Affirm financing review: Buy now, pay later (2026)

Affirm allows you to buy items you need now without paying the total cost. Depending on what you buy, you can choose three different loan plan options and payback terms.

Purchase small, everyday items and choose Affirm at checkout to pay the amount back in equal biweekly installments over eight weeks. Or choose monthly repayments for big-ticket items over six to 12 months.

The Pay in 4 repayment plan is interest-free, whereas the six-month and year-long plans carry a 15% APR. The longer your plan, the more you’ll pay in interest. Let’s suppose you need to purchase a $1500 plane ticket to visit a sick relative:

How do I borrow and repay with Affirm?

Borrow with Affirm through its website, app or browser extension. At checkout, simply choose Affirm as your payment method.

Choose to pay with a debit card, checking account or mail in a check. You may repay some Pay in 4 loans with a credit card other than a Capital One card.

Autopay is a handy way to set up regular payments from your bank account or debit card. If you choose to repay your loan sooner, you won’t be charged a prepayment fee, and you’ll save on interest if your loan comes with an APR.

Take note: You’ll have separate loans each time you borrow from Affirm. So, if you purchased that plane ticket, then needed to shop for new luggage to take on the trip and take your cat to the vet before leaving, you’ll have three separate active loans each with their own terms and repayment schedules.

What credit score do I need to qualify for an Affirm loan?

The Affirm website states there’s no minimum credit score to qualify for a buy now, pay later (BNPL) loan. Along with a soft pull on your credit, Affirm determines whether you qualify for a loan based on your:

• Income.
• Debt-to-income ratio (DTI).
• Previous repayment history with Affirm.
• Loans you already have with Affirm.
• Length of time with an Affirm account.
• Verification of income and debt obligations.
• Recent bankruptcies.

Is Affirm safe?

All sensitive information you provide Affirm is transferred with TLS and stored with AES 128-bit or higher encryption, and encryption keys are stored at an offsite facility.

Affirm reviews and complaints

As of April 2023, Affirm scores 1.15 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau, based on over 800 customer reviews. Several customers report paying for products never received, trouble getting refunds for canceled flights and making payments on time but still getting reported to Experian.

It scores low on Trustpilot as well, earning 2.6 out of 5 stars based on over 4,800 reviews. Some shoppers report customer service issues and trouble getting refunds, while others complimented the service for an efficient overall process. If you’re concerned about rating their are plenty of other apps like affirm that may have better reviews and still meet your needs.

How to get approved for Affirm

You must meet the following criteria to create an Affirm account:

• Be at least 18 years old (19 in Nebraska)
• Be a US citizen or permanent resident
• Have a social security number
• Have a US-registered cell phone that receives text alerts

If you’re eligible to apply, simply create an online account with Affirm or choose Affirm as your payment method when checking out in-store or online.

How do I create an Affirm account?

Follow these steps to create your account with Affirm.

1. Go to Affirm’s site.
2. Choose Create your account in the upper right corner to begin the application.
3. Enter your mobile number once you’re redirected to a simple form.
4. Wait for Affirm to text you a confirmation number.
5. Enter the confirmation number in the box online and select Verify.

Once you have an account, you may apply for a loan through Affirm for purchases at its partner merchants. Each inquiry begins with a soft credit check, and you’ll learn whether you’re approved shortly after. If you’re offered a loan, confirm it to finalize your purchase.

