Buy now pay later apps allows you to get your favourite items without bothering about using all your savings, thanks to their split payment model.
Paying outrightly for purchased goods at times is bulky and not easy especially if you have other needs you want to channel your funds.
Nevertheless, you can buy those items you want so much now and conveniently pay at a favourable value multiple times until the full price is covered.
With many of the BNPL apps giving you the freedom to split the payments up to six weeks, there is no doubt this brings some comfort compared to paying the full value at once when you need funds for other projects.
Buy Now Pay Later Apps
Here below are the best BNPL apps to split your shopping payments into at least 4 instalments:
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Klarna
Limit
Varies
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
Klarna is one of the well-known buy now pay later apps you can use for making payments in 4.
With more than 450,000 merchants available to shop directly through Klarna, you will undoubtedly see some of your favourite merchants listed.
Though if not listed, Klarna gives you more power to shop from other merchants you might not be able to buy from directly using the Klarna app, thanks to its debit card that connects to your line of credit.
In terms of the maximum credit limit that you can access using Klarna, this is not static as the system assign limits based on your activities on the platform, checking how you pay back and how fast.
When using this platform for buy now pay later, a soft credit check might be performed on your profile. Though this does not affect your credit score, it is very important as the company uses the result to determine your purchasing power or the credit limit to be offered.
Klarna comes with a safe and convenient one-time usage card, this card is virtual and can be generated for payment where you do not want your debit card information saved.
It comes with a lot of perks that make it worth using. For instance, its rewards club will allow you to earn points when shopping directly from its partnering merchants. These points are redeemable for rewards and exclusive access to features on the app.
The loyalty wallet is another lovely feature you should check on Klarna. With this, you can have your favourite stores’ loyalty cards saved on its app which is easy through its search and add. If your store is not available through the search and add, you can simply add it by scanning the barcode.
It also has discount hunting implemented. With this, you get to know when a price drops when you add an item to your cart on one of its partnering merchants’ stores without checking out. Also, its coupon code and discount alerts put you in the know to pay less when checking out.
When shopping directly on your laptop, you can install its browser extension and enjoy the features effortlessly, from buying and scheduling a payment in 4, to seeing discount coupon codes and others.
For high-value items that your pay-in-4 limit might not be able to purchase, you can utilize Klarna’s financing option which will allow you to spread the payments up to 36 months.
While this comes good to enable you to get that item you have always wanted, it comes at a cost of 0.24.99% APR as the financing product is provided by its partner lender.
Nevertheless, Klarna is up there as one of the best buy now pay later apps you can consider for split payment.
Perpay
Limit
Varies
Interest
0%
Credit Check
None
If you are worried about your bad credit history not letting you access the service of the other buy now pay later apps, Perpay might be the best option for you.
This pay-in-4 provider does not perform any kind of credit check to determine your first BNPL eligibility as your limit is based on your income.
One of the good things about using Perpay and not the other buy now pay later apps is its easiness in helping you build good credit. Your limit increases as you continually use the platform and pay back within your tenor.
Credit building through Perpay requires you to be on the Plus plan which comes at a cost on a monthly basis (when you are paying for an order) and your credit history will be reported to the major credit bureaus that include Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
Apart from your credit history getting reported to the credit bureaus to enable you to build a healthy credit stat, being on the Plus also gives you access to smaller payment options and higher spending limits as well as access to monitor your credit score growth on the go via your dashboard.
While many of the buy now pay later apps do not specify a minimum order value for you to be eligible for split payment, it is required that your purchase value be at least $200 for any item you will need to use Perpay to complete the payment. Though, you can pay for items less than $200 when on the Plus plan.
One of the requirements for you to access credit on Perpay is that you must be employed hence, your spending limit is based on your estimated net pay provided when you sign up.
It is advisable you provide your true net pay as this is verifiable because the payment before your order is prepared for shipment is through payroll direct deposit that aligns with your employer’s pay cycle like weekly, or monthly depending on your employment contract.
Perpay can be used to shop offline but its card is different from the others provided by many of the buy now pay later apps on this list. It is more a credit card which assigns a credit line rapayable through payrol direct deposit.
