‘Buy Now, Pay Later’: A New Wave of Consumer Debt

“先买后付”:消费债务的新浪潮

The Daily

2026-09-08

24 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

As people in the United States struggle with rising costs, they are increasingly turning to “buy now, pay later” loans for essentials such as rent and groceries. Stacey Cowley, a business reporter for The New York Times, explains the draw and the hidden risks of the loan model. Guest: Stacy Cowley, a business reporter at The New York Times, with a focus on consumer finance. Background reading:  “Buy now, pay later” lenders have pitched loans for needs like electricity and rent.They got to live a life of luxury. Then came the fine print.Photo: Amir Hamja for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • My name is Diana Dunn.

  • I would like to be able to share my New York Times account with my granddaughters.

  • We live in a very rural area.

  • I would like to share my account just to increase their knowledge of our whole world.

  • Thank you so much.

  • Diana, we heard you.

  • It's why we created the New York Times family subscription.

  • One subscription, up to four separate logins for anyone in your life.

  • Find out more at nytimes.com slash family.

  • From the New York Times, I'm Natalie Kittrow-F.

  • This is The Daily.

  • As Americans struggle with rising costs just about everywhere, they're increasingly turning to a new form of credit.

  • Buy now, pay later loans.

  • Those loans have exploded since the pandemic, in part because they're easier to get and often cheaper than credit cards.

  • And now, people are relying on them for everything from groceries to rent.

  • Today, my colleague Stacey Cowley explains the draw and the hidden risks of buy now,

  • pay later loans and what their rise says about the state of the American consumer.

  • It's Tuesday, September 8th.

  • Stacey, welcome back to the show.

  • I love having you here.