Hotels.com Adds Affirm’s Pay-Over-Time Solution to Checkout

Approved guests who book accommodations on Hotels.com can now pay over time by selecting Affirm at checkout.

These guests are shown the total cost of their purchase at checkout and will never pay more than they agree to upfront, the companies said in a Tuesday (Aug. 20) press release.

Expedia Group, the owner of Hotels.com, already offers Affirm’s buy now, pay later (BNPL) solution on two of its other platforms: Expedia and Vrbo, according to the release.

“This expanded collaboration offers travelers greater payment flexibility when booking their dream stays,” Clayton Nelson, vice president, strategic partnerships and affiliates at Expedia Group, said in the release. “It emphasizes our dedication to enhancing the travel experience with innovative technologies, empowering our partners to offer exceptional service to their customers.”

For retail partners, the Affirm pay-over-time solution can drive overall sales, increase average order value and reach new customers, according to the release.

Hotels.com joins 292,000 retail partners of Affirm offering this option, per the release.

“Expanding our long-standing Expedia Group partnership to Hotels.com is a significant milestone in our shared journey to bring increased payment flexibility to travelers,” Pat Suh, senior vice president of revenue at Affirm, said in the release.

Seventy-eight percent of BNPL users report high satisfaction with BNPL services, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence report, “Defining the New Buy Now, Pay Later Consumer.”

Consumers use BNPL primarily to manage cash flow and access credit, with some using it to make essential purchases on a limited budget and others using it to manage payment for larger purchases, according to the report.

Affirm announced another partnership on Aug. 13, saying it teamed up with Tekmetric to enable the auto repair shops using that company’s automotive repair shop management solution to offer their customers the ability to pay over time.

In June, Apple said that, beginning in the fall, Apple Pay users in the United States will be able to apply for BNPL loans through Affirm during checkout.

“Apple Pay introduces even more flexibility and choice for users when they check out online and in-app,” the tech giant said when announcing this and other new features.