I’m 24 and using buy now, pay later for groceries… now I don’t even know how much I owe: VANESSA STOYKOV
A 24-year-old says she has lost track of what she owes after using buy now, pay later services for clothes, groceries and other essentials. The advice is to act early: when one repayment is being covered by another, debt can keep growing and leave less money for day-to-day needs.
She has accounts with three providers, with repayments coming from her pay each week. The suggested first step is to list each balance, payment and due date alongside paydays and essential costs, then pause new purchases and avoid using one service to repay another. If a payment looks unmanageable, she is advised to contact the provider before it is due; free help is available from Australia’s National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
- A 24-year-old is unsure how much she owes across three services.
- Advice: list balances and due dates, then stop new borrowing.
- Australia’s National Debt Helpline offers free financial counselling.
New here? Start with this
Buy now, pay later services allow shoppers to purchase items and spread the cost across several payments over time, rather than paying upfront. They have become increasingly popular for a wide range of purchases, from clothing to groceries, because they offer flexibility without requiring a credit card.
The risk emerges when people open accounts with multiple providers. Each service has its own repayment schedule, making it easy to lose track of total debt across accounts. If someone uses one service to cover payments to another, the underlying debt continues to grow rather than shrink.
Over time, accumulated repayments can leave households unable to afford essential expenses like food and utilities. This is why financial difficulties from BNPL services have become a growing concern for regulators and consumer advocates.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
BNPL services deliberately exploit psychological vulnerabilities by removing friction from spending decisions, making it easy to accumulate debt across multiple providers that becomes difficult to track. The young person in this story wasn't being reckless; she was using services explicitly designed to feel manageable and painless. Without mandatory affordability checks or clear visibility of total debt across providers, even conscientious users can find themselves overstretched—particularly when repayments are drawn automatically from weekly wages, crowding out money for essentials. This is a systemic problem requiring stronger regulation to ensure transparency, affordability assessments, and genuine consumer protection.
The case against
BNPL services provide valuable financial flexibility for those navigating irregular income, tight budgets, or unexpected expenses, offering interest-free alternatives to predatory lending like payday loans or credit cards with punishing rates. These services are transparent and voluntary; users agree to clear terms and retain full choice, with the responsibility for tracking spending ultimately resting with the individual consumer. One person losing track of multiple accounts speaks more to personal money management than a flaw in the services themselves, as most users navigate BNPL without difficulty. Rather than restricting access through regulation that could harm those who genuinely benefit, better financial education and consumer awareness would be more effective.