We're launching our You Only Pay Once (#YOPO) campaign to tackle Buy Now Pay Later schemes and promote the positive mindset that comes with only paying once. We want to help consumers feel empowered to make more informed decisions about what's being described as ‘gateway debt’…
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) schemes are becoming a popular form of payment online. Rather than pay the upfront cost for an online purchase, you can choose to spread the cost over a few weeks/months or delay the full payment until a later date. With the help of social media, brands and influencers are encouraging increasing usage of providers like Klarna, Clearpay, Laybuy and Afterpay.
*Source: Buy Now Pay Later, OpenMoney and LM research. Total sample size was 2,000 UK adults.
*Source: Buy Now Pay Later, OpenMoney and LM research. Total sample size was 2,000 UK adults.
Source: Social media listening from October 2019 - Oct 2020 - covering 70k posts by 36k unique authors.
We’re launching our #YOPO campaign to encourage online shoppers to ‘only pay once’ by only buying items they can afford to pay for upfront.
We know that waiting a little longer for something you want isn’t quite as exciting, but the peace of mind that comes with only paying once isn’t something to be sniffed at. Our research learned that 46% of shoppers would feel less anxious if they only bought things they could afford.
We know that there’s more that needs to be done than just changing shoppers mindsets, we want to tackle the source. There is not enough protection and clarity for consumers surrounding these providers.
We’re urging the regulator and the government to increase consumer protection and regulation around these services and bring forward the ‘Breathing Space’ initiative due to be implemented in 2021.
The call to #RegulateBuyNowPayLater has been ringing since earlier this year and we’re joining the fight and launching our #YOPO campaign to support these voices. We feel this is of particular importance now because:
Alice Tapper, launched the #RegulateBuyNowPayLater campaign in June. She is joining OpenMoney in the bid to raise awareness. She added:
Alice Tapper, Founder of
#RegulateBuyNowPayLater
"It's easy to think of Buy Now Pay Later schemes as a harmless way of spreading your costs out over time, but the hidden dangers aren't often spoken about.
Unlike other credit products, many buy now pay later schemes are unregulated. I've been campaigning for this to change. Without urgent intervention, there's a real risk than young and vulnerable consumers will end up in a debt spiral. We hope to help educate people on the potential risks and the various ways they can spend safely."
Both among consumers and brands, we want to raise awareness of the potential dangers of BNPL schemes, encourage the #YOPO mindset and give you the power and knowledge to protect yourself.
We’ve reach out to MPs to gain support for strengthening consumer credit law and aligning the law with regulation.
We urge the government to bring forward this initiative, due to be implemented in 2021, which will freeze interest, fees and enforcement for 60 days allowing people in problem debt to receive professional advice.