Burrito now, pay later

Today, Explained

Americans are turning to "buy now, pay later" apps for purchases as small as a burrito—it’s a symptom of a larger national addiction to debt.

This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Gabrielle Berbey, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King.

Further reading: In This Economy? by Kyla Scanlon.
Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast.

Photo of a Klarna holiday celebration by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Klarna.

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More description

Americans are turning to "buy now, pay later" apps for purchases as small as a burrito—it’s a symptom of a larger national addiction to debt.

This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Gabrielle Berbey, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King.

Further reading: In This Economy? by Kyla Scanlon.
Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast.

Photo of a Klarna holiday celebration by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Klarna.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-06-25 25 min

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