Latest news with #Afterpay
Hypebeast
4 days ago
- Business
- Hypebeast
Unboxing: Cash App Afterpay Dropshop Taps Linden Is Enough for the Ultimate Travel Tote
Whether planning your next summer excursion or enjoying a low-key staycation, one accessory will simplify your travels and add a touch of sophistication to your wardrobe rotation: a holy grail tote bag. Soaking up the warm weather and good vibes, Cash App Afterpay's The Dropshop has partnered withLinden Is Enough, a brand celebrated for its heirloom leather goods, to develop a travel tote to debut exclusively onHBX. Earlier this year, Afterpay rebranded to Cash App Afterpay – it's still the same great pay over time service, just with a fresh new look. The Dropshop is a shopping offer that provides access to artist-led collaborations and limited-edition merchandise, including footwear, apparel and specialty items launched by notable rising brands and some of today's most exciting independent creators. Inspired by the season of travel, Afterpay spotlightsLinden Is Enough, a small business that started on Etsy before expanding into a global online retailer. Founded by Daniel Caltik and Mariana Leite during their university studies, The Edinburgh-based brand adopts Moroccan leather-craft techniques, creating durable and undeniably chic leather purses, tote bags, briefcases and more — all designed to weather the ups and downs of everyday life. Arriving in black and made from supple, shiny, full-grain leather, the Linden Is Enough x Cash App Afterpay Maxi Tote features a roomy main compartment with an unlined, suede interior, offering ample storage. A green hanging inner pocket and oversized outer slip provide easy access, with wide shoulder straps for long-wearing comfort and balanced weight distribution. Effortlessly timeless with a vegetable-tanned leather construction that's buttery-soft yet hardwearing, it's a versatile silhouette meant to last a lifetime of adventures — and one of Linden's best-selling styles. A leather paper airplane bag charm accompanies the piece, adding another zesty pop of green to contrast the black exterior. In the latestHypemapsinstallment, Afterpay tapped DJ/modelYazmine Rosarioto traverse her favorite thrifting and nighttime spots in Miami, Florida, sporting the refined handbag during her eclectic travels. The limited-edition item retails for $340 USD and is exclusively available onHBX, starting today. See the bag in action in the video and galleries above. Fashion lovers can find new designers and brands through The Dropshop. See more leather staples from Linden Is Enoughhere.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Dystopian' video shows robot dog scaring real dog in NYC: ‘That thing is possessed'
In a moment that could only be described as 'Peak 2025,' a woman walking her robotic dog through the streets of New York City was forced to gain control of her metal mutt after it lunged at a real dog. In a clip posted to social media, a woman wearing stilettos can be seen strutting along the streets with her AI canine on a chain leash. Advertisement Suddenly, the cyber-dog comes face-to-face with what appears to be a caboodle — bringing it to a halt. 5 A woman walked along the New York City streets with her AI canine on a chain leash in a social media post. Tiktok/@sevdaliza The woman lovingly watches on as her creepy pet drops down into a 'playful' position before lunging at the horrified caboodle. The cyber-puppy then flips onto its back and rocks back and forth like a petrified Christmas beetle as his glamorous owner rushes to his aid. Advertisement Meanwhile, the shaken-up caboodle is now standing extra close to its owner who appears to be filming the debacle. 5 The cyber-puppy flipped onto its back and rocked back and forth, scaring a nearby caboodle. Tiktok/@sevdaliza Luckily, the real dog was unharmed, save for emotional distress and likely a future in therapy. Since the clip, the glamorous robo-dog owner in question has been identified as Iranian-Dutch singer, songwriter Sevdaliza — infamous for her tech-erotica inspired music. Advertisement The Vogue-featured pop artist has also invented a 'Femmenoid,' which she says is a robot proxy of herself named Dahlia. 5 The robo-dog owner is an Iranian-Dutch singer-songwriter named Sevdaliza, known for tech-erotica inspired music. Tiktok/@sevdaliza In a recent clip posted to her Instagram, the star tells a street-interviewer that her dog is 'so sweet' as it stomps its legs up and down. Social media, naturally, had a field day over the 'dystopian' scenes. Advertisement 'It's like an episode of Black Mirror,' said one viewer. Start and end your day informed with our newsletters Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters 'Yeah, we're done for,' said another. 'That thing is possessed,' said a third. Others, were less than impressed with the antics. 5 People on social media weighed in on the 'dystopian' scene. grandfailure – 'I'd be stomping on that thing so fast,' said one person. 'I'd be taking that thing out so quick no robot is about to jump at my dog,' echoed another. Advertisement 5 'Yeah, we're done for,' one person wrote. Alienmarsh – The Rise of Robo-Mutts Robot dogs — originally developed for military surveillance and now inexplicably available to anyone with an Afterpay account — have been slowly infiltrating dog parks across the world. Equipped with facial recognition, object detection, and a disturbingly realistic bark, many are programmed to mimic real canine behavior — bar the fur. Advertisement They can range anywhere between roughly $48,000 to just a few hundred of dollars, meaning anyone can get their hands on one. Major brands such as Dick Smith, Kogan, Amazon, and even AliExpress have created their own versions of the popular pet. There's even one for sale called the 'Thermonator' which is the 'first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog' and currently retails for $9,420. Add to cart — obviously.
