You might think Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is something you leave behind with your twenties, a convenience for fast fashion hauls or late-night online splurges. But new research suggests that assumption no longer holds. In fact, if you’re in your forties or fifties, you’re now part of the fastest-growing group turning to these loans, and often, not for luxuries, but for everyday survival.
A nationally representative survey of more than 6,000 UK households, conducted by the University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre, paints a picture that may feel uncomfortably familiar. You’re not alone if you’ve found yourself leaning more on flexible credit just to keep things ticking over and increasingly, that flexibility is coming from BNPL.
You’re using BNPL more, and so is everyone your age
Across the UK, nearly one in five households (18%) now uses BNPL, up from 15% just a year ago. But the real shift is happening among people like you, those aged 40 to 59.
If you’re in your forties, usage has climbed from 16% to 21% in just two years. In your fifties, it’s jumped even more sharply, from 12% to 18%.
Yes, younger adults still top the list, with 27% of under-30s and 24% of those aged 30–39 using BNPL. But their growth has slowed.
That matters, because it signals something bigger: BNPL is no longer a niche tool for online shopping. It’s becoming part of how you manage your everyday household budget, whether that’s spreading the cost of school uniforms, replacing a broken appliance, or, as one participant in the study admitted, paying for new car tyres.
This isn’t about convenience anymore, it’s about coping
Three in ten households (31%) say they’ve been saving less than usual over the past six months just to make ends meet. That’s not about cutting back on luxuries, that’s about struggling to put anything aside at all.
And while you might assume you could fall back on traditional credit if needed, that option isn’t always there. Around 16% of households reported being declined for some form of credit in the past six months, a figure that hasn’t improved.
If you’re of working age, the odds are even higher. Nearly one in five (19%) households like yours have faced a rejection, compared to just 2% of pension-age households. And if your income is on the lower end, the picture is starker still, a third (34%) of working-age households in the bottom income bracket have been turned down for borrowing.
So when mainstream credit isn’t available and your savings aren’t stretching far enough, BNPL can start to feel less like a choice and more like a necessity.
The risk: a quiet shift into long-term debt
Kristina Church, Chair of the Aberdeen Group Charitable Trust, puts it bluntly:
BNPL is becoming a tool people rely on to manage everyday expenses.And that reliance comes with risks.
Because while splitting payments might feel manageable in the moment, the true cost can creep up on you, especially if you’re juggling multiple purchases, repayment dates, and providers. Without clear oversight, it’s easy to lose track.
Church warns that many households are already struggling to save, let alone invest for the future. Add in rejected credit applications and increasing dependence on short-term borrowing, and you could find yourself caught in a cycle that’s difficult to break.
The cost-of-living crisis hasn’t gone anywhere, you’re just living with it
Professor Sharon Collard from the University of Bristol says the idea that BNPL is mainly for younger shoppers is now “out of date.” What you’re experiencing is part of a broader shift: more households are using these products to cover essential costs, not discretionary spending.
While headlines about the cost-of-living crisis may have faded, the pressure hasn’t, if you’re saving less, relying more on flexible credit and finding fewer options when you need financial support, you’re not imagining it, your financial reality has changed.
So what does this mean for you?
If BNPL has become part of your routine, it’s worth taking a step back and asking yourself a few questions:
- Are you using it to spread the cost of planned spending, or to plug gaps in your budget?
- Do you know exactly what you owe, and when repayments are due?
- Would you still be able to manage if your income changed or an unexpected cost came up?
Because while BNPL can offer breathing room, it doesn’t solve the underlying pressure and if that pressure is coming from rising costs, squeezed incomes, or limited access to traditional credit, it’s something that needs a longer-term solution.
The uncomfortable truth is, that if you’re in your 40s or 50s and leaning more on BNPL than you used to, you’re part of a growing trend, but that doesn’t mean it’s a sustainable one and recognising that early could make all the difference.
Where you can turn if you’re struggling
If this all feels close to home, if you’re relying more on credit, saving less, or worrying about how to cover the next unexpected cost, it’s important to know that there is support available.
There are free, independent services that can help you get a clearer picture of your finances and explore your options:
- StepChange Debt Charity offers confidential advice and can help you set up a realistic repayment plan if you’re falling behind.
- Citizens Advice can guide you on everything from debt and benefits to dealing with creditors.
- National Debtline provides free, impartial support and practical tools to help you manage what you owe.
- MoneyHelper (backed by the government) offers straightforward guidance on budgeting, borrowing, and understanding financial products like BNPL.
If you’re juggling multiple BNPL payments, it’s especially important to treat them like any other form of debt. Make a list of what you owe, check your repayment dates, and prioritise essentials first.
If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, reaching out early can make a real difference. The sooner you get support, the more options you’re likely to have and the easier it is to avoid that cycle of borrowing becoming harder to break.
Have you had an experience with Buy Now, Pay Later?
If BNPL has played a role in your finances, whether it’s helped you stay afloat or left you facing unexpected challenges, your story could help others understand the reality behind the headlines.
At Resolver, you can share your experience to shine a light on how these products are being used in real life. Whether it’s a positive experience, a complaint, or something that didn’t go to plan, we want to hear from you.
You might want to share if you’ve:
- Used BNPL to cover essential costs like groceries, bills or car repairs
- Struggled to keep up with multiple repayments across different providers
- Been hit with unexpected fees or charges
- Found it harder to access other forms of credit and turned to BNPL instead
- Struggled to resolve a dispute with a BNPL provider
- Felt that using BNPL has become part of your everyday budgeting
- Successfully used BNPL and managed repayments without issues
Your story could help others spot the warning signs earlier, make more informed choices, or feel less alone in what they’re going through.