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.
More than half (54%) of BNPL users say they wouldn’t be able to make ends meet without these loans, according to LendingTree’s 2026 Buy Now, Pay Later Report. 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.
