To think if you’re buying luxury goods on Klarna, you can’t afford them?

[ThatHonestOchreSloth]

It’s not classist. It’s just maths.

I use Klarna and paypal 3 payments, all the time. If its the option I will use it. I dont pay interest so why on earth wouldnt I

If you have a problem with the consumerist aspect of this then surely your post would have been about how immorally lots of credit/loan companies operate and the lack of regulation about it. I think you just wanted a chance to crap on working class people making what you deem unwise financial decisions.

I use Zilch. I can pay it in 4 or 6 instalments. I can also pay it all off in once and get money back

I wouldn’t be able to buy what I need if I didn’t

I agree with you op.

And I expect anyone sensible on a limited budget doesn't do it.

I don't know why people are being defensive tbh. Debt for frivolity is daft.

(Totally different and lots of sympathy if it's for a washing machine ,or school shoes , or something you have to get and it's the only way)

Are you researching something?

You keep saying the same thing over and over again.

The rise in Klarna-style spending I’m noticing is mainly on social media and lifestyle forums - people openly saying they couldn’t buy the item without spreading the cost but going ahead anyway because it’s ‘only £x a month’. That’s what I meant by a shift in mindset.

There’s nothing wrong with paying in instalments when it’s planned and within budget. Catalogues and car finance, those have always existed. But there’s a difference between using instalments as a tool and relying on them to justify spending beyond your means.

If someone needs 3 months to afford a non-essential, high-ticket item, it might be worth asking: is this a want or need? And is the spend wise in the wider context of their finances? Affordability isn’t just about whether you eventually pay it off, it’s about whether you can do so comfortably without it affecting your overall financial health.

It’s not classist. It’s just maths.

Your OP makes it very clear what you want. A bunfight over poor people.

Not necessarily. We’re selling atm. We’re losing money.

I had never had anything but my phone contract before I got my mortgage and I'd never earned above 25k! It was only 5 years ago so not ages either.

of course that's what it means, but it's a clever business. People buy things they wouldn't buy otherwise. It works

If you have a mortgage, no you can't really afford the house, but it's hardly a luxury, you have to live somewhere. You would waste money on rent anyway. If you could afford it, you would pay cash, and not be charged tens (or hundred) of thousands in interests over the repayment year. It makes no financial sense to take on a mortgage if you don't need one.

Cars are in between - it's a choice to buy cash or an finance, again, why would you pay more if you could afford it cash. But you might need it to work, and it's not a luxury

Buying a "luxury" item may not be a luxury. If you buy high quality, it lasts and ends up being much less than buying the same item every 6 months because it was crap to start with and doesn't last.

Context is everything.

Nope, just clarifying because people keep interpreting the point in wildly different ways. That’s the nature of forums like this - sometimes you have to repeat yourself when a thread branches out. If it’s not for you, feel free to scroll on.

Cars very definitely can be a luxury item and I’d argue taking a car on PCP, that you won’t actually own, is a much more foolish decision than using Klarna to spread the cost of something.

If someone needs 3 months to afford a non-essential, high-ticket item, it might be worth asking: is this a want or need?

people know perfectly well if it's luxury or need. They make their own decision, but they are not deluded. It's a choice. So what?

I often use klarna or PayPal pay in 3 its not because I don't have the money it's just I prefer to not have big chunks of money coming out of my account.

You know it's ok for people to want something nice and pay for it over a few payments. As long as they can afford the payments then what is the issue ?

I couldn't care less what people do to be honest, and I am happy that more buyers of non-essential means the prices are kept down!

but if you can't afford in one chunk, you can't really afford it. What happens when you have an emergency and need that money for said emergency? There are always things going wrong in a house, often in your car, or your kids have a sudden offer of a trip - or you get unwell and don't get paid your full salary for some reason.

I agree with you, but it seems to be a rare opinion these days. People don't need nearly as much as they buy. But they are advertised to incessantly and I don't blame them for falling into these traps.

Well lucky you to have never had or foresee any emergency where you would need credit. For example some people need their car for their jobs and wouldn’t necessarily have the money up front and no time to save and therefore would use a credit card.
Also maybe educate yourself on credit cards, they are the safest way to spend money, not everyone is out of control with them.

Tbh I do shudder when thinking that Deliveroo is offering klarna.... You have some point about debt being made causal, but you just put that point out here very badly.

Sure, people can make whatever choice they want - it’s their money. But I think there’s a difference between knowing something is a luxury and still buying it on credit you don’t really have, vs having the financial vision to absorb that choice. My point wasn’t that people are deluded but that normalising debt for non-essentials can quietly erode financial stability over time. It’s not about policing behaviour - it’s about questioning the culture that treats overspending as harmless just because it’s common.

I can afford to buy mostly what ever I need or want, I am lucky in that respect luxury item or not. However I use Klarna , it is interest free and leaves my money in the account earning interest. Makes perfect sense to me

Well no it isn't "okay to name that" because it is none of your business how other people pay for things. But if they can afforf the items over three months then why is that any different than paying for it all in one go? It's "affordable" if they pay for the item.

And it bothers you because?

How can anyone survive without a credit card?

I am not speaking about using it to get credit - I don't, but what about safety? How can you buy anything online safely without a credit card?

Even if you transfer the funds immediately after purchase (once a week or even a month is enough frankly), I don't get how you manage without a physical card.

Wanting something nice and spreading the cost isn’t inherently the issue, it’s when the only way someone can access that ‘nice thing’ is by stretching their finances to the edge just to cover the payments. There’s a difference between using instalments as a convenience and using them as a lifeline. There’s normalisation of that second kind of spending is what I’m questioning, not the occasional treat someone can comfortably afford.