Affirm and Stripe have expanded their partnership to bring Affirm’s pay-over-time products to Stripe merchants in the UK. From July, British businesses using Stripe will be able to add the option at online checkout.
The move marks Affirm’s first rollout through Stripe’s merchant network in the UK. It builds on an existing partnership in the US and Canada, where merchants using the service have recorded higher revenue per eligible session and stronger conversion rates for larger purchases, according to the companies.
Under the agreement, Stripe merchants in the UK will be able to offer Affirm as a payment option during online purchases. The addition is aimed at businesses seeking more checkout choices as consumers look for ways to spread the cost of purchases.
Affirm, which offers instalment-based credit, said the partnership would expand its reach among British merchants that already use Stripe for payments infrastructure. Stripe, one of the world’s largest payments groups, said the UK launch is part of a broader effort to offer businesses a wider range of payment methods on its platform.
The companies cited North American results as evidence of merchant demand. Stripe businesses that enabled Affirm saw average revenue per eligible session rise by 13.9%, while conversion increased by 21.3% for purchases of USD 250 or more, according to figures they provided.
The announcement comes as payments groups compete for a larger role at the online checkout stage. Buy now, pay later and other instalment products have become a common feature of retail payments, especially for merchants trying to reduce basket abandonment and increase spending on higher-value transactions.
Affirm said its products are built around clear repayment terms and that it does not charge late or hidden fees. The company has positioned itself as an alternative to revolving credit card debt while expanding through direct merchant integrations and partnerships with larger payments platforms.
Stripe brings substantial scale to that effort. It processes more than USD $1.9 trillion in annual payments, which it says is equivalent to 1.6% of global gross domestic product, and serves millions of businesses that accept payments online and in person.
The partnership also extends beyond current checkout tools into emerging forms of automated commerce. Both companies said they are working together on systems intended to support transactions in AI-driven shopping environments, where software agents could play a greater role in purchase decisions.
Earlier this year, the companies announced plans to support Shared Payment Tokens. They said the approach is intended to enable secure pay-over-time transactions in AI-powered commerce settings.
Ruth Spratt, VP and UK country manager at Affirm, described the company’s view of the shift at checkout. “Checkout is no longer just a payment moment, it’s a decision moment,” she said.
“Consumers are increasingly seeking payment options that offer more control and clarity, and merchants are seeing the impact that can have on conversion and customer loyalty. Expanding our partnership with Stripe helps us do exactly that, bringing these benefits to more businesses across the UK,” Spratt added.
Stripe said merchants are balancing growth ambitions with the need to keep online payment journeys simple.
“Merchants want payment options that help them grow without adding friction for their customers, and Affirm delivers that. Bringing this partnership to the UK is the next step in making the right payment options accessible to businesses everywhere,” said Fran Ryan, Chief Business Officer at Stripe.
