Payments Dive
May, Affirm said the card — which lets customers pay upfront, via a link to their bank account, or access the company’s BNPL financing — was rolled out to tens of thousands of consumers through a beta program. Affirm Spokesperson Matthew Gross said Thursday the card’s rollout is still ongoing, but wouldn’t share how many customers currently have the card.
BNPL thus far has been a largely online payment method, although there is some limited volume coming from brick-and-mortar purchasing, said Sheridan Trent, director of market intelligence with payments consulting firm The Strawhecker Group.
However, new products from BNPL providers such as Affirm’s debit card and Swedish rival Klarna’s card mean those players are increasingly “moving to a sort of banking-type model,” she said in an interview. Block’s purchase of Australian BNPL player Afterpay has enabled Square sellers to offer the installments option, including for in-person purchases.