Though the services of Perpay are accessible via its digital channels (that is either using its website or simply utilising the features on any of its mobile apps available for iOS and Android devices), it can also provide a physical credit card that allows you to shop partners not listed on its platforms or when you need to split payments offline.
Affirm
Limit
$17,500
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
Affirm is one of the popular buy now pay later apps around and with a very wide merchant coverage, it is one you should have on your list for splitting payments.
It is another brand widely seen at many retailers’ checkout points and you will most likely see it when buying and needs a way to buy now and pay later.
Akin to Klarna, you can also purchase your favourite items directly from its partnering merchants. This is possible directly via its application or the BNPL gateway available on retailers’ websites with Affirm integration.
In terms of virtual card offerings as common to many of the buy now pay later apps, this is also available. With this feature, you can create a one-time valid debit card that connects to your Affirm line of credit when checking out on any website.
So with the virtual card, you are not just limited to just its partner merchants but it opens ample opportunities for you to buy those items at any retailer of your choice.
While Affirm might not have so many perks compared to paying with Klarna, it does have a savings plan that enables you to earn when you save your money in its savings account.
The high-yield savings account has an annual percentage yield rate of 2.5% which comes with no minimum and is free of fees. Good thing is, you get to enjoy your money increases daily as the interest is compounded per day using the daily balance method.
Affirm also has a browser extension to make your BNPL experience better. With this extension, you get to buy and easily schedule a payment in 4, see your purchasing power and create checkout virtual cards all from your browser.
While its virtual card is valid as a one-time usage option, Affirm has a Debit+ Card that can be reused as much as you want.
This card comes in two forms, again virtual and in physical form which can be used to checkout at point-of-sales terminals as well online payment gateways.
To get started shopping with Affirm, you will need to create your account via its website or mobile app and you will be able to access its buy now pay later service.
Afterpay
Limit
$600
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
Afterpay is another good buy now pay later app that can help you spread payments into multiples.
It also has good merchant coverage and it is likely you will see it on the checkout gateways of many retailers.
You can schedule payments in 4 effortlessly through its app whether you are shopping online or walking in at the nearest merchant that accepts Afterpay.
Compared to the other pay-in 4 apps on this list, Afterpay might not have a one-time valid virtual card, but it does provide a virtual card that can be used multiple times.
Called the Afterpay Plus Card, this card is a digital debit card that sits in your wallet and can conveniently be used at merchants’ locations that accept any of Apple Pay and Google Pay.
While this card provides the freedom to enjoy BNPL at non-direct Afterpay merchants, it comes at a cost. You will have to bear a monthly maintenance fee of $5.99 for this card.
Similar to the other buy now pay later apps on this list, this pay-in-4 provider also performs a soft credit inquiry to help it determine how much limit that will be assigned, especially if you are a first-time user.
The platform is in operation in many countries and as a result, it provides a feature called cross border that allows shopping merchants from any of its countries of presence. Foreign exchange conversion and pricing are handled by Afterpay and you will only pay the price stated in your local currency with no added fee.
With Afterpay being a member of the Block Inc family of brands, it is likely to see a lot of merchants that use Square as their channel of payment offering BNPL option through Afterpay hence, owning an Afterpay account could open a lot of opportunities for you to easily spread payments at more merchant locations.
You can start shopping at your favourite merchants using Afterpay by signing up via its website or simply downloading its mobile app from the Google Play store or App Store depending on your device’s operating system.
Uplift
Limit
Varies
Interest
0% – 36% APR
Credit Check
Yes
With partnerships with hundreds of airlines, hotels and other travel-related service providers, Uplift is one of the topnotch buy now pay later apps you can use to take care of your travel needs.
Making it different from the conventional pay-in-4 split payment providers, the Uplift fund is more of an instalment loan that you are expected to pay back over a period of time specified when checking out.
While it is required for you to own an account before you can use its pay later service, access to its BNPL option is only available when you are buying from any of its partnering merchants.
Because it offers longer-term loans primarily and not the typical pay-in-4 provided by the other buy now pay later apps, it will perform a credit check to determine your eligibility and purchase power. Though this might not be the best if you have poor credit stat, it helps in growing a healthy credit history as you take the loans and pay them back on time because the credits are offered by its FDIC-member partners.
