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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Heather Stewart

Buy now, pay later firms stay unregulated – and Britons are racking up debt

Klarna, a buy now pay later system popular with the young, advertises that it is available in a store on London’s Oxford Street.
Klarna, a buy now pay later system popular with young people, advertises that it is available in a store on London’s Oxford Street. Photograph: Robert Evans/Alamy

If you’ve been shopping for summer sale bargains online lately, you’ll have come across the tempting opportunity to buy now, pay later – splitting the cost of that must-have item into several repayments, usually over a few weeks.

It can feel like a win-win – it’s interest free, at least upfront, because the business model of firms such as Klarna and Clearpay, which have expanded rapidly in the UK, is to charge the fees to the retailer rather than the customer.

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