In an unexpected move, Apple has announced the immediate discontinuation of its service Apple Pay Later, launched last October. This feature allowed US users to split their purchases into four payments over six weeks with no interest or fees, but as of today, it will no longer be available for new users. While those with active loans will still be able to manage them through the Wallet app, the truth is that we have good news.
A service that will soon be replaced
Undoubtedly, the decision has surprised many, especially considering that Apple Pay Later, which had been in testing since March 2023, was officially launched last October, just seven months ago. The functionality allowed to split purchases between 75 and 1000 dollars made with Apple Pay. The good news? A substitute service will be rolled out internationally.
Apple has explained that, starting this fall, we will be able to access installment loan options directly through our credit and debit cards when making payments with Apple Pay. This new offer will be global and will allow the company to provide flexible payment options to users worldwide, in collaboration with banks and microloan services associated with Apple Pay.
The transition to installment financing options offered directly by banks in iOS 18 promises to be, therefore, really interesting. We still need to see the exact conditions of this operation, but with a global deployment, it makes perfect sense to close the service that is now being replaced. We will see when and how the new options arrive.
