BNPL lenders like Flex, Zip, and Affirm are now pitching loans for basic household needs; Americans spent $160B through pay-later loans in 2025, up 2x from 2023 (Stacy Cowley/New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/business/buy-now-pay-later.html">http://www.techmeme.com/260817/i32.jpg" vspace="4" />

https://www.techmeme.com/260817/p32#a260817p32" title="Techmeme permalink">http://www.techmeme.com/img/pml.png" style="border: none; padding: 0; margin: 0;" width="11" /> Stacy Cowley / https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/business/buy-now-pay-later.html">BNPL lenders like Flex, Zip, and Affirm are now pitching loans for basic household needs; Americans spent $160B through pay-later loans in 2025, up 2x from 2023  —  The rapid growth of pay-later loans raises questions about whether their popularity is driven by consumer preference or desperation.