Summer is just around the corner, and Gen Z travelers have already embraced the “Buy now, pay later” savings tools, which haveexpanded across various platforms. Among the top recommendations, “Buy now, pay later” services like Klarna, Affirm, and StemBLE have become popular, offering consumers flexibility for practical tasks such as buying sneakers, eating burritos, and even booking plane tickets. For young, single or financially-limited Gen-Z travelers, managing airfare expenses is a common trend—precious time spent on the trip now to cover additional expenses later.
“Buy now, pay later” has increasingly become a trend among Gen Z, with 29-year-old Najee Mcfarled-Drye sharing a recent vacation. By opting for smaller payments, he admitted, he still wanted to spend all his money on fun and activities during the trip. “I still want to make things happen I wanted to do in the time I had beforehand,” Najee said. This approach has drawn mixed reactions from the travel industry, as the trend has become a frequent source of online outrage, particularly among those who monitor travel spending trends.
The stats on BNPL spending in Gen Z have become a有力 tool for widespread AoT, according to a study conducted by Billboard in 2025. More than 60% of concertgoers in 2025 used BNPL options to finance their tickets, compared to just 18% before the option was available. This shift reflects how BNPL has become a significant source of summer travel expenses for Gen Z, which are more prevalent in cities with increasingly crowded and expensive resorts.
Yet, while BNPL savings may appear attractive, experts warn against using it as a form of financial vulnerability. Unlike cards that offer rewards like free miles or discounted hotel bookings, BNPL often comes with interest, which can₲ you the flexibility of small payments while you wait. Despite the convenience of BNPL, experts caution against using it, citing potential pitfalls in interest calculations and the risk of missing up to 6 months of payments. All airlines are now offering something like BNPL, so the appeal of moving forward is discounted.
Even as BNPL has become a big part of Gen Z’s summer expenses, experts argue that the trend is still too widespread to make the changes necessary. They urge travelers to focus on acquiring rewards—or at leastcompSECRETicomited introductory bonuses—that can help them avoid the problems BNPL often brings. For instance, a Points Guy expert advising on summer travel in 2023 mentioned that rewards like free miles, discounts on hotels, and travel extensions are better long-term investments than BNPL. “The short answer is, don’t do it,” the expert said, emphasizing that these rewards are often tied to an introductory bonus to entice travelers to蚤 in on it.
As the summer travel season approaches, experts predict that airfares will drop by at least 7% year-over-year in 2025. Testers at Kayak found that prices for peak summer travel have decreased in about five years. However, Gen Z’s spending habits remain a frequent source ofBNPL savings, suggesting that while BNPL is growing, the move may extend even to those who are already optimizing their BNPL use.
In light of these trends, Gen Z travelers who are open to using BNPL may need to stop their spring. Experts offer tips and reassurances about the risks and benefits of BNPL. Eric Rosen, the travel content director at The Points Guy, recently mentioned that many BNPL users are quipping past their introductory bonuses, making it less combating BNPL than just missing the rent on a new car. “You’ll find more and more times in BNPL, the intro bonus,” he said, adding that this is the first time in five years that the price drops are annual and only month-end is less than previous year.
As Gen Z continues to embrace BNPL savings, their summer travel habits remain guideline. While BNPL has become a powerful tool, experts discourage using it simply because it can entangle convoluted payment processes and consequences. Instead, travelers should focus on acquiring rewards or thoughtful engagement with BNPL to avoid falling into the trap of continuously paying beyond necessity. This mindset can only enhance their financial planning and energy for future travel. believers like Eric Rosen, the Points Guy director of travel content, added, “If that airfare drops between booking and flying, you can cancel and save big-time as credit towards future decimals.” Through theseoraues, Gen Z travelers can tap into their energy to achieve what, after all, summer travel is supposed to be: a fun and memorable experience.
In conclusion, Gen Z’s journey of using BNPL to avoid paying the full price of airfares is undeniably a driving force that along to a large extent broke through the alist of BNPL. Yet, whileBNPL has become a convenient way to spend money on summer travel, it expe sued through a series of legal markdown psychological and financial risks. As summer arrivals approach, the Gen Z soát of BNPL saves tells a moral story of the clash between personal freedom and financial security.
