Buy Now Pay Later services have become integral to Gen Z's payment methods, with 49% planning to use them for large purchases and 36% for daily essentials by 2026. Rising consumer prices and declining personal savings rates have contributed to this trend. Many Gen Z individuals are normalizing installment debt for everyday purchases, such as groceries, as a coping mechanism for financial pressures. This shift indicates a broader acceptance of financing options in managing household expenses, even as other debts accumulate.
"The latest 2026 P&P Wave I Data Deck: The Financial States of America from Northwestern Mutual finds that 49% of Gen Z plan to use Buy Now Pay Later for large purchases in 2026, and 36% plan to use it for daily essentials like groceries and gas."
"When food and housing costs keep climbing faster than wages, deferring the grocery bill by a few weeks starts to feel less like a red flag and more like a reasonable workaround."
"It is not just a spending habit. It is a sign that a generation is quietly normalizing installment debt for purchases that most people never used to think twice about paying upfront."
Read at 24/7 Wall St.
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