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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Stephanie Convery Inequality reporter

The no-interest loans helping Australians get back on their feet

Good Shepherd Australia Penny Stephens BNPL
Edi Spina at home with her dog – and the prescription glasses she was able to purchase thanks to an interest-free loan.
Edi Spina at home with her dog – and the prescription glasses she was able to purchase thanks to an interest-free loan. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The Guardian

Edi Spina was struggling under the weight of her Afterpay debt, having turned to the buy now, pay later product to buy groceries and cover basic expenses.

“Before I knew it, there was this massive bill and I never caught up,” says Spina, 60, who had moved into social housing after a traumatic period of housing insecurity.

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