Eligible guests booking accommodation on Hotels.com can now pay in installments by selecting Affirm at checkout.
These guests will see the total price of their purchase at checkout and will never pay more than they agreed to in advance, the companies said in a press release on Tuesday (August 20).
Expedia Group, the owner of Hotels.com, already offers Affirm’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solution on two of its other platforms: Expedia and Vrbo, the press release said.
“This expanded collaboration offers travelers more payment flexibility when booking their dream accommodations,” said Clayton Nelson, vice president of strategic partnerships and affiliates at Expedia Group, in the press release. “It underscores our commitment to enhancing the travel experience through innovative technologies and empowering our partners to deliver exceptional service to their customers.”
For retail partners, Affirm’s installment payment solution can increase overall sales, increase average order value and reach new customers, the press release said.
According to the press release, Hotels.com joins Affirm’s 292,000 retail partners that offer this option.
“Expanding our long-standing partnership with Expedia Group to Hotels.com is an important milestone in our shared journey to provide travelers with more payment flexibility,” said Pat Suh, senior vice president of revenue at Affirm, in the press release.
According to the PYMNTS Intelligence report “Defining the New Buy Now, Pay Later Consumer,” 78 percent of BNPL users say they are very satisfied with BNPL services.
Consumers primarily use BNPL to manage their cash flow and borrow money. Some use it to make essential purchases on a limited budget, and others use it to process payment for larger purchases, the report said.
On August 13, Affirm announced another partnership. The company has teamed up with Tekmetric to enable auto repair shops that use the company’s shop management solution to offer installment payments to their customers.
In June, Apple announced that Apple Pay users in the US will be able to apply for BNPL loans when paying through Affirm starting this fall.
“Apple Pay gives users even more flexibility and choice when checking out online and in-app,” the tech giant said in announcing these and other new features.
