Google Pay to Add BNPL Options Early in 2024

Google Pay will make buy now, pay later (BNPL) options available for online and mobile payments in the U.S. next year. Google Pay has partnered with Affirm and Australia-based Zip and will begin offering their pay-in-four services on Android devices early in 2024.

BNPL got a boost as consumers worldwide grappled with inflation, and experts identified multiple BNPL growth opportunities in August 2022. Spending via these payment methods is expected to set new records this holiday season, driving $17 billion in online spending, up 16.9% YoY and $2.5 billion more than last year, according to data from Adobe Analytics.

“People are shopping on Google more than a billion times per day, and consumers are increasingly looking for more choice and flexibility when it comes to payment options,” said Drew Olson, Senior Director at Google Pay in a statement. “By teaming up with pay-over-time providers like Affirm and Zip, we are able to give Google Pay users more payment options when checking out, while providing merchants with another tool to drive their growth.”

The Zip integration is being termed a pilot launch that will begin in January, while the Affirm offering will be made available during Q1 2024.

After a long wait, Apple launched BNPL in March 2023, and in April 2023, Rite Aid joined other retailers offering BNPL as a payment option. Additionally, Amazon Business recently added a BNPL option.