As ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Surges, a Third of US Users Fall Behind on Payments

Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colo., on Nov. 3, 2009. Rick Wilking/Reuters

A third of U.S. consumers who used “buy now, pay later” services have fallen behind on one or more payments, and 72 percent of those said their credit score declined, a new study published by personal finance company Credit Karma showed.

The study, conducted by software firm Qualtrics, surveyed 1,044 adult consumers in the United States last month to measure their interest in buy now pay later (BNPL) and found 44 percent had used these services before.