Google teams with Affirm, Klarna for flex payments in AI, search
Google is partnering with two leading flexible payment platforms to provide new options for checkout with Google Pay in its AI and search environments.
The tech giant is collaborating with Affirm and Klarna to bring flexible payment opportunities to its Google Gemini agentic AI engine and its search offering, including AI mode, via the Google Pay digital payment tool in the U.S.
Following are overviews of Google’s new partnerships with each flexible payment provider:
Affirm
Affirm is rolling out its payment options into Google Search, including AI mode, and the Gemini app when checking out with Google Pay. Now in Google Search and the Gemini app, shoppers will start to see Affirm as a payment option within Google Pay at checkout.
After choosing Affirm, they will go through a real-time eligibility check and, if approved, choose the plan that works best for them. They will see the full cost, payment schedule and end date before committing, with no late or hidden fees.
“As AI becomes a more active part of how people discover and buy, it’s critical that the payment options remain secure and reliable,” said Ashish Gupta, VP/GM, merchant shopping at Google. “Our work with Affirm brings transparent, flexible payment options into these new journeys, so as shopping evolves, people can continue to make decisions with confidence.”
In addition to initial launches within Google Pay on the Gemini app and Google Search, Affirm has independently developed an early version of buy now, pay later flexible payments for the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard for agentic AI-based commerce intended to cover the entire shopping journey from discovery and buying to post-purchase support introduced by Google in January 2026.
[READ MORE: Google launches new agentic commerce standard]
Affirm is hosting this extension on its site to gather feedback and refine development.
“People deserve transparent, flexible financial options. Agentic commerce may be the moment that makes that impossible to ignore,” said Vishal Kapoor, senior VP of product at Affirm. “From day one, Affirm was built around clear terms and transparency, so people can confidently use credit for specific purchases without worrying about fine print or surprises. As more decisions are made by AI on people’s behalf, products that rely on hidden terms or ambiguity won’t hold up — the ones that are clear and predictable will.”
Klarna
Google Pay users will now see a Klarna button at checkout, giving them access to flexible payment options including paying in four interest-free installments and longer-term financing for larger purchases, each underwritten with an affordability check.
"As agentic commerce scales, how people pay needs to keep pace with how they shop," said Ashish Gupta, VP/GM of merchant shopping at Google. "By making Klarna's flexible payment options available at checkout in the Gemini app and Search via Google Pay, we're giving shoppers more flexibility, so they can make more confident, considered purchases with less friction."
The integration is built within Google Pay for checkout on Google surfaces powered by the Universal Commerce Protocol, and follows previously announced Klarna integrations with Google Pay, Google Store, Google Play, and Google Cloud.
“As shopping moves into conversational and AI-driven environments, flexible payments become essential infrastructure for how people buy,” said David Sykes, chief commercial officer at Klarna. “Our partnership with Google brings Klarna directly into these moments of decision, giving consumers more control over how they pay.”
