If you have a buy now pay later account with Afterpay, you can set up automatic payments or make one-off or early payments through the "PAY NOW" button. Either way, you'll need to add a debit or credit card to your Afterpay account.
If you pay by credit card, you'll be able to earn reward points per $1 spent. But you may end up with interest charges if you don't also pay off your credit card balance. So, let's take a look at how credit card payments work with Afterpay, plus payment methods for other buy now pay later services.
You can use any Australian Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card to pay your Afterpay account. To get started, you'll need to add the card to your account using the following steps.
Once you've done that, you have 2 ways to use your credit card to pay Afterpay.
This is Afterpay's default option, with payments automatically taken from your credit card (or chosen payment method) on a scheduled date.
Afterpay will send a notification before each instalment so that you can make sure the funds are available.
If you want to make extra payments or pay off your account early, you can click the "PAY NOW" button in the Afterpay app or online and enter your credit card details (if they're not already stored in your account).
Note that any remaining instalments will stay the same, so you'll need to submit a request to Afterpay if you want to change the date an automatic payment comes out.
Here's a look at which popular buy now pay later services do and don’t accept credit cards. We’ve also included details of which cards and other types of payments are accepted.
| Provider | Does it accept credit cards? | Other payment details |
|---|---|---|
| Afterpay |
| Accepts payment from Mastercard and Visa debit or credit cards. |
| Brighte |
| Accepts direct debit payments from a credit card or bank account. |
| Certegy Ezi-Pay |
| Accepts direct debit payments from a credit card or bank account. |
| Fupay |
| Payment is made through your linked bank account. |
| humm |
| humm technically offers credit cards and accounts similar to credit cards. Payment options are listed on each statement and include BPAY or direct debit from your bank account. |
| Klarna |
| Accepts payments from valid Mastercard or Visa credit and debit cards. Does not accept payments from Amex cards or prepaid cards. |
| Spot. Buy Now, Pay Later |
| Payments must be made via a linked bank account that is set up for fast payments (e.g. OSKO payments). |
| Zip Money |
| Payments can be made via direct debit from your linked debit card or bank account. You can also make additional payments via BPAY. |
| Zip Pay |
| Payments can be made from Mastercard and Visa debit or credit cards. You can also make additional payments via BPAY. |
Weigh up these factors before you choose a card to pay your Afterpay or other BNPL balance:
Before you can close an account with Afterpay or another BNPL, you need to settle your balance.
So, if you can’t afford to pay it off with your own money and credit card payments are not accepted, you could wait until the balance is cleared. Or, look at personal loans and other debt consolidation options.
Can I consolidate a BNPL balance with a balance transfer credit card?
| Response | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card | 80.08% | 65.34% |
| Mortgage | 43.61% | 39.48% |
| Buy now pay later account | 30.26% | 30% |
| None of the above | 11.09% | 14.66% |
| Personal loan | 12.22% | 10% |
| Car loan | 10.53% | 11.55% |
| Charge card | 9.21% | 6.03% |
Most interest-free payment services offer direct debit payments. To set up the debit from your credit card account, you’ll need to enter the card number, the name on the card, the expiry date and the security code.
Some services, including Afterpay, allow you to make one-off payments in addition to your scheduled payment. In this case, you’ll need to follow the prompts to make an additional payment and enter your credit card details when they are requested.
If you set up direct debit repayments from your credit card and don’t have enough available credit when a payment is due, you could be charged two sets of fees: one from the interest-free service (a late payment fee) and one from your credit card company due to the declined transaction (a dishonour fee).
Most interest-free payment services offer financial support and plans if you’re struggling to make payments. So if that’s the reason you want to use your credit card, it’s a good idea to discuss your options with the interest-free provider first. Otherwise, you could end up with more debt in the form of credit card interest charges.
Buy now pay later and credit cards both give you ways to buy what you want and pay it off over time, so they don’t usually go together very well. But if you really want to use a credit card for your balance with Afterpay or another interest-free service, make sure you weigh up the risks and potential costs before going ahead with payment.
Most of the time it’s safer to use a debit card or buy what you want up-front. Or, if you want to pay with a credit card to earn points, consider using the card to pay for what you want in the first place so you don’t have to deal with an interest-free balance at all.
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