Buy Now, Regret Later: Why BNPL Is a Trap for Young Consumers

Alex shares a candid take on the risks behind the rise of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services like Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm. Inspired by a recent LinkedIn post and his appearance on the Moneywise for Teens podcast, Alex breaks down why these easy credit options aren’t always as harmless as they seem—especially for younger consumers. Learn how BNPL can lead to overspending, credit pitfalls, and long-term financial stress—and why “Save Now, Buy Later” is a far better mantra. Take a Survey for a Chance to Win Hey friends—can you do me a quick favor? I’m running a short survey to get your take on my podcasts and ⁠⁠All the Fits That's News⁠⁠ newsletter. It only takes about 2 minutes, and your feedback will help shape what comes next. Whether you're a regular listener or just pop in occasionally, I’d really value your input. Bonus: you can enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card just for participating. The survey closes once we hit our target number of responses—or by June 30, 2025, whichever comes first. 👉 ⁠⁠https://forms.gle/Ep68dMAzPYAM15mAA⁠⁠ We are also running a survey for Mysterious Goings On...be sure to check your feed for that link! Thanks so much for supporting independent creators like me. You keep this whole thing going.  CONNECT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex on Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PR After Hours Site⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Professional Paragraphs on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Email Alex a voice mail -- just send an MP3 (you can probably record it on your smartphone) with your first name, city, and brief questions ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Alex will play your message on the show and do his best to answer your questions or comments.  Shy? If you would prefer not to record your voice, just email the question with first name and city ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠Click Here to gain access to ad-free, subscriber-only content for less than the price of a cup of coffee PER MONTH! $1.99 for no advertisements and occasional subscriber-only content!⁠⁠ Announcer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mary McKenna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. PR After Hours Theme: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://filmmusic.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ "Bossa Antigua" by Kevin MacLeod Music Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.We are an Amazon Associates seller, and some of our links may earn us a commission.