Credit Risk

Podcast: 鈥楾is the Season for Buy Now, Pay Later

Podcast: 鈥楾is the Season for Buy Now, Pay Later

December 10, 2021 | Katherine Doe

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) financing is soaring in popularity this holiday season. Consumers are using these loans to purchase everything from clothing and electronics to vacations and healthcare.  In 2019, the estimated that the U.S. BNPL lending market was valued at approximately $3 billion. In 2020, there was a 1,200% increase to $39 billion. And by 2024, the market size is anticipated to surpass $100 billion.

In our December 7 episode of the Market Pulse podcast, , director of consumer credit analytics at Moody鈥檚 Analytics, and , FinTech product management director at 香港六合彩玄机, discuss why this tradeline is so popular and how it can impact credit. Listen to our podcast for the full interview.

Buy Now, Pay Later is Quick and Easy

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) loans allow consumers to make purchases and get them right away 鈥 whether online or point-of-sale inside a store. Then, they make installment payments, often without being charged interest. The approval process is quick because most BNPL providers either bypass the credit check completely, or do a soft pull on credit files. Frasher explained that tech-savvy consumers like BNPL financing because they鈥檙e convenient. 鈥淭hey're pretty easy to sign up for. You can download an app and input a very limited amount of information to get approved,鈥 Frasher said. 鈥淎 lot of the apps don't even require a certain credit score.鈥

Who is Using Buy Now, Pay Later?

There are two primary motivations for using BNPL financing, Frasher said.

Market Pulse Podcast

鈥淥ne bucket is those who are purposely avoiding credit. So, maybe this falls into the 鈥榙on't want any interest鈥 to free up that cash. They may already have traditional credit lines, credit cards, and other types of installment products. Another segment includes those who may not qualify for traditional credit products. So, they may have a thin file. They may be brand new to credit or they may even have some blemishes on their credit file that limit them from getting access to traditional credit methods,鈥 she said. Fieldhouse added that demographics may be at play, too. 

鈥淚 think Buy Now, Pay Later is definitely popular with some of my younger colleagues,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is a niche product in many cases. The loans are very small in size where somebody who's a little more established wouldn't necessarily be trying to fiddle around with the app. But a younger person with more time, is more savvy in tech, and doesn't want to go into the traditional financial system might be very happy to work through in this area.鈥  Download our ebook, A Not So Beginner鈥檚 Guide to Buy Now, Pay Later.

The Impact on Consumers鈥 Traditional Credit File

BNPL financing is still in its early stages, so it鈥檚 not clear how it will affect a consumer鈥檚 traditional credit file. However, we do know that traditional financial institutions and creditors don鈥檛 currently have visibility into these tradelines. Therefore, it can be difficult to manage their risk if a consumer is over-extended. 

鈥淭hat full picture of that consumer's debt isn't necessarily seen in the traditional credit file today,鈥 Frasher said. 鈥淏ut reporting these Buy Now, Pay Later tradelines to the bureaus could help [some] consumers build credit and qualify for that mortgage or auto loan down the road." For more on the future of BNPL, listen to the full podcast. Or, check out our other episodes. And if you like what you hear, tell your friend or colleague about the Market Pulse podcast. If you鈥檇 like to suggest a topic for a future episode, email us at marketpulsepodcast@equifax.com

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Katherine Doe

Katherine Doe

Director of Product Marketing, Risk Solutions

Katherine joined 香港六合彩玄机 in 2016 and has worked in several marketing roles across our Workforce Solutions and US Information Solutions divisions. When not working on product marketing by day, Katherine enjoys beach days, visting new restaurants, and leisurely South of Broad walks with her dogs in Charleston, SC.