MILLIONS OF GEN ZERS are cutting up their credit cards and opting for buy now, pay later services to pay for their spending habits. (Credit: Rupixen/Unsplash
by Laura Onyeneho
Houston Defender
I remember the day I paid off just ONE of my many last student loan installments.
It took years of chipping away at debt, watching interest pile on like a punishment for trying to get ahead and it left me with a clear rule that I will never take on debt that I don’t have to.
So when I see the explosion of “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) loans, especially as more people miss payments, I feel like I’m watching a slow-motion train crash. Klarna just admitted that more of its users are falling behind.
Bankrate and LendingTree say the same thing. Why are we adding another layer of debt to a country already buried in it?
U.S. consumer debt just hit a record $18.2 trillion. That includes mortgages, car loans, credit cards, student loans and now BNPL. We are living in a nation addicted to borrowing, and companies are handing out financial sugar like Halloween candy, zero-interest, no credit check and four easy payments!
It’s all dressed up to look harmless. But that’s exactly the problem.
BNPL is the fast food of finance. It’s built for impulse, just tap, swipe and walk away with the illusion of affordability. Can you split $40 into four payments? Sure, but that $40 is still money you don’t have. And what happens when that outfit, takeout order, or Coachella ticket gets stacked with five other “four easy payments”? Suddenly, your budget’s been shredded by a dozen mini-loans.
I get the appeal. Especially when interest rates are brutal, and wages haven’t kept up with the cost of living. I understand why younger shoppers and lower-income communities might reach for anything that makes life feel just a little easier. A Federal Reserve study even showed that Black and Hispanic women are more likely to use BNPL. That’s not a coincidence. It’s targeted marketing, preying on the financial pressure people already feel.
What concerns me is how normal this is becoming. Klarna teaming up with DoorDash means people are literally financing burgers. Billboard says over half of Coachella attendees used BNPL to buy tickets. We’re borrowing to attend music festivals and order fries.
What makes it worse is the lack of serious consequences, or at least, the illusion of it. Many BNPL platforms don’t report missed payments to credit bureaus. The late fees are small. There’s no scary interest rate staring you down like a credit card bill. It’s a system that lets you think, “Why not?”
Financial health doesn’t come from stretching payments. It comes from not making the purchase in the first place when you can’t afford it. I say this as someone who’s been deep in debt. It’s easy to justify small decisions that snowball into big problems. “Just this once” becomes every week. One payment plan becomes five. Next thing you know, you’re juggling due dates like a part-time accountant.
Just because the system lets you do something doesn’t mean it’s good for you. BNPL is marketed as smart spending, but it’s just a clever rebrand of the same old trap. We’ve got to do better. Personally, I’ve never used any of these services before. Student loans are the only debt I’m fighting to get rid of. I don’t need another stressor, unless it’s a house mortgage or a loan to expand a business venture.
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