As common to some of the buy now pay later apps on this list, Uplift does not support offline payment as the service can only be used when buying from its partnering merchants’ websites. The service is available at the point of checking out your orders.
The offline payment could have been possible through its credit card but as of now, Uplift has not started rolling out credit cards, both physical and virtual hence, you are limited to buying from merchants it has partnerships with.
Since its terms of use are based on instalment loans, you might be considering opting for your credit card instead. While that might not be a bad idea, Uplift’s credit limit is higher than most credit card limits and with a fixed interest rate, it could be easier to have an idea of how much you will pay back over time with no added fees.
Mind you, Uplift also gives you the power to extend the love of sharing through its Give the Gift of Uplift feature. This will allow you to handle the purchase for someone else while you take care of the instalment payments.
Sezzle
Limit
Varies
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
Sezzle is another good alternative to the buy now pay later apps on this list which you can use for splitting your order payments into 4.
In terms of coverage, you can shop on thousands of merchants’ portals with this pay-in-4 application once you have an account with an assigned purchasing power.
Through its mobile app, you can easily access products from its merchants and compare them conveniently within the app before placing an order.
Sezzle also provides functionalities that will enable you to have access to your assigned purchasing power online on its merchant portal and offline through its virtual card which is linkable to any of Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Though the virtual card might not work on your chosen retailer’s portal, it does have a handful of merchants that accepts the card and you can have an idea if the merchant you want to shop accept it by navigating to the Sezzle card section on your application.
For the in-store checkout option, it works similar to the Afterpay Plus Card as it requires you to link the virtual card to any of Apple Pay and Google Pay before you can start splitting your order payments into 4 shopping at merchant locations.
As you may have known, a soft credit check does not affect your credit score and akin to most of the buy now pay later apps on this list, Sezzle also performs a soft credit check to help it determine the purchasing power to be assigned to you.
With Sezzle, you can also build your credit and unlike Uplift, it does not require you to pay an extra fee to be eligible for this. This service called the Sezzle Up requires you to upgrade your account by linking your bank account, confirming your KYC details by connecting your Social Security Number, and paying off at least one order before you will be able to enjoy the healthy credit-building benefit that comes with your Sezzle account.
For all regular account users, Sezzle also offers a reward-based program that will enable you to earn loyalty points for every $1 spent. The points per dollar are 2 and once you get up to 1,000 points, you will get $5 which will be added to your spend wallet that will be used to pay a part of your next scheduled split payment.
This buy now pay later app comes with a premium package that has perks like access to shop premium brands, enjoy cashback on purchases, and free payment rescheduling amongst others. This comes at an annual cost of $89.99 but if you want to try it for a few months, you can opt for its monthly $9.99 plan.
Splitit
Limit
Varies
Interest
0%
Credit Check
None
Splitit is one of the buy now pay later apps that do not require conducting a credit check to give you access to its BNPL service.
Instead of doing a credit check to determine your purchasing power, it rides on your existing credit line available on your credit card. This turns your credit card into a pay-in-4 tool allowing you to own your favourite items without being bothered using all your credit limit to pay in full.
Unlike the other buy now pay later apps, Splitit has a model quite different as the service is entirely available via its partnering merchant portals. It acts more like a gateway to allow you to buy now and pay later without worrying about poor credit since its purchasing power is based on the limit of your credit card.
Since the BNPL feature is not directly available on its portal, you will only need to visit the platform to handle your instalment payment schedules and resolve other issues.
With a payment gateway model, Splitit does not offer the card feature yet which means you are limited to only merchants that have partnerships with this BNPL provider.
Despite not offering channels to allow you to shop retailers outside its partnership domain, it offers its services to merchants that have coverage in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and a host of others across over 50 countries hence, you will still be able to use your Splitit account on many merchants’ shopping platform.
While this provider might not have many added benefits in making use of its solution, turning your credit card into a buy now pay later tool means you still get to enjoy the benefits that come with using your credit card like cashback and other rewards.
