Survey: BNPL usage on the rise — especially for groceries
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) payments are becoming an increasingly important tool for consumers, with many relying on them to make essential purchases.
According to LendingTree’s 2026 Buy Now, Pay Later Report, more than half (54%) of BNPL users say they wouldn’t be able to make ends meet without these loans. Among that group, 62% are parents with kids younger than 18, and 59% are millennials.
Twenty-nine percent of BNPL users say they have used the loans for groceries, up from 25% a year ago and 14% two years ago. Thirty-eight percent of Gen Z users have bought groceries with BNPL, as have 34% of users with kids younger than 18, and 33% of users who earn $100,000 or more.
LendingTree noted that only clothing, shoes and accessories (39%) and tech devices (34%) are more commonly bought than groceries via BNPL.
The top reasons given for choosing BNPL over other loans were being easy to use (31%) and easy to get (27%), followed by predictable payments (12%) and the fact that they are short-term loans rather than an open-ended line of credit (17%).
LendingTree’s report found that while consumers are increasingly relying on BNPL, some are struggling to make payments. Nearly half (47%) of users said they have paid late on a loan in the past year, and that percentage is growing. In 2025, 41% said they had paid late in the past year, while 34% said the same in 2024. Another 15% say they have paid late before but not in the past year, while just 38% of users say they have never paid late.
[READ MORE: Survey: Two-thirds of U.S. households shop online weekly]
More than half (55%) of respondents who are at least considering getting a BNPL loan this month say they’re very confident they could pay off that loan without missing a payment – down four percentage points from June. Thirty percent say they’re only somewhat confident, up two percentage points from June.
Fifty-four percent of those surveyed say they have regretted a BNPL purchase, including 18% who regretted it more than once. Last year, 48% of BNPL users expressed regret, including 16% who regretted multiple purchases.
Methodology
LendingTree commissioned QuestionPro to conduct an online survey of 2,049 U.S. consumers ages 18 to 80 on March 3-6, 2026. Separately, for late payment questions, LendingTree commissioned QuestionPro to conduct an online survey of 2,060 U.S. consumers ages 18 to 80 on March 17-23, 2026. For the monthly BNPL Tracker questions, LendingTree commissioned QuestionPro to conduct an online survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers ages 18 to 80 on July 2-8, 2026.
