Summer holidays: pay in installments to make the most of your stay

When your budget is tight due to general price increases, a solution may allow you to spend a few days in the sun: installment payment, also called “buy now, pay later” (“Buy Now, Pay Later”, In French). Air France, Lidl Voyages, TUI, Cdiscount or even lastminute.com… more and more travel companies are offering this rapidly growing payment method to their customers. “What used to be the exception is becoming completely standardized,” says Mark Lanvin, deputy CEO of Floa Bank, a market leader. “This has clearly become an advantage for the tour operator or airline,” continues Jonathan Trepo-Lantelme, director of marketing for Alma, a competing startup. Consumers are very demanding. »

Separate payment allows, first of all, to take advantage of opportunities: either a few months before the trip, if the tour operator offers a one-time promotion, or a few days before packing, when the household does not necessarily have the required amount. check. “You can buy right away and walk away without feeling overspent,” brags Mark Lanvin. You also maintain a budget for on-site spending. Vacation is not only flight and accommodation…”

Less restrictive than consumer credit

Installment payment is primarily a less attractive and less risky solution than a consumer loan. The average basket ranges between 500 and 700 euros. Refunds are made only within three to four months, most often at no additional cost. “And you don’t have to ask for the 5,000 euros that you spend over several years if you only want to leave for three days,” adds Jonathan Trepo-Lantelme. OUR buy now, pay later limits the risk of over-indebtedness. »

But be careful, the split payment is not subject to the Lagarde law, which regulates consumer credit in France, and therefore remains outside any regulation. A new European directive on consumer credit is being discussed in Brussels to cover these new methods.