If you do not see any of the other buy now pay later apps on this list offering you an opportunity to buy that item and split the payments in 4 because of your not-so-good credit history, Splitit is your go-to BNPL provider.
Since you will spend more time shopping through its partner merchants’ platforms, you will only visit Splitit to monitor your BNPL purchases and handle your instalment payments hence, you really don’t need to have a mobile app installed like the other split purchase apps. Splitit only provides a web interface and no mobile application yet for any Android and iOS-based devices.
Zip
Limit
$1, 000
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
Zip, which was formerly called QuadPay is one of the well-known buy now pay later apps you will come across when you want to split your payments for goods into 4 instalments.
With thousands of merchants spread across multiple categories including grocery shopping, electronics, fashion, and travel to health amongst others, having an account with Zip gives you an ample opportunity to shop and enjoy BNPL service buying from different merchants.
Zip, as common to the other popular split payment companies allows you to shop its partnering merchant within its app. This will enable you to easily compare prices from different merchants selling similar products, make better decisions and conveniently split the purchase payments.
It also provides a virtual card that can be used in-store. The one-time per checkout virtual card connects to an Apple Pay or Google Pay wallet and can be used anywhere any of the two wallets are accepted.
Alternatively, if you will be shopping through your browser but not logged in to your Zip account, you can install the browser extension. This extension will activate the Zip logo when you visit a merchant that accepts Zip and with it, you can easily schedule pay-in-4 within the extension window.
This BNPL service provider also has a physical card. This card does not connect to your purchasing power on the Zip platform and can be used by tapping, inserting or swiping it while checking out at a merchant’s location. This card instead of connecting to all your purchasing power employs a prepaid model hence, you will need to specify the purchase amount to be added to the card from your purchasing power.
In terms of performing a credit check, Zip is not different from the other big buy now pay later apps as to help it to determine your purchasing power, there is a soft check that happens which does not affect your credit history.
Zip services are offered through its website if you prefer shopping on your browser and to add to that, you can install the extension to enjoy its services from your browser with ease.
Nevertheless, there is a mobile app as well that you can use to shop on thousands of its merchants’ platforms. This app is available for Android and iOS-based devices.
Laybuy
Limit
$1,200
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
Laybuy is one of the interesting buy now pay later apps you can use to spread your purchase payments into 4 instalments.
It has global coverage and you can conveniently shop merchants outside your country and get the items to you using your Laybuy account.
The services are offered through its website and you can also enjoy the platform by downloading the mobile application that runs on both Android and iOS devices.
As common to many of the other buy now pay later apps on this list, Laybuy also has support for virtual card usage. Unlike the others, its virtual card works in a closed loop as the virtual card can only be used at select merchants only through its app or website when checking out.
This platform understands you might have a need where your assigned limit might not be able to take care of your bills hence, it provides what it called Boost. This feature allows spending above your limit and your payment schedules will include the overspent value in instalments.
The Boost is not a loan addon as common to some of the pay-in-4 providers rather, it is an interest-free addon to enable you to buy your item without being bothered by your low limit to the price of the product.
When it comes to credit checks, Laybuy does not also conduct a hard check hence, you do not need to worry about your credit score using this BNPL provider as it will not affect your credit history.
At select retailers, you can also use Laybuy for purchasing those items in-store. This can be done by either providing the number registered to your Laybuy account or by allowing the merchant to scan your account’s QR code on the app when you are checking out.
To start enjoying the services of Laybuy, you can either sign-up via its website or simply heads to your App Store or Google Play Store to download the app and sign up for split shopping.
PayPal Pay in 4
Limit
$1,500
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
PayPal is a brand well known to the internet with millions of users and that coverage also includes its payment gateway across millions of merchants’ websites globally.
With such very wide coverage, no doubt the PayPal pay-in-4 is one that gives you the opportunity to shop and pay on many platforms across multi-varying categories.
Just as common to the other buy now pay later apps, the PayPal pay-in-4 charges no interest on your scheduled payments and you can enjoy it without being bothered by any added fee.
While it is available to get virtual cards to complete payments on merchants’ platforms using Klarna and some of the BNPL providers, PayPayl does not have that feature but with millions of merchants, you might not really be bothered as you can virtually find PayPal being accepted by many of your favourite brands globally.
