Survey: Nearly half of consumers use buy now, pay later options weekly
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment options are being used by many consumers across nearly all generations on a weekly basis.
A new survey from behavioral data company Fullstory revealed that nearly half (48%) of respondents use BNPL services at least weekly. This includes 37% of Gen X, 36% of Gen Z and 34% of millennials. Just 5% of baby boomers use BNPL on a weekly basis.
When asked what types of purchases they make with BNPL, more than a third (37%) of respondents selected electronics as their top choice, followed by clothing & accessories (26%) and home goods & furniture (12%). Nearly one-third (30%) of respondents say they use BNPL for more than half of their purchases, and 27% say they use it for more than one quarter of their purchases.
Younger consumers are leading the charge in BNPL usage. Nearly four-in-10 (39%) Gen Z respondents said their BNPL usage increased drastically over the last two years, compared to only 10% of baby boomers.
[READ MORE: Survey: Buy now, pay later usage rises; 'pay-in-four' most common method]
Affluent households are likely to be consistent BNPL users, according to the survey. More than half (54%) of those with a household income of $150,000–$174,999 use BNPL multiple times a week. Of those in the $25,000–$49,999 range, only 4% use it multiple times a week.
“Consumers are taking advantage of alternative payment methods, likely as a result of the widespread desire to better manage spending given the challenging economic landscape,” said Jason Wolf, president of Fullstory. “To meet consumers where they are and give them the payment options that suit their individual needs, businesses should integrate BNPL into their checkout processes, particularly if they sell big-ticket items like electronics.”
When asked about using BNPL again in the future, six-in-10 (60%) respondents said they would use it for larger or unexpected expenses, while more than half (53%) said they would use it for purchases that are difficult to pay for upfront. Another 50% cited spreading costs over time to manage monthly cash flow.
Despite 81% rating the BNPL experience as convenient or very convenient, friction still remains. Seventy-nine percent admit they abandon BNPL checkouts at least sometimes (and 32% say they abandon “almost always”). Top reasons include cost opacity (e.g., hidden fees or unclear interest, 34%), an unclear payment schedule (30%), and having to re-enter information (13%).
When asked where they use BNPL most often, more than half (51%) of respondents cited mobile apps, followed by in‑store/in-person (29%) and web browsers (20%). Mobile apps were the most common top choice across all generations, including 52% of millennials, 52% of Gen X, 47% of Gen Z and 45% of baby boomers.
“Most consumers think BNPL is convenient, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement in UX,” added Wolf. “Businesses risk alienating customers if they don’t have transparency around cost and payment schedules. User-centric platform design and personalization can help boost conversion and ensure consumers receive a frictionless purchase journey.”
The Fullstory 2026 BNPL Survey was fielded by a third-party provider in February 2026. It included more than 1,000 consumers.
