The Black Friday shopping holiday is fast approaching. At the same time, the number of purchases with invoices is skyrocketing, something that worries the Financial Supervisory Authority (FI).
“Buying now and paying later by invoice is a way of borrowing money,” they write on their website. Often it is supposed to pay the invoice within 30 days, but the option is given to split the invoice, which can lead to unexpected bills.
DON’T MISS: Police are warning about these scams – valid this week
Klarna: Pay immediately – not later
One of the payment services that has become famous for its “Buy now, pay later” function is Klarna, which is currently used by 85,000,000 people.
Currently, as few as 30 percent of all payments with Klarna are made up of direct payments.
Despite the popularity that the function has generated, even those at Klarna want to encourage their customers to pay for their purchases directly.
– We generally believe that the best way to use Klarna is to use pay directly for the majority of your transactions, said David Fock, global product manager at Klarna, in an interview with The Swedish Daily.
READ MORE: Klarna reverses – urges customers to pay now
Many purchases via invoices turn into loans which turn into debts
FI has brand new statistics showing that household invoice purchases generated a turnover of SEK 100 billion, just in the year 2023. Many of these invoice purchases were also made in connection with Black week and Black Friday.
FI fears that 2024’s Black Friday may bring even more invoice purchases due to the pressured household finances.
– Many people have had to use their buffer to get their everyday finances together. Therefore, it is especially important that you do not buy more than you know you can pay later. It can cost you a lot, both in the form of high interest rates and fees, says Moa Langemarkconsumer protection economist at FI, in a press release.
READ MORE: Therefore, you should not pay by card when you shop online
Just over 3 million Swedes shopped on invoice between July 2023 and June 2024.
Of these, one in twenty chose to convert their invoices into other types of loans, such as partial payments or account credits. At the same time, every tenth person received a reminder every month.
Tip: How to avoid the debt trap
In the press release “Many postpone payments during Black week and Christmas shopping” FI shares four tips on how to avoid a loan growing into a debt.
DON’T MISS: You should never buy that: “Unnecessarily expensive”
READ MORE: News today – current news from Sweden and the world
DON’T MISS: Latest news – take part in what is happening right now