Buy Now, Pay Later at Apple: Apps and Options That Work

What happened to Apple Pay Later

Apple Pay Later let you split a purchase into four payments inside Apple Wallet. Apple says it no longer offers new loans, and the Apple Pay Later card was removed from Wallet with iOS 18.

If you still have an old loan, Apple asks you to mail a support request to Apple Payments Services with your loan ID. Apple’s financing page now promotes Affirm and Klarna inside Apple Pay instead.

Apple Card Monthly Installments

This is the lowest-cost way to pay over time at Apple if you qualify. You pay for an eligible product in equal monthly payments at 0% APR and get 3% Daily Cash back up front.

• You must choose Apple Card Monthly Installments at checkout at an Apple Store, apple.com, the Apple Store app or 1-800-MY-APPLE. Paying in one go on Apple Card doesn’t get the 0% rate.
• Taxes and shipping are charged at your card’s regular variable APR. Apple lists 17.74% to 27.99% for new accounts.
• An iPhone bought this way must be set up with AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. Prepaid plans aren’t supported, but the phone is unlocked.
• It isn’t available on refurbished devices or through employee, government or military purchase programs.
• Apple says you can see if you’re approved for Apple Card without affecting your credit score. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA.

Apple Upgrade: leasing through Klarna

Apple Upgrade is Apple’s newer lease program, and it’s replacing the iPhone Upgrade Program, which Apple says is coming to an end. You lease the device, pay monthly, and return it at the end of the lease or upgrade to a new one.

• Terms are 12 or 24 months for iPhone and Apple Watch, and 24 or 36 months for iPad and Mac.
• Apple’s lowest iPhone lease price was from $19.99 a month for 24 months as of our check.
• The lease is provided by Klarna. Applying is a soft credit check that won’t affect your score, but you need an SSN and a US credit or debit card (no prepaid cards).
• There are no fees in the monthly payment. You’ll owe a damage fee if the device isn’t returned in good condition.
• Upgrading early means paying the rest of your lease payments first.
• If you return the device in good condition, Apple says you won’t pay more than its full price.

Affirm, Klarna and card installments in Apple Pay

Apple Pay now shows pay-later plans from lenders and card issuers at checkout. Apple doesn’t make these loans; each lender sets its own approval rules and rates.

1. On an iPhone or iPad with iOS 18 or later, tap the Apple Pay button at checkout online or in an app.
2. Tap “Other Cards & Pay Later Options,” or tap Pay Later if it appears under your card.
3. Pick Affirm, Klarna or an installment plan from your card issuer, review the terms and confirm.
4. In stores, this works on iPhone with iOS 26 or later.

Affirm plans range from 0% to 36% APR. Affirm’s own example: a $300 purchase at 15% APR might cost $27.08 a month for 12 months. Klarna offers pay in 4 and monthly financing, with financing APRs up to 35.99%.

Card-issuer installments depend on your bank. Apple’s newsroom named Citi, Synchrony and Fiserv-connected issuers as partners. Your card will only show a plan if your issuer offers one.

Affirm also offers a one-time virtual card for Apple purchases that you request in the Affirm app or at affirm.com. Subscriptions and recurring charges may not qualify for Apple Pay plans, so these options are mostly for devices, not App Store subscriptions.

Carrier financing for iPhone

Apple’s financing page lists carrier financing that splits an iPhone over 36 months at 0% APR on your AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon bill. You can buy this way at an Apple Store or on apple.com. Carriers set plan requirements and trade-in deals, so read the fine print.

Prepaid carriers have options too. Boost Mobile offers 36-month 0% APR financing on select Apple devices, plus Affirm. Boost says it runs a soft credit check.

For more on phones, see our guides to buying an iPhone with pay later and iPhone financing without a credit check.

Other stores that sell Apple products with pay-later plans

These stores sell Apple products on their own US sites and list these payment options as of our last check. Not every item or order qualifies, so check at checkout.

Which option should you pick?

• Good credit, want to own it: Apple Card Monthly Installments at 0%.
• iPhone on a postpaid plan: carrier financing at 0% over 36 months, if you’re staying with that carrier.
• Want a new device every year or two: Apple Upgrade, knowing you’re leasing.
• No Apple Card: Affirm or Klarna through Apple Pay, or Affirm at Amazon. Check the APR before you accept.
• Thin or poor credit: lease-to-own at Best Buy, but expect to pay well above the retail price.

What to watch out for

• Old “Apple Pay Later” advice no longer works.
• 0% offers depend on approval. Without one, pay-later loans can run up to 36% APR.
• Apple Card Monthly Installments charges interest on taxes and shipping if you carry them.
• Carrier 0% deals usually tie you to that carrier and plan until the phone is paid off.
• Leasing, whether Apple Upgrade or lease-to-own, means you don’t own the device unless you buy it out.