Affirm Expands BNPL Travel Partnership With Priceline | PYMNTS.com

Buy now, pay later provider Affirm has expanded its partnership with online travel firm Priceline.

The new collaboration makes Affirm the buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider for Priceline Partner Solutions, the company’s B2B business, Affirm said in a Monday (Nov. 18) news release.

This means that Priceline partner brands — spanning industries including hotels, airlines and car rental services — can begin offering travelers the ability to schedule trips and pay over time via their own websites, Affirm said in the announcement.

“Travelers are increasingly eager for flexible, transparent payment options, and Affirm’s 25% growth in travel and ticketing last quarter shows the extent of that demand,” Affirm Senior Vice President of Revenue Pat Suh said in the release.

“For over five years, we have helped Priceline deliver a better experience for their customers, and we are excited to bring that same value to the travel brands using Priceline Partner Solutions.”

According to the release, Priceline Partner Solutions partner brands can integrate Affirm into their checkout flow by working with their account team. From there, customers will see Affirm as a payment option for orders of at least $50.

As PYMNTS noted earlier this year, consumers are increasingly using BNPL services to fund their vacations, with Affirm and many of its rivals reporting upticks in travel-related spending. For example, Klarna in April expanded its partnership with Expedia to bring BNPL travel payments to consumers in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Affirm earlier this month released quarterly earnings that show the company capturing a third of the volume and more than half of the revenue in the American BNPL space.

Affirm enjoyed double-digit gains in active customers and merchant counts during the quarter, with transactions per active consumer increasing 25% year over year. Company materials showed gross merchandise volume (GMV) climbing 35% year over year to $7.6 billion, with management noting that the company “significantly outpaced” overall eCommerce.

Overall, BNPL is gaining traction in the U.S. as a preferred payment method, with 16% of consumers forgoing traditional avenues in favor of pay-later solutions.

“This trend is particularly pronounced among millennials, with 39% reporting they used BNPL in the past year,” PYMNTS wrote in September.

“The surge in popularity is underscored by a 28% year-over-year increase in gross merchandise volume for BNPL purchases through a single service, indicating its effectiveness in driving sales. Subscription merchants that adopt BNPL can leverage this to capture a larger market share, transforming casual buyers into loyal subscribers.”