Debt charity sounds alarm over ‘buy now, pay later’ shoppers

Klarna says that 13 million Britons have used its services at least once
Klarna says that 13 million Britons have used its services at least once
ALAMY

Almost half of people using “buy now, pay later” at the checkout are struggling to keep up with household bills, according to a study that raises questions about lending practices and affordability checks of companies such as Klarna.

The YouGov survey of a representative sample of more than 5,000 adults exposes the scale of the financial difficulties many people are experiencing over Christmas.

The research, commissioned by the debt charity StepChange, suggests that one in ten adults — equivalent to 5.2 million people — currently hold one or more “buy now, pay later” products. The study also found that nearly one in every three of these borrowers have two or more outstanding loans.

The real numbers are likely to be significantly higher because the research