Card Installment Use Jumps 13 Percentage Points as BNPL Holds Steady

Credit card installment plans are turning the biggest promise of buy now, pay later (BNPL) into an advantage for the card industry. A PYMNTS Intelligence report, “ The Pay Later Data Shift: Credit Card Installments Take the Lead ,” finds consumers used card installment plans at more than twice the rate of BNPL in March 2026. Card installment use rose to 36% from 23% in April 2025, while BNPL finished the period at 15%, the same level where it began.