netizen in China who received the policy on Valentine's Day alongside cake and flowers.
"This protects a girl's heart. Thank you being with me for so many years," said another female netizen who posted a picture of the policy alongside a bouquet of roses -- also on Valentine's Day.
"I live 600km away (from my boyfriend) so this assures me," agreed another Weibo user.
"It's as much money as going for dinner but it shows your girlfriend a lot of loyalty. In that sense, it's a good deal," said one user on Chinese Q&A website Zhihu.
Big firms now sell love insurance
Love insurance is being offered by a number of established companies, including Alipay, which is owned by e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Alipay's policies start at $14, going up to $43 and $72.
If the couple produces a marriage certificate between 3 and 13 years' time, they will receive a corresponding payout of $291, $873 and $1,455.
But maybe cash isn't your thing -- how about flowers?
Another insurance plan offered by China Life, the country's largest insurance firm, costs $43, offering a staggering 10,000 roses to those who also get married after three years.
The same plan for college students costs $28, because we all know broke students need reassurance too.
But couples might not want to get their hopes up too soon.
According to Huize, a Chinese insurance platform, 98 percent of couples break up within three years.
China's divorce rate has also increased, with some 3.84 million couples calling their marriage off last year.
Well, at least no one can say they didn't try.
Yvette is a Viral Content Reporter at Mashable Asia. She was previously reporting for BBC's Singapore bureau and Channel NewsAsia.
