A survey of young people in New Zealand finds many do not treat “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) as debt, which can affect how they manage repayments. One report says about four in ten young respondents do not see BNPL as debt, despite it involving scheduled payments that can become financially burdensome.
The Conversation focuses on how perceptions shape behaviour, arguing that treating BNPL as something other than debt may lead to riskier or less cautious use. The NZ Herald adds an additional detail from the same broader discussion: nearly half of BNPL users who later repay debt use other credit to do so. Both accounts point to a potential pathway where misunderstanding BNPL’s financial implications can contribute to reliance on other borrowing.
While the outlets differ in emphasis—one on attitudes and the other on repayment practices—the overall picture is that many young BNPL users do not categorize it as debt, and some end up needing other forms of credit to settle what they owe.
