There are times when you need to buy something but don’t yet have the cash on hand. Perhaps you’re waiting for a paycheck, or maybe you’re waiting for your friend to pay back a loan.
Or, maybe you do have the cash, but you need to use it for something more important, such as a doctor’s appointment.
You will get paid at the end of the week, but you don’t want to wait so long to buy the product, because you’re afraid of it going out of stock.
This is where services such as Afterpay come into picture. They allow you to purchase the product and pay later. Usually, you can pay in four interest-free installments, allowing you to purchase something immediately and only pay the full balance later.
If you want to buy from AliExpress, you might be wondering if AliExpress allows you to use Afterpay?
In this article, we will explore whether AliExpress supports Afterpay, and, if it doesn’t, what other solutions might be available.
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Quick Summary
AliExpress does offer Afterpay as a payment option. Some terms apply, though:
- It is available in the US and Australia but not worldwide.
- Your order must be $30 or above and paid in USD.
- You must be 18 years or older and be accepted by Afterpay.
Now, let’s learn more about how to use Afterpay on AliExpress.
Does AliExpress Support Afterpay?
Yes. AliExpress supports Afterpay, but not in all regions.
This article is written for a US audience. In the United States, AliExpress lets you select Afterpay as a payment method, as long as the item is being shipped to the United States and your order meets the minimum threshold of $30.
Also, your payment must be made in USD.
To pay with Afterpay on AliExpress, just select Afterpay as your payment method on the checkout page.
If you are not sure how to change your payment method on the checkout page, refer to the following screenshot. Click on Change to change your selected payment method; in the screenshot, I already have Afterpay selected, so I don’t need to change it.
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You will be asked to enter your phone number and email address, and you will need to confirm both with a verification code. That way, payment instructions can be sent to your email address when you check out.
Afterpay will allow you to split your payment into four interest-free payments. The keyword here is interest-free; unlike when using a credit card, there is no interest, so there is no added cost involved.
Why Is Afterpay Not Showing Up?
Afterpay will not show up as a valid payment method if it is not supported in your region by AliExpress. For example, if you are not in the United States or Australia, you may not see the Afterpay option.
In addition, even if you are in the United States, but you are shipping the product to an address outside the United States in a region that is not supported, the Afterpay option will disappear.
Always verify that you are using the correct shipping address.
Afterpay will show up as an option but will be grayed out if you don’t meet the minimum order requirement of $30.
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You may also try to check out with Afterpay but not qualify. Afterpay performs a soft credit check to determine an applicant’s ability to complete the payments.
Otherwise, anyone could use Afterpay to buy products and never pay the full amount. Since this is a soft credit check, it won’t affect your credit score.
If you don’t qualify, however, there may be other alternatives that you might qualify for.
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Are There Alternatives to Afterpay?
Yes. Here are some alternatives that you can use if you don’t qualify for Afterpay on AliExpress.
PayPal
Another option is Pay Later with PayPal. PayPal has a Buy Now, Pay Later program that allows you to split payments of amounts from $30 to $1500 in four installments.
These installments take place every two weeks and do not involve any interest.
In the United States, AliExpress also supports using PayPal as an alternative to Afterpay if you want to buy now but pay later. Note that PayPal isn’t a supported payment method on AliExpress in some countries.
You must have a PayPal account, though. In addition, you must qualify for PayPal’s Buy Now, Pay Later program.
Like Afterpay, PayPal may conduct a soft credit check to determine your trustworthiness. However, even if you didn’t qualify for Afterpay, you may qualify for PayPal’s Buy Now, Pay Later, as the two use different criteria for determining eligibility.
If you have a long-standing PayPal account, you have a greater chance of qualifying for the Buy Now, Pay Later program. PayPal can keep track of your transactions and can see how much money has been coming into your account over the years, which can help it determine whether you are eligible for the program.
If your PayPal account is new, you may still qualify, depending on the results of your soft credit check.
However, PayPal’s Buy Now, Pay Later program also requires you to make an order minimum of $30.
In addition to Buy Now, Pay Later, you may also qualify for PayPal Credit. PayPal Credit is a credit line that allows you to pay for purchases over time.
You don’t have to pay it all within four biweekly payments. Instead, you can pay it over several months, but interest will apply, just like a credit card.
While it gives you more time to pay, you should never use a credit card or credit line to pay for luxuries you don’t need if it will involve interest. That’s just a poor financial choice that could land you in serious debt.
If you don’t have the means to pay off a product within a month, you probably should not buy it unless it is a necessity.
If you want to use PayPal’s Buy Now, Pay Later program and pay off your purchase in four biweekly payments with no interest, choose the Pay Later option on AliExpress, which will be indicated by the PayPal logo.
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If you want to use PayPal Credit, which is a credit line that involves interest payments, you can choose the regular PayPal option.
Then, PayPal will give you several payment methods to choose from once you check out. You will see the PayPal Credit option if you have a PayPal Credit line.
Interest rates can vary and will depend on your credit score and trustworthiness.
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Your Credit Card
Of course, you can also use a credit card to buy something on credit. A credit card, however, will almost often involve interest charges.
There are exceptions, of course. Many credit cards offer promotional offers to new account holders.
For example, some credit cards give you a period of 12 or 18 months after signing up, during which no interest is applied to purchases. In that case, you could use your credit card to pay on AliExpress without incurring interest.
However, in general, you will want to avoid using a credit card if it will land you in debt.
Credit cards can be serious financial traps. A Buy Now, Pay Later program usually automatically debits your checking account every two weeks.
On the other hand, a credit card may require you to manually make a payment. If you don’t, interest charges may apply if you don’t pay off your purchase before the end of your billing statement.
Many people, unfortunately, forget to do that or don’t make it a priority. Before they realize it, they rack up hundreds or thousands of dollars in credit card debt.
An easy way to avoid this trap is to set up automatic payments. Many credit card providers and banks allow you to set up automatic payments.
However, make sure that your automatic payment covers your entire statement for the billing cycle and not just your minimum balance, or else your credit debt will continue to grow.
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Your Credit Card’s Buy Now, Pay Later Program
Some credit cards, like Amex and Chase cards, have a Buy Now, Pay Later program built in for qualifying purchases. This type of program does not involve interest, unlike regular credit card purchases.
Instead, you can make your payments every month for several months. A small monthly fee may apply, but it’s still better than interest, which would likely come out to be a lot more with the current APR rates.
For example, my Amazon credit card from Chase allows me to split payments over several months, while paying a small monthly service charge, which depends on the length of the repayment plan and the purchase amount.
Meanwhile, my Citibank credit card also allows me to split payments via Citi Flex Pay. Citi Flex Pay applies to eligible payments of $75 and up.
You can split payments into monthly payments for 3–36 months. Instead of interest, a monthly charge will apply.
The benefit is that you can calculate upfront how much it will cost you. Regular credit card purchases, on the other hand, may involve a variable APR that can change, so you won’t know upfront how much interest you would pay on the plan altogether.
Typically, for such payments, you would check out with your credit card first and then go to your mobile banking app or online account to apply the flexible payment plan to the purchase you just made.
However, not all credit cards offer this option, and not all purchases may be eligible, so do verify with your bank beforehand.
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Conclusion: Does AliExpress Have Afterpay?
Yes, AliExpress offers Afterpay, but only for purchases made in USD and shipped to the United States. Also, an order minimum of $30 will apply.
Other alternatives include PayPal’s Buy Later program, but that also only applies to orders of $30 or more.
You may also use a credit card instead.