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Target Partners With Sezzle & Affirm for Buy Now, Pay Later Holiday Shopping

October 13, 2021

3 min Read

Written by Vance Cariaga

Edited by Cooper Bernier

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Target wants to make it as easy as possible for shoppers to spend money during the holidays, and one way it plans to do that is by providing a new “buy now, pay later” option through partnerships with the Affirm and Sezzle payment platforms.

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Shoppers who qualify for the plans can pay for items on installment, similar to the layaway plans that used to be standard at retailers. One big advantage to consumers is that they can hop on deals and then pay at a pace that suits their budgets — a very handy option during the holiday season, as Target pointed out.

“We know our guests want easy and affordable payment options that work within their family’s budget,” Gemma Kubat, Target’s president of financial and retail services, said in a press release. “Through our partnerships with Affirm and Sezzle, Target is investing in new financial tools that make our shopping experiences more flexible and personalized to guests’ needs, right in time for the holiday season.”

See: Most Holiday Shoppers Will Buy Online — And Start EarlyFind: The 37 Mistakes We Make When Shopping at Costco, Amazon, Target and Walmart

Sezzle and Affirm will offer a wide range of payment options, timelines and services based on the shopper’s eligibility, what they want to buy and how long they want to spread the payments out. Here’s what you need to know:

Sezzle: Each purchase will be split into four interest-free payments over six weeks, with no fees as long as the balance is paid on time. Shoppers will first have to fill out an application with Sezzle. After that, they can shop at Target.com or via the Target app and use the Sezzle Virtual Card as the payment method at checkout. Sezzle can also be used for same-day fulfillment services, drive up, order pickup and same-day delivery with Shipt, as well as in Target stores via Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Affirm: Affirm lets Target customers use monthly payments for purchases over $100. The first step is to apply with Affirm. Next, you can shop online at Target.com, select Affirm as the payment method at checkout, and then choose the monthly payment schedule that works best for you. Affirm doesn’t charge any late or hidden fees.

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Buy now, pay later options are becoming increasingly popular with both consumers and retailers — and with good reason. As GOBankingRates reported last week, a new report from research firm Accenture found that the Afterpay platform could save consumers as much as $459 million throughout 2021 by using BNPL instead of a credit card.

Retailers have gotten a boost as well. The Afterpay platform has driven $8.2 billion in incremental sales for retailers and other businesses, the study said.

Target’s decision to add a BNPL option is one of a few steps the big-box retailer has taken to improve its prospects ahead of the holiday season. In late September, it announced plans to add 30,000 new supply chain jobs to help it overcome global supply chain disruptions, GOBankingRates reported.

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