Black Friday 2026: Could buy now, pay later offers leave shoppers facing a bigger financial headache after the holidays?

Black Friday shopping could make high-ticket items seem affordable. Buying a new TV, winter clothes or gifts for the holiday season could appear more budget-friendly when the total cost can be paid through several instalments. However, people using the 'buy now, pay later' (BNPL) services in November will discover how costly it was to shop when discounts expire.

Considering that Black Friday is scheduled for November 27, 2026, retailers are ready for one of the busiest holiday shopping periods. With 'buy now, pay later' services, people have the opportunity to buy goods and repay the cost in several instalments without any interest, if the payments are timely.

The Holiday Spending Survey poll carried out by DealAid between October 19 and October 21 involving 1,010 US adults found that 51% said they were forced to spend beyond their budget limits during the holiday period.


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In addition, 28% believed they would be going into debt using credit cards, buy now, pay later programs or taking a loan to finance holiday expenses. On the other hand, 22% were still paying for items bought during the 2025 holiday period.

These statistics highlight a risk in this year’s holiday shopping season, where some consumers will begin the new year saddled with debt from taking advantage of holiday discounts.

Smaller instalments can make Black Friday spending harder to track

These BNP methods aim to make the shopping process convenient by having the purchases paid for through instalments.

Most of the time, the purchase price is divided into four instalments, where the first instalment should be paid right after the purchase, while the other instalments will be paid subsequently.

From the findings of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), most of the BNP schemes are free from any interest when paid according to the schedule.

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However, the challenge comes in when a consumer has several instalments on various purchases.

For example, if one buys shoes, electronics, and gifts through several transactions, one will have instalments due at various dates, which appear to be simple separately but, in total, will take up a certain percentage of the following paychecks.

As per the data provided by the Fed in 2026 concerning the economic condition of American families, about one-fourth of people using BNPL faced the problem of missed payments.

Among the people who had missed payments, 64% faced extra charges for such a situation.

Moreover, 11% of BNPL users faced problems related to overdraft and insufficient funds fees due to BNPL payments in the previous year.

It does not indicate that every customer who uses BNPL will experience problems. What it means is that the quantity of missed payments is equally important as the cost of the purchase itself.

The question that Black Friday customers should think about is not only the possibility of buying goods for a certain amount of money per month/fortnight but rather the possibility of buying all things, including other costs.

What shoppers should check before using buy now, pay later

Consumers need not necessarily stay away from BNPL but should be aware of the repayment terms before availing of BNPL during the Black Friday sales.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers should look into various things, including the fees charged, repayment terms, reporting of credit score and procedures for managing returns/disputes.

A few precautions can help prevent holiday spending from becoming a financial burden:

• Calculate the full cost: Check the total purchase price and every scheduled instalment rather than focusing only on the first payment.
• Add up existing commitments: Include repayments from previous BNPL purchases before agreeing to another plan.
• Leave room for essentials: Make sure rent, groceries, utilities, transport and other necessary expenses remain covered after instalments are deducted.
• Check the consequences of late payment: Read the lender's rules on fees, missed instalments and account restrictions.
• Review the return policy: Understand what happens to scheduled payments if a product is returned or a refund is delayed.

Consumers must also know when they’re making an actual savings versus buying something that they wouldn’t be purchasing otherwise.

When dividing the cost of an item to cover the payments, the item’s price doesn’t become cheaper overall; if it is above the individual’s budget even after this process, then it is still too expensive.

The CFPB also tells borrowers to check the financial situation before applying for a BNPL loan and to read all the terms before accepting the offer.

There will certainly be many chances to compare the prices and get discounts during Black Friday 2026. However, it’s important for shoppers to see how much they can spend on a purchase, not just how little is needed at checkout.

If one is shopping for buy now, pay later offers, it’s worth asking themselves how much money will remain after the holidays. A good deal can definitely be found if it doesn’t require borrowing money, but an affordable one.