Just when we were getting comfortable using Afterpay for in-store and online shopping, it turns out that the BNPL service is not compatible with all payment platforms. There is some good and bad news for users who wish to pay with Cash app and are wondering does Afterpay take Cash App card or not.
Can You Use Cash App Card With Afterpay?
Cash App prepaid card has a long list of benefits attached to it but to cut things short, you can easily load the Cash card and use it for various purchases in physical stores and online stores.
Cash App card also supports a handful of buy now pay later platforms but, unfortunately, Afterpay is not one of them.
There are some far-fetched promises by the company that things will change after the deal between Afterpay and Square, parent company for Cash app, is finalized. The news has that Square is purchasing Afterpay in transaction worth of $29 billions that will take some time to complete.
Square is planning to integrate the two platforms after the acquisition is complete. Then Cash App cardholders will be able to pay their Afterpay installments directly.
Can You Add Another Card With Afterpay For Payments?
Cash App card a NO but that doesn’t mean you have to take all other debit card and prepaid cards off the list. In fact, Afterpay works well with Mastercard , Visa and American Express cards. You just have to learn how to add them to your Afterpay account.
The method to add a debit card or a credit card is pretty much the same. What you need to do is:
- Open Afterpay on your iOS or Android device.
- Then log in your account by providing username and password.
- Select My Account from the home-screen of your Afterpay account.
- Proceed to click on Billing on the next page that opens.
- Choose preferred payment method by clicking on Add a Payment method.
- Click on Pay Using Debit/Credit card from the list of options.
- Submit you card details like name, billing address, contact number, zip code, etc.
This will complete the process and you can immediately begin making installments with Afterpay. Just ensure that you have sufficient funds in your account of course.
What Other Payment Methods Work With Afterpay?
In addition to payment methods that I have mentioned above, you can also pay with checking account linked to your Afterpay to cover for installments.
Afterpay app gives option to connect it with checking account. The only reason why a lot of clients do not go for this payment method is because the funds transaction can take up to 5 days. Late payments may have penalty fees or interest charges so prompt money transfer via credit/debit remains the preferred method.
What Other Apps Can You Use With Afterpay?
You have other apps as options if you want to use Afterpay with a payment method other than cards and bank account. Chime online bank account is an easy-to-use alternative. It can also help you make use of Cash App funds by indirectly paying for Afterpay installments through it. How is that possible? Well, all you have to do is:
- Open a Chime bank account online in less than 3 minutes.
- Obtain your Chime card by applying for it through the account.
- Then create Afterpay account if you have not done so already.
- Proceed to link your Chime account with Cash App.
- Transfer the funds from Cash App to Chime.
- Then use these funds to pay the installments with Afterpay.
Does Cash App Offer Buy Now Pay Later?
Cash App is one of the most popular payment processing apps that is serving millions of users in the US right now. Wouldn’t it be extremely inconvenient if the app had not introduce a BNPL program itself?
You heard me right! Cash App has its own BNPL option that has been rolled out recently to support users who are not able to pay for their purchases up front. You can sign up by sharing you name, zip code, and billing address as well as credit card information.
Please note that this is currently available in a selective few locations only and obviously, with only a handful of merchants.
Cash App buy now pay later option can cover for your purchases ranging from $35 to $500. It might not be like outstanding buy now pay later online options but you can split your payments with it nonetheless.
The first payment will be deducted at the time of the purchase and the rest of the three payments will be charged directly to your Cash App account every 2 weeks. If your Cash app funds are insufficient the company may charge the payment with your linked debit card.
I am hopeful that the service will be expanded in the future. It is currently available to limited users only. This depends on their Cash App usage, account history, repayment history, cart size, etc.
Do Other BNPLs Work With Cash App?
Other buy now pay later schemes you may have in mind include Klarna, Sezzle, Quadpay and Affirm. Cash App does not work with a majority of them but lets take a look at these one by one.
- Klarna: Cash App card does not support Klarna. You can link debit/credit card to make monthly installments. Majority of the users link Klarna with Apple Pay/Google Pay wallet which is funded through Cash App. This is a smart way to make use of your Cash app balance. The app also allows you to make cash withdrawals at ATMs. So if you want to use a debit card for Klarna payments, you just need to deposit that cash in bank account or instantly send money from Cash App to debit card with 1.5% additional fee.
- Sezzle: Cash App does not support Sezzle payments but you can use Cash App Card. You have to Add Cash App Card to Sezzle by visiting its Payment Methods in the app and providing Cash Card details. Keep in mind that this would only work for existing installments. You can not schedule payments with a prepaid card like Cash App card. The indirect method of using Cash App to pay off installments that I mentioned above holds true for Sezzle as well.
- Affirm: Affirm only accepts debit/credit card from major financial companies in addition to checking account so you can not use Cash App card here. However, similar to Klarna, you can add the card to payment wallets or link it to the debit or credit card to fund your installments indirectly. Credit card-based Cash App transactions will cost you 1.5% additional charges.
- Quadpay: Cash App also does not support Quadpay/Zip BNPL. You can only use debit, credit card, or a bank account to pay off installments with Quadpay.
Is Afterpay Buy Now Pay Later Worthy?
Purchases typically divided into 4 equal payments. Flexibility to pay over six weeks. No interest charges. No monthly fees. Afterpay really seems to have it all!
Afterpay has its headquarters in Australia and it is regarded as one of the best buy now pay later services to be available in majority of the countries including UK, USA, New Zealand and Canada.
Afterpay Buy now pay later was already a hit after it introduced instant approval financing schemes. Its use has spread over the years and currently buyers are employing it with different payment methods all over the globe.
How it works is pretty simple. The app will approve you for a credit limit that you can use for purchases. After that, it will automatically deduct installments from your preferred payment method like the ones I have discussed above. You just need to provide your personal information to sign up.
The credit limit that Afterpay will approve you for depends on account history and credit standing. With decent financial background, you should not have any trouble getting up to $1,000.
There are penalty charges, up to $7, for late payments.
Should You Use Buy Now Pay Later Schemes?
Whether you like it for yourself or not, there is no brake to growing popularity of buy now pay later. Customers just love the flexibility of paying for purchases over time in form installments. This is true even if they are getting something as affordable as buy now pay later clothes.
There also a variety of BNPL options available. Such as Quadpay, Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay which makes it accessible to almost everyone.
It is a good option for those who are tired of overlooking expensive stuff because that would break their product. Majority of BNPLs do not charge interest unless you are late with payment so that means the overall price of the product does not increase even if you are paying it in installments.
But wait! Even BNPLs are not without their downsides.
Different studies show that BNPLs encourage buyers to get things they don’t need. An expensive thing of course looks attractive with small installments. Customers then tend to ignore the overall price tag.
Before You Go!
Buy now pay later schemes may not be new but they are still evolving. The same can be said about peer-to-peer payment apps like Cash App. The use of both the platforms is picking pace which signals towards more features, hopefully, in the coming days. Until then, Afterpay users will have to look elsewhere rather than losing sleep over why they can’t use Cash App card to pay their installments.
Cash App does not support Afterpay but it has other benefits that you might be interested in reading about. For example, you can borrow from Cash App or enjoy Cash App ATM fee-free service. Sounds interesting, right?
Miriam Caldwell is a dedicated & expert freelance writer to educate people about personal finance management and budgeting. She shared her knowledge and published the articles at TheBalance.com, GOBankingRates, and BlissfullyDomestic.com. Many financial institutes pick Caldwell as the brilliant source for educational personal finance content.
