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Services such as Afterpay, Zip and others are an extremely popular way to buy online these days, but there could be some more risks you might not have thought about before (and not just late fees). Could using buy now pay later services affect your credit score later down the track? Let's break this down for you.
There is no credit check before you sign up for Afterpay and using it won't affect your credit score, but it does reserve the right to check your credit and can report any negative activity on your account to credit reporting agencies. This could leave you in a tight spot later down the line when applying for more significant loans, like a mortgage. But it's up to Afterpay if it chooses to pass on this information to third parties.
As long as you're using Afterpay in a responsible way and making your payments on time, then your credit score and history shouldn't be affected directly.
Zip Pay affects your credit score if you don't pay your bills on time or default on your repayments. It will also check your credit score when you apply for the service, so it's important to keep it in a healthy shape if you want to use it. You shouldn't have any issues as long as you're responsible with Zip and are making payments on time.
Owned and run by Zip, the same company as Zip Pay, Zip Money operates similarly but is used for larger purchases over $1,000. As such, the same rules apply here. It will run a credit check to make sure you're safe to lend to and your score should only be affected if you miss your payments.
Yes, when signing up for an Openpay account, it will verify your ID, check your credit history and obtain a credit report to assess your creditworthiness. Openpay reserves the right to check your credit score at any time at its discretion and this usually happens when you change the limit on your Openpay account. And of course, if you fail to make a repayment or commit a serious credit infringement, Openpay can disclose this information to a credit reporting body.
Want to know how all these buy now pay later services compare? We've broken them down into a handy little table below:
Payment provider | Does it affect your credit? | What do its terms and conditions say? |
---|---|---|
Afterpay |
Afterpay reserves the right to check your credit but generally doesn't |
|
Openpay |
Openpay may check your credit report |
|
Certegy Ezi-Pay |
|
|
Zip Money |
Zip Money will check your credit when you apply |
|
Zip Pay |
Zip Pay will check your credit when you apply |
|
Lombard Finance (including CreditLine and Once) |
Lombard Finance will check your credit when you apply |
|
If you're responsible with your payments and make them on time, you shouldn't have many issues with Afterpay, Zip, Openpay and other buy now pay later services.
But if you miss a payment, this could come back to bite your credit score. A lower credit score might impact your ability to take out a loan, mortgage or credit card. Don't worry too much, because there are ways to repair it.
If you do miss a payment, also keep in mind late fees can stack up quickly. So before you pay through one of these services, just make sure you're definitely able to make the payments. The shoes can wait!
There's no set service that is least likely to affect your credit score as all of these will penalise you if you don't make your repayments. It then just comes down to a matter of preference.
Afterpay might be easier to sign up with initially as it doesn't require a credit check when you apply.
On the other hand, Openpay might suit you better as it offers more flexibility with your repayments. Instead of Afterpay's schedule of 4 repayments over 8 weeks, Openpay's repayment plan ranges from 1–24 months depending on your purchase. You can even reschedule payments as you go to avoid late fees.
The bottom line is that any of these services can work in your favour, providing you use them responsibly and within your budget.
Ah, the great debate.
While it all depends on the lender, the individual person and their own personal financial situation, these buy now pay later services have raised some concerning red flags for lenders as it could be seen as an ongoing expense.
It might also give the impression that you don't have enough cash on standby and are living paycheque to paycheque, which may make it harder to get a loan.
Keep in mind that it's only one part of what lenders look at. So if you've got a good savings history, stable income and a good repayment history, you might still be able to win them over.
Regardless of which buy now pay later service you choose to sign up for or not, it's always important to stay on top of your credit score. If you use any of these services, your credit score may start to reduce without you even noticing. But by downloading the free Finder app, we'll give you monthly updates and let you know if your score changes.
Banks know your credit score, so why shouldn't you? The Finder app updates your score automatically each month and lets you know if it changes. Pop in your phone number below to get your download link.
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