Skip to content
Navigating a New Political Landscape: View real-time updates about the impact of and Northeastern’s response to recent political changes.
Apply
Stories

Is there a hidden cost to apps like Afterpay?

People in this story

Prices of U.S. goods across the board have shot up over the past few months, making high-end items even more out of reach for everyday consumers. But if you’ve shopped online since the pandemic began, you may have noticed that when you add items to your shopping cart, you now have options that could make them seem more affordable.

Depending on where you shop, one of those options might be Afterpay. Using Afterpay, with just a click of a button, a $548 Tory Burch bag costs just $137, the cost of Lululemon leggings is cut from $118 to $29.50, and $170 UGG boots now become $42.50. Afterpay—an example of a “buy-now, pay-later” app—allows you to split the cost of an item into four interest-free installments spread out over six weeks. If you miss a payment, you are charged late fees, which Afterpay says are capped at 25% of the item’s price.

Apps like Afterpay have become increasingly popular since the pandemic began due to an overwhelming shift to online shopping, according to Nerdwallet. In 2021, Americans spent $20 million using these apps to make purchases from various retailers, SFGATE reports, and this number may rise in 2022, as the apps start to move into the everyday purchase market by partnering with companies like Rite-Aid. “This partnership will help customers access and spend responsibly on everyday goods with Afterpay’s powerful budgeting tool,” Afterpay said in a statement.

Continue reading at News@Northeastern.

More Stories

Northeastern professor Brandon Welsh’s book Between Medicine and Criminology explores the history of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

New book from Northeastern professor looks at history of groundbreaking criminology study

05.12.2025
New Pope Leo XIV is introduced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on May 8, 2025. (Sipa via AP Images)

As an American, what kind of influence can Pope Leo XIV wield in the Catholic Church?

05.08.2025
Caution tape

Is a serial killer stalking New England? Northeastern experts say the evidence doesn’t add up

05.13.25
All Stories