What is Klarna?

We understand that using this type of flexible payment option is new for a lot of people, so we work to make it clear and easy for you every step of the way. Here we’re answering some of your most asked questions about Klarna and Pay in 4:

Flexible payments are our way of helping you get what you need or want right away while giving you more control over how you pay. Essentially, we assume the cost of your purchase at checkout, and then you pay Klarna back over time. Pay in 4 allows you to pay for purchases on a manageable schedule for your budget, interest-free.

Great question. The biggest difference? Klarna doesn’t charge interest on our Pay in 4 option, and there are no fees when you pay on time.

Credit card companies bank on you taking a while to pay them back. The longer it takes, the more interest you pay, and the more money they make. When you pay with Klarna, we establish a manageable timeline for you to pay us back, with no interest and no fees when you pay on time.

Unlike a credit card limit that increases as you spend—and can encourage more spending—we cap the amount you can spend using the app (aka the amount you have to pay off) based on your financial situation at the time of purchase.

Interest-free payments might sound too good to be true, but trust us, Klarna is as clear as it comes. We’ve dedicated the last 15 years to creating flexible payment methods and a better shopping experience for consumers all over the world. To date, we have over 90 million customers.

In order to make sure you’re able to Pay in 4, we run a soft credit check. A soft credit check does not affect your score, it just helps us confirm that you pay your bills on time.

Note: if you use our Financing option (currently available with select retailers), we’ll run a hard credit check. Read more about financing

You’ll know as soon as you head to checkout whether you’re eligible to Pay in 4 interest-free payments. If it shows up as an option, you’re good to go.

Not for Pay in 4.

Everyone has a different total spending limit based on their unique finance history. We want to empower you to make purchase and payment decisions that make sense for your specific financial situation, so we only lend what’s appropriate for you at this moment in time. We don’t accept customer-initiated requests for more credit.

Before we get into that, here’s what we do so that you don’t miss a payment. At checkout, your payment schedule is clearly laid out so that you know what’s ahead. After checkout, we’ll send you emails and in-app reminders to help make sure you don’t miss a payment. If you’d like, you can even set up autopayments.

If you Pay in 4 and we are unable to collect a payment on the scheduled date, we’ll send you an email letting you know there was an error, and try again. If the payment is unsuccessful again when we retry, there is a late fee up to $7.00. Your missed payment will be added to the next scheduled one, and you won’t be able to purchase again until your balance is paid.

It’s important to us to ensure safe spending practices, so when you miss payments, it tells us to pump the brakes and limit your use of our installment programs going forward. If you’re concerned about making payments on time, let us know. Our

Sure thing. You can choose to pay off the balance or make one of the installments earlier. In the app, click on My Klarna–> Payments–> select the order and click Payment options.

Real talk—retailers. We don’t charge unfair interest rates or make major profits off of late payments. We earn the majority of our money through strong partnerships with retailers all over the world. Our products make theirs easier to sell, so integrated merchants pay us a commission of their sales that use Klarna. Win, win.

The first step is to be honest about your own financial situation. Take care of the essentials—rent, groceries, utilities—and take a look at your statements to get a clear picture of where you stand. In your budget, map out what you’d like to do with your discretionary income and decide how much you’d like to save, use to pay down debt, or get other things you need or want. Regardless of the payment options you use, or what you buy, it’s important that they fit into your budget.

Once you’ve got things sorted on your end, we’ll help you find the payment option that’s right for you. Our goal is to deliver a better shopping experience, giving you more flexibility, better deals, and more value—and to do so responsibly.

Want to know more about our other payment options? We’ve got you covered – you can learn more about Pay in 30 and financing