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The ‘Buy Now, Pay Later' Trap, Explained By A Psychologist
Decision fatigue can make you impulsive. "Buy Now, Pay Later" can make you broke. Here's the ... More psychology behind the most seductive shopping trap. Long before Klarna, Zilch and Afterpay attracted consumers with their 'Buy Now, Pay Later,' schemes, department-store chains like Kmart had their own version of delayed gratification. For a small fee, customers could reserve an item, make payments over time and only take it home once it was fully paid off. But it required patience. Then came credit cards, which flipped the model: take it now, pay later. But this was regulated, and not everyone had access to a credit card by default. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) schemes are not regulated and are a hybrid of both. They preserve the illusion of financial caution, like layaways once did, while delivering the joy of instant ownership. Because there's no need for a credit score, no official approval process and no institutional guardrails, even those still navigating early financial independence are being nudged into debt with a single tap. And if that wasn't enough, sellers are using one of the oldest psychological tricks in the book to ensure you default to BNPL: They're counting on you being too cognitively overloaded to think. There's a reason the phrase 'no-brainer' cuts both ways in this case. On the one hand, BNPL offers are, in theory, smart financial tools. Debt isn't inherently a bad thing. When used well, it can free up liquidity, which allows you to invest your money elsewhere while paying off a purchase in manageable chunks. In that sense, spreading out payments might feel like a savvy move. Most houses are bought on credit, because debt can be a strategic lever when matched with stable income and long-term planning. But a house appreciates. When we look at what's actually being financed, it becomes clear that the pattern is more impulsive, more reactive and far less considered. Nearly half of all BNPL purchases are clothing and fashion, according to data from Numerator. The average user decides to go the BNPL route because they can't afford the item outright. And the platforms know this. By the time most shoppers arrive at the checkout screen, they've already made dozens of micro-decisions — what brand, what size, what color, which seller and what shipping option. The sheer volume of information processed along the way quietly wears the brain down. It's called cognitive load, and psychological research shows that it drains your decision-making energy. A 2024 conference paper that focused specifically on this type of overload found that too much information on a page affects visual attention and decision quality. In this state, guiding the shopper toward a default path, like a Buy Now, Pay Later option highlighted by the seller, becomes easy and effective. BNPL blurs the line between affordability and accessibility. The moment a consumer can't pay on time, late fees stack up. And in most cases, BNPL platforms don't report timely payments to credit bureaus, meaning you don't build credit — but if your debt gets sent to collections, your score can tank. What starts as a convenience can quietly morph into a liability. A LendingTree survey found that 41% of BNPL users reported paying late in the past year, up from 34% the year before. Many of them weren't behind by more than a week — but repeat use and overlapping loans compound risk. Nearly a quarter of users said they'd had three or more BNPL loans active at once. Even more concerning is the shift in what's being financed. One in four BNPL users now say they've used it to buy groceries. And partnership between platforms — like Klarna and DoorDash, for instance — is making it easier to finance takeout. Debt is no longer tied to long-term assets or life upgrades. It's being used to delay the pain of day-to-day spending — a strategy that may feel necessary now but often backfires later. Most people think dopamine is the brain's pleasure chemical, but that's an oversimplification. Neuroscientists have long known that dopamine is more tied to anticipation than satisfaction. The surge hits when the possibility of reward seems real. That's why window shopping feels so good. That's also why scrolling through endless product pages late at night feels oddly energizing. Buy Now, Pay Later lowers the barrier between that dopamine spike and action. You don't need to earn the purchase, budget for it or sit with the desire. You just click 'Pay Later,' and the reward loop closes — fast. So, if you're trying to regain control, start by breaking that loop. Recognize that the emotional high is frontloaded, not backloaded. Wait 24 to 48 hours before buying anything that triggers a surge of want. You'll be surprised how often the urge fades, once dopamine exits the scene. And if you are tempted by the option to finance takeout, ask yourself if you'd still like to be paying for a burrito and a side of chips you had three weeks ago. Are you falling for the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' trap? Take the Financial Management Behavior Scale to find out if your financial management needs work.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Buy now, pay later pitfalls: Many consumers aren't paying loans
Klarna, a significant player in the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space, has faced losses in recent months as consumers failed to make payments on their loans. While Klarna's user base continued to grow in the first quarter, its losses more than doubled compared with a year earlier, the company said in its Monday earnings report. Its credit losses, when a borrower defaults on a loan, reached 17%. Consumers have continually leaned on companies such as Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay to give them more financial flexibility in the face of persisting inflation, high interest rates and student loan payments, which resumed in October 2023 after a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Costco Rolls Out Buy Now, Pay Later For Big Online Purchases Through Affirm Consumers leverage the platforms because they allow for the option to pay in four interest-free installments every two weeks or, if approved, can make monthly payments over the course of six to 18 months, with interest (Afterpay only allows the four-installment plan). But experts have long warned though that these services can easily be a ticket to overspending. With Klarna, shoppers are able to split their purchase into multiple installments instead of paying the full amount upfront. Klarna fronts all the money upfront to the retailer and then takes money from a consumer-linked payment over an extended period of time. Read On The Fox Business App Risks Of Buy Now, Pay Later: 'Ticket To Overspending,' Expert Says If consumers don't have the money to pay, they get hit with a late fee. Another concern among experts is that getting approved for these services is also extraordinarily easy. For instance, just because someone is approved to use these loans doesn't guarantee that they have the financial means to pay them back, according to LendingTree's chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz. But these issues aren't unique to Klarna. More than 40% of users of BNPL loans say they paid late on one of them in the past year, up from 34% just a year ago, according to a LendingTree survey. According to LendingTree's BNPL Tracker, 39% of Americans were at least considering applying for a buy now, pay later loan in April, up eight points from March. This marked the biggest monthly jump since an eight-point increase in March 2023. Households haven't been in great shape as Americans' debt levels, including credit card debt, rose to new all-time highs in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in February. The report showed that overall household debt increased by $93 billion to $18.04 trillion at the end of 2024, an all-time high. Credit card balances rose by $45 billion from the prior quarter to reach $1.21 trillion at the end of December, which is also a record high. FOX Business' Eric Revell contributed to this report. Original article source: Buy now, pay later pitfalls: Many consumers aren't paying loans Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Can buy now, pay later debt be sold to debt collectors?
