More Americans are financing groceries with buy now, pay later loans, and more are paying those bills late

[NigerianDonDada]

 

[phcitywarrior]

To be fair, buying groceries on a credit card is also “financing groceries”

 

[hashmander]

Back to

And kids school lunches

an you know they were charging the govt like $4 a plate for that garbage.

 

[winb83]

This is just Dave Ramsey talk. I know he despises loans because of his religious background but millions of households navigate car loans successfully as part of their financial portfolio.

There is nothing wrong with having a car loan if you are otherwise financially responsible and the monthly car payment is not stretching your pockets.

Plus, just because I have $25,000 stashed away, doesn't mean I want to place it all on a car at once.

I get what you're saying but credit is just another tool, if you're financially irresponsible it doesn't matter whether you finance or buy a car, bad habits will fukk you over eventually.

It’s not Dave Ramsey talk. I don’t really mess with Dave Ramsey. The reality is people don’t need to be buying anything that goes down in value with debt if they don’t have enough money to own it outright.

If you have $25K and you go out and buy a $25K car then technically you had the money. If something goes wrong odds are you can handle it. If you got less than $1000 in the bank and finance a $25K car what do you think will eventually happen?

I started out with a beater then got an $18K car and then a $25K car and now I have a $35K car. I didn’t fully pay for the $35K I have an $8K loan on it and paid about $27K down. Dave Ramsey says no new cars with a net worth under a million and never finance a car period.

 

[WhereIsTheLove]

 

[winb83]

To be fair, buying groceries on a credit card is also “financing groceries”

Putting groceries on a credit card you can get 1-6% of your money back on the purchases. Even more in you have a card sign up bonus you need to clear some of those can get 10-20% back. Stuff like Affirm and Afterpay is not getting you cash back or rewards. It's really not for groceries they just allow it to work over poor people.

 

[Captain Crunch]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/26/americans-groceries-buy-now-pay-later-loans.html

The Most Honorable Kevin Samuel's said winter was coming.

 

[Charlie Hustle]

They need to try pout shoplifting. Its fun!

 

[beenz]

all I know is klarna is supposed to have an IPO this month, and I'm definitely copping some shares when it occurs since folks just cannot control themselves.

 

[Strapped]

Are people that broke while the feds & States find more ways to tax us

 

[phcitywarrior]

Putting groceries on a credit card you can get 1-6% of your money back on the purchases. Even more in you have a card sign up bonus you need to clear some of those can get 10-20% back. Stuff like Affirm and Afterpay is not getting you cash back or rewards. It's really not for groceries they just allow it to work over poor people.

Cash back or not, it is financing groceries. If you’re responsible about managing credit sure, you benefit with cash back but numbers show not everyone is as responsible.

 

[RennisDeynolds]

I dunno about that. If i was really down bad id just go to a foodbank instead of getting loan for some apple jacks

If suppliers can't support food banks due to tariffs and uncertainty, what then?

 

[hashmander]

Cash back or not, it is financing groceries. If you’re responsible about managing credit sure, you benefit with cash back but numbers show not everyone is as responsible.

but people who are savvy about the cashback game are generally folks who are responsible about credit.

 

[winb83]

Cash back or not, it is financing groceries. If you’re responsible about managing credit sure, you benefit with cash back but numbers show not everyone is as responsible.

I would argue that utilizing the grace period of a credit card just to get cash back on purchases is hardly real financing. Real financing is taking up debt. If you go buy your groceries and get your 6% cash back and when the transaction post you clear the balance if someone pulls your credit you won't be showing any debt or utilization.

It's like going to Toyota and taking out a loan to buy a car to get a promotion from them then as soon as they generate the paperwork for the loan you pay it in full. That's not real financing it's working a system in your favor. Real financing involved either paying interest or the threat of having to pay interest if payments aren't made in time on the loan. If you clear the loan in one fell swoop asap you really faced neither.

 

[Bigblackted4]

Putting groceries on a credit card you can get 1-6% of your money back on the purchases. Even more in you have a card sign up bonus you need to clear some of those can get 10-20% back. Stuff like Affirm and Afterpay is not getting you cash back or rewards. It's really not for groceries they just allow it to work over poor people.

While there isn't a single percentage for how many people get cash back on credit cards without paying interest, a survey by Bankrate found that 67% of credit card holders carrying debt still try to maximize rewards, according to Bankrate. This suggests a large portion of cardholders are actively pursuing rewards even while paying interest, indicating many are successfully managing to earn rewards while paying their balances on time and in full.

Credit card debt causes Americans to hold back on important money milestones
64% of credit card debtors, defined as credit cardholders who carry a balance month to month, have delayed or avoided other financial decisions because of their credit card debt.
Source: Bankrate’s 2025 Dealing With Debt Survey

Around half of Americans carry credit card debt
48% of credit cardholders report having a credit card balance. Close to 3 in 4 of those debtors (71%) think they’ll pay off their balance within five years.
Source: Bankrate’s 2025 Credit Card Debt Survey