Travel to buy in installments (and without interest): even in the travel world the “buy now, pay later” is spreading, here’s how it works

The desire to travel after the two years of restrictions is felt more and more. A sensation confirmed by several surveys, including the Travel trends 2023: prices guide choices of Skyscanner, where it emerges not only that we are planning more holidays for 2023 than for 2022, but also that a share of travelers intend to spend more next year to discover the world.

Whether it’s big or small, the dream of a trip undoubtedly has considerable costs and, also thanks to the energy price increases, winter getaways this year will involve greater outlays, between 13% and 17%. It is thus not surprising that in addition to trying to save money when we choose one, many Italians are attracted by the idea of ​​being able to pay by installments.

It’s possible? Of course yes, thanks to a purchasing methodology that the British call Buy Now Pay Later, which can be translated without many problems into Italian with a «buy now, pay later». As we have explained to you in this article, it is a form of payment by installments – generally without the interest provided by almost all loans – which is spreading in many e-commerce.

In Italy, the idea tickles many: according to a survey by Clearpay and SWG it seems that in anticipation of Black Friday 2022, almost 1 out of 2 interviewees has shown interest in using the Buy Now Pay Later for Christmas purchases. And the travel world could only be interested in it sooner or later; among the last realities that have made it available there is utravel, a startup dedicated to travelers under the age of thirty: whoever chooses this method will therefore have three months to pay in three installments without interest. “This new function will allow more democratic access to travel, expanding the possibilities for young people who want to leave and explore but who unfortunately have to deal with understandably limited budgets”, he explains to us Gianluca Di DonatoCEO & Co-founder of Utravel.

The spread of Buy Now Pay Later in the world of travel

When we think of an installment payment, many of us don’t immediately think of travel. Yet, among the realities that deal with offering this service there are those who have been presiding over the sector for months. It is the case of Scalapay who explains to us that they have made Buy Now Pay Later available for the world of travel since July 2021 and in a year and a half 400 companies have joined in Italy alone, including some well-known ones such as the Alpitour group (of which Utravel is part), Best Westerns, Weroad And Trenord. Abroad there are also major airlines such as Delta Air Lines which in the United States allows those in possession of an American Express to pay by installments for flights over 100 dollars.

The growth of our purchases in this sector with Buy Now Pay Later has been exponential: from November 2021 to November 2022 it more than tenfold (+1089%) according to Scalapay data. And it’s true, big increases in the first year may be easier than in the following ones, but the fact is that the idea evidently convinces many of us.

A us that is predominantly female (65%) and of the Millennial generation (65%). Understandably for reasons of limited budget, it is primarily families who choose it (46%), followed by couples (36%) and single buyers (18%). Among the cities where more trips, hotels and experiences are purchased with Buy Now Pay Later are Rome, Milan and Naples.

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