Over the past few years, the concept of buying now and paying later has really taken off. In the current cost of living crisis, it gives spending power back to the people, and has well and truly revolutionised the way that we purchase.
Now, the concept of buy now, pay later, has moved away from the online high street, and into the travel industry in the form of buy now pay later flights. Having a flexible payment option has once again made travelling accessible to the masses allowing people to book their dream holidays by spreading the financial costs over time.
In this article, we’re taking a deep dive into the best sites for buy now pay later flights, with emphasis on factors that are important for the user, such as flexibility, ease of use and no credit check options.
What are buy now, pay later flights?
Buy now, pay later flights (or fly now, pay later) represent a travel option that allows you to spread the upfront cost of booking flights into small, typically interest free, payments or instalments.
Depending on the payment plan and the provider that you choose, buy now, pay later flights can be paid back on a monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly basis.
This represents a great option either for those who need to travel urgently but do not have the funds readily available, or for those who wish to travel but are conscious about the initial financial outlay.
Buy now, pay later flights key features
There are several key factors to consider when it comes to buy now, pay later flights (BNPL flights), these include:
- No credit check options – if you have a less than perfect credit history, fear not, there are options available for you!
- Flexible payment plans – having the ability to tailor your payment plan to suit you is essential, you should be able to choose to pay over weeks or months if needed.
- Airlines that accept BNPL flight payments – not all airlines accept this payment method, so we’ll cover the ones that do a little later on!
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The best sites for buy now, pay later flights
As metasearch platforms such as us and Skyscanner, do not take any payment from the traveller, we cannot class ourselves as sites they provide fly now, pay later flights. However, as we source the best possible deals for you, we know of several airlines that allow you to reserve your flight now, fly, and then pay for it later.
So, if you are looking for a platform that enables you to buy flights now, but pay later, these are our top recommendations.
Buy now pay later flights with Klarna
Pay later, shop now – ideal for smaller purchases, Klarna is now available for select flights. With an interest free, four-payment plan with payments going out every couple of weeks, Klarna is a great option should your flight provider allow it.
Buy now pay later flights with Affirm
Again interest free, Affirm allows you to split your payments into four, going out every two weeks. Or, if your flight is more expensive, you can choose a payment plan up to 36 weeks!
Buy now pay later flights with Uplift
Uplift offers a flexible payment solution for airline bookings. Apply directly at checkout without a pre-existing account. Tailored to your trip’s cost, choose between AutoPay for regular monthly deductions or manual repayments for greater control.
Buy now pay later flights with PayPal
With interest free payments for up to six months, PayPal Credit allows users to pay for any online purchases, flights included, up to $99, in instalments.
Best website for fly now pay later flights
Flight comparison websites are a very useful tool when it comes to finding cheap flights for your next trip. Now combine this with buy now pay later flights and it open up a whole new window of opportunity, Imagine a Skyscanner alternative with the ability to spread the cost of your payments.
Alternative Airlines and a flight comparison website that opens up the opportunity to spread the cost of your airfare. Offering 40+ payment methods and over 600 airlines this flight comparison site is aa great tool to find the cheapest flights, and spread the travel cost all in one place.
With regards to payment methods Alternative Airlines offer multiple BNPL merchants during their checkout process, including: Klarna, Clearpay, Affirm, Sezzle, Laybuy, Zip and many more from around the globe.
Find and compare buy now pay later flights
Best mobile app for buy now pay later flights
Fly Now Pay Later is a free mobile app that allows you to find flights and split the cost. Fly Now Pay Later allows you to book trips up to the value of £3000 and then split the payment at checkout. This mobile app allows you to essentially borrow the cost of your trip, before repaying them, the value with no early repayment fees. With buyers protection Fly Now Pay Later ensure your trip is booked safely and paid for.
This app will require an initial 10% deposit on your trip then you can flexibly adjust the terms of your repayments from here. With their 'Slice It' product you can split the repayments with 0% interest.
