More Americans are buying groceries using buy now, pay later: Survey

(NewsNation) — Americans are increasingly using buy now, pay later (BNPL) for everyday expenses like groceries, and many rely on the loans to make ends meet, a new survey finds.

Nearly a third of BNPL users (29 percent) said they’ve used it for groceries, up from 14 percent two years ago, according to LendingTree. Among Gen Z users, the share rises to 38 percent.

Buy now, pay later is a short-term financing option that allows consumers to make purchases upfront and pay them off in smaller, typically interest-free installments over time.

The payment method has surged in popularity and now spans everything from takeout to rent, and the survey suggests many Americans have come to depend on it to get by.

More than half of BNPL users (54 percent) said they wouldn’t be able to make ends meet without the loans, rising to 62 percent among parents with children under 18. Another 47 percent also said they’ve made a late payment on one of their BNPL loans in the past year — up from 34 percent in 2024, according........

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