Buy-Now, Pay-Later

closed
Submissions closed: 16 December 2021, 5pm

In November 2021, the Government sought feedback on the relative benefits and costs (including financial hardship) of Buy-Now, Pay-Later.

About the consultation

The Minster of Commerce and Consumer Affairs released the discussion document Buy-Now, Pay Later - Understanding the triggers of financial hardship and possible options to address them on 4 November 2021.

The discussion document aimed to get input and feedback on:

  • the benefits of BNPL to consumers and to the wider economy
  • how the use of BNPL could trigger financial hardship for consumers – under what circumstances and at which points in the consumer journey financial hardship could occur
  • how risks of financial hardship could be addressed if BNPL exhibited certain desirable features
  • what is an effective BNPL sector?
  • the options available to achieve an effective BNPL sector, the costs and benefits of these options and how their effectiveness could be monitored and evaluated.

Submissions

Submissions closed on 17 December 2021 and a total of 63 submissions were received. They represent the views of a range of users of BNPL, providers of BNPL, financial mentors, community organisations, businesses, industry bodies, banks, and other financial institutions.

Personal contact details have been redacted from the submissions.

Some submissions have not been published at the request of submitters.

View the submissions on the BNPL consultation(external link)

Survey summary

In addition to the submissions, we also provided an online survey to consumers of BNPL seeking both their positive and negative experiences with BNPL. The survey was publicised through social media and through MBIE’s digital channels. In total 1,781 responses were received. Respondents self-selected into the survey and so the results are not representative of the whole population. With some of the questions, multiple answers could be selected and so totals will not add up to 100%.

What is Buy-Now, Pay-Later

BNPL is a relatively new, innovative and fast growing credit alternative in New Zealand, and is particularly popular for online purchases. Afterpay, Humm, Zip, Laybuy, Genoapay (Latitude), Openpay and, Klarna are examples of BNPL in New Zealand. By using BNPL, people can get access to goods or services now but pay for them later in a series of instalments. 

Last updated: 09 March 2022