We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. Buy now, pay later plans may seem convenient, but there's a chance that they could cost you a lot more than you bargained for. BALLS/Getty Images In recent years, buy now, pay later (BNPL) services like Afterpay, Klarna, Affirm and others have exploded in popularity, especially among younger consumers. The appeal of this type of payment option is obvious: You can split up purchases into smaller, more manageable payments, often without interest, and check out instantly without the need for a traditional credit card. And, that low- or no-interest feature can be quite enticing, especially right now, as the high rates tied to other short-term borrowing options can make those financing options extremely expensive. While buy now, pay later plans might feel less risky than the alternatives, though, they still come with consequences if you fall behind. And as more people turn to these installment payment services to manage everyday expenses, from clothes and cosmetics to groceries and gas, some borrowers are also missing payments. That, in turn, can cause big issues over time, as these types of plans are still financial obligations that need to be repaid, and they can have steep late payment fees and other charges tied to them. So, what happens when your BNPL payments spiral out of control? Can that debt be sold to a collection agency the same way that other debts can? And if so, what can you do about it? Below, we'll break down everything to know. Take steps to start tackling your debt problems today. Can buy now, pay later debt be sold to debt collectors? Most buy now, pay later debt can be sold to debt collectors if it goes unpaid for long enough. While each BNPL company has its own policies, many will attempt to collect the debt in-house for a period after you miss a payment. If those attempts fail, they may either outsource the collection process to a third-party agency or sell the debt outright to a collector. This might come as a surprise to some users, especially because many buy now, pay later services market themselves as interest-free or low-risk. But just like credit card companies or traditional lenders, BNPL providers are in the business of getting paid. When you agree to a buy now, pay later plan, you're entering a legally binding contract, and defaulting on that agreement has real consequences. Here's how it usually plays out: You miss a payment (or several). The BNPL provider starts sending reminders or warning notices. After a certain period, often 60 to 90 days, the debt may be considered in default The account may then be sent to collections In some cases, the debt collector may report the delinquent debt to the credit bureaus, which can hurt your credit score It's also worth noting that some buy now, pay later providers, particularly those that conduct soft or hard credit checks to approve you, already report your payment history to credit bureaus. So missed payments could show up on your credit file even before your debt is sold to collections. Find out more about your debt relief options now. What to do if your BNPL debt has gone to collections If your buy now, pay later debt has been sent to collections, don't ignore the issue. The longer a collection account lingers, the more damage it can do to your credit and financial stability. Here are some steps you can take to deal with it: Verify the debt. Always request a written validation notice from the collection agency. This should outline how much you owe, who the original creditor is and your rights as a consumer. Never pay a debt until you've confirmed it's legitimate. Understand your rights. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), debt collectors must follow strict rules. They can't harass you, lie about what you owe or threaten you with legal action they don't intend to take. You also have the right to dispute the debt if you believe there's an error. Negotiate a settlement or payment plan. Many debt collectors are open to settling the debt for less than the full balance, especially for BNPL debts, which are often lower in dollar amount than traditional loans. You can also ask to break the balance into smaller monthly payments if a lump sum isn't feasible. Explore debt relief options. If your buy now, pay later debt is just one piece of a larger debt problem, it may be time to consider broader debt relief strategies, like: The bottom line Buy now, pay later plans might seem like a low-stakes way to shop, but they come with real financial obligations. If you fall behind, your debt can be sent to collections, just like any other form of credit. And once that happens, it can damage your credit and trigger aggressive collection efforts. If you're already in that situation, don't wait to take action. Verify the debt, understand your rights and explore the right resolution strategy for your financial situation. Whether it's negotiating a payoff, seeking help from a credit counselor or considering more formal debt relief, the sooner you act, the better chance you have of getting back on track.