This PayPal service is not available for in-store checkout as only merchants that accept it on their website are able to enjoy split payments from their customers that have PayPal accounts.
With a minimum spend of $30 that rises to $1,500, there is no doubt you can use this to fix purchases for an item you need so importantly and pay in 4 instalments.
To help it to decide your purchasing power, PayPal will conduct a soft credit check like the other buy now pay later apps to offer you a limit. Just as might already know, this does not affect your credit score.
Aside from the bi-weekly pay-in-4, there is a monthly payment plan that can allow you to spend up to $10, 000 to cover high-cost items. While this is an added service to enable you to buy those items, it comes at a cost.
The monthly plan which can extend to a tenor of 24 months comes at an annual percentage rate of 9.99% up to 29.99% depending on the length of the financing.
Since purchases and payment splitting happen only on the merchant’s portal that accepts PayPal on its checkout gateway, you only need the PayPal app to monitor your repayments as you can actually buy without being bothered by having access to the app.
ViaBill
Limit
$1,500
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
ViaBill is also one of the popular buy now pay later apps you can use for handling your product purchases.
This BNPL platform can be used to make payments to several merchants when you are shopping online, especially as a first-timer who has not upgraded.
With an upgraded account or what it termed the ViaBill Plus plan, you will have access to more online stores and can easily pay for your purchases at a store walk-in.
Apart from the above extra benefits as a Plus user, you will also have access to its virtual card which you can link to your Apple Pay or Google Pay wallet for easy checkout at store locations.
Other benefits that come with ViaBill+ include enjoying a limit of up to $1,500 and extending the instalment payment up to 4 – 24 months.
Though the Plus account appears amazing, it comes at a cost of $5.99 charged monthly when you are on ViaBill pay-in-4 settlement schedules.
This provider is not different compared to the other buy now pay later apps on this list when it comes to performing a soft credit check which does not have an effect on your credit score.
While ViaBill does not have integrations with all shopping platforms, you can actually shop without being bothered by that if you are a Plus user. The virtual card supports checking out on many of the online portals and you will not be hindered from enjoying BNPL on platforms that have no direct partnership with ViaBill.
ViaBill, similar to some of the other buy now pay later apps on this list is only available at the point of checkout and does not provide a feature for in-app shopping hence, you will only be able to use it to shop directly on merchants that accept it as a mode of payment or for Plus user, logging in to your dashboard to get your virtual card information to use for checking out.
Zilch
Limit
$1,500
Interest
0%
Credit Check
Soft
Zilch combines the features of buy now, pay later as well as enabling you to earn cashback when you shop for your favourite merchants, features that could lure you to it other than the other buy now pay later apps.
This platform is a virtual card-based BNPL provider hence, you will need to have access to your card details every time you are checking out.
The good thing about using Zilch is that you can pay-in-4 at thousands of shopping platforms where debit card is accepted, including Amazon, Best Buy and many others.
Its virtual card is locked when not in use hence, you will need to visit your Zilch dashboard to unlock it for shopping every time you want to make use of it. This feature provides an extra level of security to avoid your card being used without your consent.
Zilch’s two ways to pay include the option for you to schedule a payment in 4 or earn 2% cashback when you make the payment one time using your Zilch account.
This buy now pay later app also comes with rewards which will reduce the value you pay back during your instalment remittance. These rewards can be earned by bringing more of your friends to sign up as well as paying one-off for a 2% cashback that gets credited to your Zilch Reward wallet.
While Zilch does not provide a physical debit card, you might be able to use your virtual card in stores where Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted.
This BNPL provider also performs a soft credit check as known with most buy now pay later apps. This check allows it to determine how much limit you can be assigned.
Though you cannot exceed its $1,000 limit irrespective of the result of its soft credit check and you are entitled to a 5 daily maximum open transaction limit.
With many buy now pay later apps, getting those items comes with ease without being bothered by your current pocket size as you will be able to split the payments for convenient remittance.
Getting the product delivered to you once you make an order makes BNPL the best alternative to the layaway model where you will need to wait until you complete the payments before seeing the product.
