Buy now pay later figures for the United Kingdom, from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Money Advice Trust.
In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in the United Kingdom used deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) in the previous 12 months.
Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024
Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; Deferred payment credit is the survey term for unregulated buy now, pay later; not measured in 2017 or 2020
In 2022, 19 per cent of deferred payment credit users in the United Kingdom had any account 90 days or more in arrears.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, 2022
Credit file data matched to the deferred payment credit providers' customer records; average of 2022; population comparison is a random sample of the UK population that includes some deferred payment credit users; table 3 (PDF page 15)
In 2022, 8 per cent of a random sample of adults in the United Kingdom had any account 90 days or more in arrears.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, 2022
Credit file data matched to the deferred payment credit providers' customer records; average of 2022; population comparison is a random sample of the UK population that includes some deferred payment credit users; table 3 (PDF page 15)
In 2022, 6.4 per cent of deferred payment credit users in the United Kingdom were users of high-cost credit.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, 2022
Credit file data matched to the deferred payment credit providers' customer records; average of 2022; population comparison is a random sample of the UK population that includes some deferred payment credit users; table 3 (PDF page 15); high-cost credit as defined in the paper (short-term, home credit, rent-to-own, guarantor, logbook, running account)
In January 2023, 10 per cent of deferred payment credit transactions in the United Kingdom had at least one missed or late repayment.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, January 2023
Four largest providers at the time; not all providers charged late fees in the period (PDF page 14)
In January 2023, 2 per cent of deferred payment credit transactions in the United Kingdom had at least one instalment that incurred a late fee.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, January 2023
Four largest providers at the time; not all providers charged late fees in the period (PDF page 14)
In 2024, an estimated 10,862,263 adults in the United Kingdom used deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) in the previous 12 months.
Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024
Gross weighted estimate of UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; Deferred payment credit is the survey term for unregulated buy now, pay later; not measured in 2017 or 2020
The total value of deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) transactions in the United Kingdom was £13.76 billion in 2024.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, 2024
Aggregate data from the four largest deferred payment credit providers at the time of the analysis, estimated at over 90 per cent of the unregulated sector; value is the full value of purchases made using the credit; figure label (PDF page 12)
In March 2023, active users of deferred payment credit in the United Kingdom borrowed an average of £168 in the month.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, March 2023
Before repayments and refunds; active user means at least one approved transaction in the month; four largest providers at the time (PDF page 13)
In March 2023, the average amount of deferred payment credit borrowed per approved transaction in the United Kingdom was £67.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, March 2023
Before repayments and refunds; active user means at least one approved transaction in the month; four largest providers at the time (PDF page 13)
In March 2023, the median amount of deferred payment credit borrowed per approved transaction in the United Kingdom was £43.
Source: Occasional Paper 69: Distress deferred? The impact of buy-now-pay-later credit on consumer indebtedness and arrears, Financial Conduct Authority, March 2023
Before repayments and refunds; active user means at least one approved transaction in the month; four largest providers at the time (PDF page 13)
Among callers to National Debtline, the average amount owed on buy-now-pay-later debts was £556 in 2022.
Source: Money Advice Trust Outcomes Report 2022, Money Advice Trust, 2022
In 2022, 17 per cent of adults in the United Kingdom used deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) in the previous 12 months.
Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2022
Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 1 February to 6 June 2022; Deferred payment credit is the survey term for unregulated buy now, pay later; not measured in 2017 or 2020
In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in the United Kingdom used deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) in the previous 12 months. In 2022, 19 per cent of deferred payment credit users in the United Kingdom had any account 90 days or more in arrears. In 2022, 8 per cent of a random sample of adults in the United Kingdom had any account 90 days or more in arrears.
In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in the United Kingdom used deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) in the previous 12 months.
In 2022, 19 per cent of deferred payment credit users in the United Kingdom had any account 90 days or more in arrears.
In 2022, 6.4 per cent of deferred payment credit users in the United Kingdom were users of high-cost credit.