Two Visa payment cards are on a laptop keyboard in Athens, Greece, on February 15, 2026. (Photo by Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
More than a quarter of Americans sometimes or often turn to buy-now-pay-later purchase plans when shopping online and many of them are doing so to avoid racking up credit card debt, a new study finds.
By the numbers:
Just over half of Americans surveyed (51%) told Gallup researchers that they have tried installment plans at least once. Ten percent of respondents said they use them often, while another 17% report doing so occasionally.
Big picture view:
The Gallup study concluded that lower-income Americans are more likely to rely on the programs as well as people who do not feel they have enough money to live comfortably. It also noted that those who are more concerned about meeting the minimum payments on their credit cards turn to payment plans, either as a way to avoid increasing credit card debt or as a way to buy items when their income is tight or the cards are maxed out.
Dig deeper:
More than half of the people who are very worried or moderately concerned about their credit card debt have the highest usage rates for such plans, 57% and 52%, respectively. The Gallup research showed that fact extended across all income groups; while lower-income individuals are more likely to have concerns, higher-income people are worried about their credit cards using payment plans more frequently.
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Additionally, Americans who feel like they do not have enough money to live comfortably take advantage of buy-now, pay-later offers, frequently or occasionally, at a far higher rate than those who do. Sixteen percent of those who say they can live comfortably will, at least, occasionally utilize the plans while nearly half of those who do not (46%) use them.
The backstory:
According to Gallup, the survey was conducted from April 1 to April 15 and included 1,024 U.S. adults who are members of its panel. They were not asked what they bought or how much they spent.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Gallup. This story was reported from Orlando.