Buy now, pay later apps are everywhere at checkout. Here's what that convenience actually costs.

Originally reported as: “BNPL adoption accelerates as installment fintech apps expand into everyday retail”

Buy now, pay later services, which let shoppers split a purchase into several installments instead of paying the full price at checkout, have spread quickly across online stores and even physical retailers. The pitch is simple and appealing: get the item today, spread the cost over a few weeks or months, often with no interest if every payment lands on time. But the convenience has a real cost for anyone who misses a due date, since late fees and penalty charges can add up fast, and approval is often easier to get than a traditional credit card. As more people stack multiple buy now, pay later plans across different apps at once, regulators and financial advisers have started asking whether the format is quietly becoming a new kind of consumer debt.