The percentage of U.S. consumers saying they have used “buy now pay later” payment options in the past 90 days grew to 37% in 2025, which is five percentage points higher than last year, according to a new survey by J.D. Power.
The survey looked at both bank-branded BNPL services and fintech BNPL brands. It found that while bank-branded BNPL remains a small fraction of the overall market, customer satisfaction with the offerings grew 59 points from last year to land at 704 on a 1,000-point scale. By contrast, customer satisfaction with fintech BNPL brands dropped 17 points to 603.
Among customers using a BNPL service associated with their credit card, 52% use a fixed payment plan after the purchase has already been made. Forty-eight percent make the decision at the time of purchase, “indicating an opportunity for bank brands that can build installment plans into the checkout/point-of-sale experience,” according to J.D. Power.
The “pay in four” installment schedule was the most common BNPL format used, with 82% of fintech customers and 73% of bank customers paying off their purchases in four equal installments. Debit cards are the most widely used form of payment, with 64% of fintech customers linking their BNPL payments to a debit card.
