Buying insurance online can take only a few minutes. But a carefully designed app or website can influence what you buy, what you pay and how easily you can change your mind. These tactics are known as dark patterns and are deceptive or manipulative design practices.
In April 2026, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) told regulated entities offering insurance products on e-platforms to comply with the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s (CCPA) Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023. It asked entities to self-assess compliance within 15 days and submit a time-bound action plan within a month wherever violations were found.
For insurance buyers, the practical question is simpler: how do you recognise these patterns before clicking ‘buy’?
13 Insurance App Dark Patterns to Watch
The CCPA guidelines identify 13 dark patterns. Here is what each could look like in an insurance journey.
1. False Urgency
A quote page shows a countdown clock saying the premium or discount will disappear in 10 minutes, without a genuine reason for the deadline.
What to do: Take a screenshot and compare the quote later instead of buying under pressure.
2. Basket Sneaking
An optional rider, add-on or service is added to the policy or payment journey without the customer actively choosing it.
What to do: Check the final premium against the original quote and remove every add-on you did not select.
3. Confirm Shaming
The interface uses guilt or pressure to discourage you from declining an option, such as presenting ‘No, I don’t want protection’ instead of a neutral decline button.
What to do: Do not treat the wording as evidence that the cover is necessary. Read the product terms independently.
4. Forced Action
The customer is required to perform an action unrelated to the intended transaction before proceeding, such as providing unnecessary information or agreeing to an additional service.
What to do: Check whether the action is genuinely required. If it appears unnecessary, save a screenshot and raise it with the insurer.
5. Subscription Trap
The customer is drawn into a service or recurring arrangement that is difficult to cancel or exit. In insurance, this could include a digital journey that makes renewal or recurring payment arrangements prominent but makes cancellation difficult to locate.
What to do: Look for the cancellation or opt-out terms before paying. If the policy has been issued and you are within the applicable free-look period, check whether you can exercise that option.
6. Interface Interference
The design deliberately highlights one choice while making another less visible, harder to find or more difficult to select. For example, a ‘recommended’ insurance option may be made visually prominent while the option to continue with a basic cover is buried.
What to do: Slow down and compare every available option, including those that are less prominently displayed.
7. Bait and Switch
A consumer is attracted by one offer but, after taking action, is presented with a different product, price or outcome. An insurance example could be a low-priced quote being displayed initially and materially different terms appearing later in the purchase journey.
What to do: Keep the original quote and screenshots. If the final offer differs, ask the insurer to explain the change before paying.
8. Drip Pricing
The initial price does not show the full amount, with additional charges appearing later in the transaction. For an insurance buyer, this could mean discovering a fee or charge only at a later stage rather than seeing the applicable total upfront.
What to do: Check the final payable amount and every fee before payment. Save the price displayed at earlier stages.
9. Disguised Advertisement
An advertisement is presented in a way that makes it look like ordinary content, a recommendation or another neutral part of the interface. For example, a promoted insurance product could be made to resemble an independent recommendation without clear disclosure.
What to do: Look for labels such as ‘advertisement’, ‘sponsored’ or other disclosures before treating a recommendation as independent.
10. Nagging
The user is repeatedly prompted to take an action they have already declined or postponed. On an insurance app, this could involve repeated prompts to buy an add-on, upgrade cover or enable another service.
What to do: Keep evidence of repeated prompts, particularly if they continue after you have declined the offer, and complain if necessary.
11. Trick Question
The interface uses confusing language, double negatives or misleadingly phrased options so that the consumer may select something unintentionally.
What to do: Read the exact wording around checkboxes, buttons and declarations. If the choice is unclear, do not proceed until you understand what you are accepting.
12. SaaS Billing
SaaS billing refers to recurring charges associated with software-as-a-service arrangements. It is not a typical insurance-specific pattern. However, if an insurance platform bundles a software or digital service with recurring billing, unclear or difficult-to-stop recurring charges could raise this concern.
What to do: Check whether any recurring payment is being authorised and how it can be stopped. Keep the billing terms and payment confirmation.
13. Rogue Malware
Rogue malware involves software or code that is malicious rather than simply manipulative interface design. It is not a normal insurance-sales practice, but the CCPA includes rogue malware among the 13 listed patterns.
For insurance users, the relevant warning would be a fake or compromised insurance app or webpage attempting to install malicious software.
What to do: Do not install unknown applications or click suspicious links. Preserve evidence and report the incident through the appropriate cybercrime or consumer channel.
What If You Have Already Fallen For One?
If you are a victim of insurance app dark patterns, start with evidence. Save screenshots of the page, quote, payment screen, terms, emails and messages showing what you were offered and what you eventually received.
Free-Look Period: For a health policy, the IRDAI Master Circular on Health Insurance Business gives you 30 days from the date you receive the policy document to review the terms and cancel. This applies to policies with a term of one year or more. You can still cancel an indemnity health policy at any time by giving seven days’ written notice, with the insurer refunding the premium for the unused part of the year. Either way, act on the date you spotted the problem rather than the date you bought, and keep the screenshot.
Grievance Redressal Officer: For an insurance grievance, the first step is generally to approach the insurer’s grievance redressal officer. IRDAI’s Bima Bharosa system says insurers should resolve a complaint within 15 days. If the response is unsatisfactory or there is no resolution within the prescribed period, the policyholder can escalate the grievance to IRDAI through Bima Bharosa.
National Consumer Helpline: Consumers can also approach the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) at 1915 for consumer grievances. NCH operates as a pre-litigation grievance redressal channel and accepts complaints through several channels, including its website, app, WhatsApp and SMS.
Dark patterns are often designed to make a quick decision feel easier than a careful one. The safest response is therefore to reverse that process: pause, check the total cost, read the actual choice presented to you and keep a record of what the platform showed before you paid. MyRupia reads the quote screens and policy wordings alongside buyers, holding no insurer tie-ups
Disclaimer: This MyRupia article is for informational purposes only and is based on publicly available government, regulatory and industry sources. It should not be treated as investment, financial, tax, insurance, or legal advice. Information, examples, market data, and expert views mentioned in the article may change over time and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, sell, invest in, or surrender any financial product. Readers should evaluate their individual circumstances and consult a qualified financial professional before making decisions.