BNPL question: how to find the Buy Now Pay Later provider for you

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) has added another notch to the financial belts of many Aussies. However—with well over a dozen providers— it's no wonder those looking to start using this handy fintech tool might not know which provider they should use.

So if you’ve been thinking about signing up for a Buy Now Pay Later service, it’s important to find the platform best suited to your spending needs. A little research can help you save on unnecessary fees!

To help you find your Buy Now Pay Later match, we’ve compiled a few scenarios you might align to and suggest an appropriate BNPL option.

Buy Now Pay Later features 

• Avoid paying interest - One of the biggest reasons someone might choose BNPL is to make purchases without paying interest. Almost all BNPL platforms charge zero interest, although there may be an interest-free period, so make sure to read the terms and conditions. 
  
• Account fees - While some BNPL services have no account keeping fees, this is not the case for all of them. Also, keep in mind that you’ll be charged a late payment fee if you miss a payment date.
  
• Suit your pay cycle - As the majority of BNPLs ask customers to make their repayments on a fortnightly basis, this could be favourable to Aussies who are paid on the same or more frequent schedule. 
  
• Handle big upcoming purchases - If you know you’ve got to make a large purchase in the future, BNPL can help break up the payments, allowing you to stay within your monthly budget and stay on track with other bills.

Your Buy Now Pay Later options

The Aussie fintech space is a vibrant place, and BNPL has seen itself grow among younger users as a way of borrowing money to spend. Here are some of the popular options below:

Afterpay 

Afterpay features a maximum account limit of $1,500, which is available to customers who have a positive repayment history. With Afterpay, you’ll have four equal fortnightly instalments for each purchase you make. Plus, you’ll be able to use the service at participating retailers both in-store and online. Just keep in mind that there that orders over $40 incur a $10 late payment fee to watch out for.

Zip Pay 

Zip Pay gives customers a maximum credit limit between $350-$1,000, which can help keep your spending from getting out of hand. This BNPL service is also flexible in terms of its repayment cycle, as customers can set their instalments to be on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. There is a $7.95 monthly account fee with Zip Pay, but this is waived if you pay your statement closing balance in full by the due date.

Klarna 

Klarna is another BNPL option for Aussies who don’t mind having a smaller account limit. Klarna works a little differently from other platforms, as customers will need to create a ‘One-time card’ at the checkout. This allows them to use Klarna anywhere, regardless of whether the retailer is a participating store in the app. Plus, Klarna treats its customers to the occasional discount code or reward, helping them save some cash in their shop!

LayBuy

LayBuy asks customers to make six weekly payments with a maximum account limit of $1,200. Setting up your account is also a breeze and can be done within seconds and you’ll be able to choose the day you want to make your repayment each week! Just be sure to jot down your repayment dates, as you could incur a $10 late payment fee.

Humm

Humm is built for all kinds of spending and offers customers two different account limits, which range from up to $2,000 for small purchases and up to $30,000 for larger purchases. Because there is the ability to purchase big ticket items, the number of your instalments will depend on the size of your purchase. Another feature to be aware of is if your purchase requires more than ten instalments, you will be charged an $8 monthly fee.

Payright

Our last pick is Payright, which offers customers a maximum account limit of $10,000 for most buys and $20,000 for home improvements. Because of this, Payright will conduct a credit check before you purchase a product to guarantee your capacity to pay the balance back. And depending on the size of your purchase, there may be an establishment fee and other fees involved.

Other Buy Now Pay Later providers 

There are a lot of players in the BNPL space, so it can be hard to keep track of them all. As well as the previously mentioned, there are other providers that you may want to consider such as:

• Brighte
  
• Plenti
  
• Pay in 4 (PayPal)
  
• NAB StraightUp Card
  

As always, make sure you carefully read the terms and conditions of the products that you’re considering, no matter which service you use.

Searching for a BNPL account that’s got the features that work for you can be difficult. That’s why at Mozo, we have our best BNPL companies page so that you can get an informed look on all that the providers have to offer. You can also check out our in-depth Buy Now Pay Later guide or our in-depth BNPL statistics page.