Buy Now Pay Later Amid Holiday Spending – KIRO 7 News Seattle

Bankrate’s Ted Rossman said use of buy now, pay later options has surged during the pandemic and hasn’t stopped.

But Rossman warns that it could also lead to overspending.

“It’s almost like a commercial, it’s like, oh, four easy payments of $50, and you don’t realize that was $200 and it’s due very quickly,” Rossman said. “And if you have multiple payments running with multiple providers, it can get confusing and expensive.”

This week, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and other Democrats I sent a message To federal regulators urging them to continue monitoring these products. They worry that the debt will become unmanageable.

“You’re making a mistake and getting hit with fees and benefits you didn’t know were coming,” said Sen. Brown (D-Ohio). “In any financial transaction, companies need to let people know what the fees are of what kind and then people can make that decision, ‘Do I still buy this, do I still get this service if you’re going to get another service?’ The fees I didn’t think about “

We have reached out to Confirms, after payment, PayPalAnd zoom For a comment, there was no response other than confirmation.

In a statement, A Confirmed by the official spokesperson “We guarantee every single transaction and only approve consumers for what we believe they are willing and able to pay,” he said. The company adds that customers see the full cost of the purchase including any interest up front.

Additionally, some buy now, pay later companies don’t report to credit bureaus, Rossman said.

“They don’t know if you’ve taken out three of these in the last six months and defaulted on two of them. That’s pretty much unknown,” Rossman said.

Responsible use often won’t get you any closer to a good credit score whether these plans aren’t reported, Rossman adds.

Below is the full statement of confirmation:

• We guarantee every single transaction and only approve clients who we believe are willing and able to pay it.

• Because we don’t charge late fees or other hidden fees, our success aligns with consumers’ success in responsibly managing their finances and expanding access to credit.

• With assurance, consumers see the total cost of a purchase upfront, including any interest, before deciding whether to transact, and are not charged more than they agreed to at checkout.

• Because we guarantee every single transaction, we are able to responsibly expand access to credit to more people while achieving positive credit scores. This is despite a higher percentage of “non-core” users.

• We are also subject to extensive regulation and oversight, directly and indirectly, through our partnerships with our original banking partners, under federal law and the laws of the states and provinces in which we operate.

• We have long been vocal in our support of efforts that promote greater choice and transparency for consumers, including thoughtful regulation, which aligns with our mission to provide honest financial products that improve lives.

• The CFPB already serves as one of our regulators today, and we expect them to continue to review our business and industry. We will continue to engage with the CFPB as we do with all of our regulators.