Money Hack: Try before you buy with Afterpay
If you want to try before you buy when shopping online, there's an easy way to do it.
By now, most people will have heard about Afterpay. The modernised lay-by service allows you to make a purchase and pay for it in instalments, just like we used to at the department store lay-away counters. Only now, it's all online.
If you're an online shopper that prefers to look and feel before you commit to a purchase, Afterpay can be a very convenient way for you to try before you buy. Read on to see how.
The hack
As a passionate online shopper, I'm always trying to convince those who've never tried it to give it ago. And I'm always met with the same objection: "I like to see something and try it on before I commit to buying it".
But you can return online purchases, I'll counter. "But then I have to wait for the money to come back into my account and that's a hassle".
The easy solution is to shop with Afterpay! If you're 18 or older you can create an Afterpay account which allows you to shop now and pay in instalments at selected retailers. When you first get an Afterpay account, you can be required to pay your first instalment at the time you make your purchase. But once you've used Afterpay a few times, your first instalment isn't actually due until two weeks after the day you made the purchase.
So if there is a top you're not sure about or perhaps an appliance you'd like to see before any money comes out of your account, just click the pay with Afterpay button at the checkout. As long as you return the item within the two weeks before your first instalment, you won't see any money come out of your account.
This is, of course, dependent on you shopping with a retailer that offers Afterpay, choosing a retailer with free shipping and returning the item in a timely fashion. Most retailers won't refund shipping costs, so if you didn't get a free shipping deal, Afterpay will still charge you the shipping costs in instalments. And if you're a bit late on the return you could see a couple of payments come out of your account too, but these should be refunded.
This is a little trick that I myself use all the time when I want to try before I buy. It won't work for everything or for everyone but I find it truly works for me.
If you want to shop with Afterpay, you should check out our full list of stores offering Afterpay.
finder money hacks is a bi-weekly round-up of the latest tips and tricks to improve your finances. Check back every Wednesday and Saturday for new hacks
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