Appearing in The Guardian on June 12, 2025, Lauren Aratani interviews NCLC Associate Director Lauren Saunders for coverage of how buy now, pay later loans add to debt burdens with installment payments as credit card debt balloons.
“Companies like BNPL because it leads people to spend more and make things look more affordable than they are, by focusing people’s attention on one-quarter of the price rather than the full price. It can lead people to take on more debt than they can really afford.”
Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center.
BNPL “is promoted as purely free, interest-free, affordable payments that are ended fairly quickly. It could be useful for occasional larger purchases, but it’s really quite ill-suited for everyday use. It makes no sense to put off three-quarters of the price of this week’s groceries when you have more groceries to buy in the coming weeks. It prompts people into spending more than they can really afford.”
Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center.
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