Compare cash advance alternatives to Affirm

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Finder Score	Max. amount per pay period	Turnaround time	Costs
Promoted 9.5 Excellent EarnIn	9.5 Excellent	Up to $150/day, with a max of $1000 between paydays	1–2 business days standard; minutes with Lightning Speed	Free to use or within minutes with a fee as low as $3.99 per transfer	Access up to $150 per day, with a max of $1000 between paydays. Not available to CT or Washington, D.C. residents. Subject to EarnIn terms & conditions.	Important information EarnIn is not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Promoted 9.4 Excellent Chime® MyPay®	9.4 Excellent	Up to $500	Instant transfers: 3% of the advance amount ($2 minimum, $5 maximum)	No subscription fees; Instant transfer fee: 3% of the advance amount ($2 minimum, $5 maximum)	Access up to $500 of your pay before payday fee-free within 24 hours. See Chime terms and conditions. MyPay is only offered in select states.	Important information MyPay® line of credit provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A. MyPay services provided by Chime Capital, LLC (NMLS 2316451). MyPay eligibility: To be eligible for MyPay, you must receive Qualifying MyPay Direct Deposits to your Chime Checking Account as set forth in the MyPay Agreement. A Qualifying MyPay Direct Deposit is a deposit from an employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, government benefits payer, or other permitted source of income by Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) or Original Credit Transaction (“OCT”). Your MyPay Credit Limit and Available Advance Amount may change at any time. MyPay is a line of credit and available limits are based on estimated income and risk-based criteria. Eligible members may be offered a $20 - $500 Credit Limit per pay period. Your Credit Limit and Maximum Available Advance will be displayed to you within the Chime app. MyPay is currently only available to eligible Chime members in certain states. Other restrictions may apply. See Bancorp MyPay Agreement or Stride MyPay Agreement for details. Instant funds: Option to get funds instantly for a fee of 3% of the advance amount ($2 minimum, $5 maximum) per advance, or get funds for free within 24 hours. See Bancorp MyPay Agreement or Stride MyPay Agreement for details. SpotMe: SpotMe® on Credit is an optional, no interest/no fee overdraft line of credit tied to the Secured Deposit Account. SpotMe on Debit is an optional, no fee service attached to your Chime Checking Account (individually or collectively, "SpotMe"). Eligibility for SpotMe requires $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account each month. Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Chime Checking Account and/or their Secured Deposit Account up to $20 in total, but may be later eligible for a higher combined limit of up to $200 or more based on member’s Chime account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your SpotMe Limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your SpotMe Limit. SpotMe for Credit and SpotMe on Debit share a single SpotMe limit. Your SpotMe Limit may change at any time, at Chime or its banking partners’ discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third-party fees associated with ATM transactions or OTC cash withdrawal fees at retailers. SpotMe won’t cover non-card transactions, including ACH s, Pay Anyone s, or Chime Checkbook transactions. SpotMe terms and conditions. Early Pay: Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date. Savings: Chime® Checking Account is required to be eligible for a Savings Account. The 3.75% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is only available to members with Chime Prime status, otherwise, either the 3.00% APY for members with Chime Plus status or the standard rate of 0.75% APY will apply. The APYs are effective as of 02/26/2026, are variable and may change at any time. No minimum balance required. Must have $0.01 in savings to earn interest. See Chime Membership Tiers Terms and Conditions for more details. Credit Builder: Based on a representative study conducted by Experian® in Sept 2025, the top 10% of members who made their first purchase with Credit Builder, an earlier version of Chime Card, between April and August 2024, observed a FICO® Score 8 increase of 71 points after approximately 8 months. Average increase of 28 points across all participants in the study. Credit score improvement not guaranteed. Paying on time may increase your score, while late payment may decrease your score. Other credit activity can impact your score. Credit score is one of many factors creditors may consider in evaluating credit applications.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Promoted 8.2 Great Cleo	8.2 Great	$20 to $250	3 to 4 days or instant for a fee.	$5.99 monthly membership fee to access cash advances	Automatically monitor your spending plus access cash advances up to $100 at a time.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.4 Excellent OppLoans Installment Loans	9.4 Excellent	$500 to $5,000	As soon as the same business day	99% - 195% APR	Not available in: CO, CT, GA, IA, MD, MA, NY, SD, VT, WV. Comes with the option to change your due date so you won’t fall behind on repayments.	Important information The advertised APR is an estimate based on currently available information, is not final, and is subject to change. If approved, your actual rate will be determined and assigned based on your creditworthiness, income, application information, and other relevant factors. Applications submitted on the OppLoans platform will be originated by one of our bank partners and serviced by OppLoans. Please see the Rates and Terms for details regarding the availability of products in your state of residence. Subject to credit approval and verification. Actual approved loan amount and terms are dependent on our bank partners’ standard underwriting guidelines and credit policies. Funds may be deposited for delivery to your bank via ACH as soon as the same business day if verification is completed and final approval occurs before 12:00 PM CT on a business day. If approval occurs after 12:00 PM CT on a business day or on a non-business day, funds may be delivered as soon as the next business day. Availability of the funds is dependent on how quickly your bank processes the transaction. Installment loan amounts typically range from $500 to $5,000. Annual percentage rate (APR) ranges from 99% to 195%. Installment loan lengths range from 9 to 18 months. Example: A $2,000 installment loan repayable in 9 monthly payments with an APR of 160% would have monthly payments of $394.58. Loan amount, APR, and repayment terms may vary by state, please see https://www.opploans.com/rates-and-terms for additional information. Approval is not guaranteed. If approved, your actual rate will fall within the marketed range of rates, and will be determined and assigned based on your creditworthiness, income, application information, and other relevant factors. Not all applicants will qualify for the lowest available rates. This is an expensive form of credit and you should determine whether the offered product(s) meets your financial needs. OppLoans’ Bank Partners may use credit report information provided by Clarity Services and Experian as part of the application process to determine your creditworthiness. The credit inquiry will appear as a soft credit inquiry on your Experian credit report and a hard credit inquiry on your Clarity report. Therefore it will not affect your FICO credit score. OppLoans and its Bank Partners report customer payment history to the three major credit bureaus. On-time payments may improve credit score.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
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9.1 Excellent CreditNinja Installment loan	9.1 Excellent	$300 to $5,000	1 to 2 business days	APRs over 36% plus fees	Not available in: AK, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, VT, VA, WA, WV. Fast online funding up to $5K, but you won't know about rates and terms until after you apply.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading

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What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score crunches 3+ types of short-term loans across 65+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.

To provide a Score, we compare like-for-like loans. So if you're comparing the best short-term loans for all credit types, you can see how each short-term loan stacks up against other short-term loans with the same borrower type, rate type and repayment type.

Read the full breakdown

Bottom line

Affirm is a BNPL service that could be useful for emergencies and other unexpected expenses. It offers three repayment terms, sometimes without an APR. And there’s no negative effect on your credit rating to prequalify for an account.

But if you want to build your creditworthiness, your payment history won’t boost your credit score. In fact, Affirm reports to Experian if you’re late making repayments, potentially lowering your credit rating. And if using Affirm becomes a habit, it could lead to an ongoing cycle of debt.

If Affirm doesn’t quite meet your BNPL needs, you may find other options on our BNPL comparison page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I contact Affirm?
Email help@affirm.com or call 855-423-3729 to get in touch with an Affirm representative.

Are Affirm loans insured?
Yes. Affirm funds its loans through Cross River Bank, which is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Is there a credit limit with Affirm?
No. Affirm considers each application individually. Multiple loans are possible, but excessive loans or unpaid debts could result in a cycle of ongoing debt and getting rejected on future applications.

What should I do if I know I’ll be late on my bill?
Contact Affirm as soon as possible to let them know you might be late. While Affirm does not impose late fees, late payments can affect your credit and ability to borrow in the future. Make sure your budget can handle your loan before signing any contract.