Offering both budget airlines and long-haul international airlines through their product including: Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, EasyJet, British Airways, Iberia and more.
Get the Fly Now Pay Later app
The airlines that work with fly now, pay later providers
So, if you’ve found a flight that suits your criteria, but can’t pay right now, these are the airlines we know of that you should look to book with (and the buy now, pay later websites that they work with, see above).
Alaska Airlines – If you are booking with Alaska Airlines, you get the option to pay through Uplift at checkout.
American Airlines – providing you have an American billing address, you can fly now and pay later for your American Airlines flight through PayPal Credit.
Delta Airlines – allow you to pay later through their partnership with PayPal, through PayPal Credit.
Frontier Airlines – as a budget airline, the fact that Frontier allow for pay later flight options is great. They partner with Uplift for differed payment options.
KLM – KLM, via checking out through PayPal, allow their users to pay later for flights through the ‘Bill Me Later’ option.
Lufthansa – If you are booking directly, Lufthansa allow you to choose from a broad range of payment options, including PayPal Credit.
Qatar Airways – the major luxury airline to jump on the demand for pay later flights, Qatar Airways allow for the PayPal Credit option as they allow PayPal payments.
Sunwing Airlines – partner with Uplift and are a major flight provider to the Caribbean.
There are other airlines that accept buy now, pay later flights, but these are out top picks, if your chosen route is not covered by any of the above, please visit your chosen providers website to check directly.
Can I buy now, and pay later for flights with no credit check
While you can buy a flight now, and pay later without the need for a credit check, based on all of our research, you should always check with your potential provider as their eligibility criteria changes regularly.
How to choose the right buy now, pay later flight website
When it comes to choosing a buy now, pay later flight website, we are aware that there are several options you can select. But, whichever option you choose, there are a variety of different considerations to take into account:
- Fees and interest rates – as with any credit agreement, always make sure to read everything (yes, the fine print included), to make sure you are fully aware of any and all additional costs
- Credit checks – while not all pay later flight options require a credit check, some providers will require a credit check, so do bear this in mind
- The terms of repayment – pay later flight payment plans have a number of different potential repayment terms, so be sure to align the one you choose with your ability to keep up with payments
The advantages of buying airline tickets now but paying later
As you will probably have worked out by now, buying airline tickets now but paying later, either directly or using a metasearch, flight comparison site such as ourselves, has a number of benefits to you, the end user.
These include:
- Ease of booking – seamless integration with airline booking systems that enable the buy now, pay later flight option mean that it has never been easier to spread the cost of your travel.
- Budget flexibility – the ability to pay over a set period of time means it is easier to manage your budget.
- Accessibility – BNPL flight options make travelling more accessible than ever before, particularly for unexpected or urgent trips.
Pay later flights: Things to be aware of
While there a vast number of undoubted benefits to book now pay later for flight options, there are also a few things to be cautious about. So, in the interest of transparency, here are our two ‘are you sure’ tips.
- Accumulation of debt – never go beyond your means and commit to repayment options that are not achievable, as this can lead to debt accumulating.
- Interest rates – much like credit cards, which are great when you make payments, pay later flight options tend to incur high interest rates if payments are not made on time. Be sure to check the plan before you commit to anything, and try to pay on time!
Our guide to buy now, pay later flights
The ability to buy airline tickets now, but pay later, has reopened the world of travel to many. But doing your own research and ensuring you choose the correct platform and plan for you, is the key to keeping your finances in check.
Platforms such as Fly Now Pay Later, Affirm, Klarna, Uplift and PayPal Credit all give you the ability to buy flights now but pay later, but we must stress that the key to a positive BNPL flight experience is to fully understand the terms and ensure they align with your financial situation…
With this in mind, from everyone here at Moonsand Flight Comparison, we wish you happy travelling!
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Moonsand receives a commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of our trusted affiliate partners, at no extra cost to yourself.
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