PayPal adds new Pay in 30 Days option for UK shoppers

KAREN JOY BACUDO

Finance Editor

PayPal has launched Pay in 30 Days for eligible UK customers, adding a new buy now, pay later option to its British checkout offering.

The service lets shoppers make an online purchase with PayPal and pay the full amount up to 30 days later. It is available on eligible transactions worth between £1 and £900, with no interest, sign-up fees or additional charges.

The launch expands PayPal’s existing buy now, pay later range in the UK, which already includes Pay in 3. That product lets customers split a purchase into three payments, with one taken at checkout and two more over the following two months.

Pay in 30 Days is available to eligible users across PayPal’s nearly 30 million-strong UK customer base. Customers can access the option through the existing PayPal checkout flow without opening a separate account or downloading another app.

Purchases and repayments are handled through PayPal’s own system. The 30-day window is intended to give customers more flexibility to pay at a point that better aligns with payday or other household bills.

Consumer demand

The launch comes as deferred payment products continue to gain ground with British shoppers. PayPal cited market data showing that 25% of UK adults used a buy now, pay later service at least once in the previous year.

It also linked the launch to changing expectations around how these products are offered, saying consumers want more flexible and transparent payment choices as regulatory scrutiny of the sector increases.

“British customers are smart. They want the flexibility to pay on their terms – but they’re also more discerning than ever about who they trust with their money. We’ve seen that in how our customers use PayPal, and our BNPL product offering, including both Pay in 3 and now Pay in 30 Days, is our response: genuine flexibility, zero fees, and the reassurance of a brand that’s been part of UK shopping for over two decades,” said Tamer El-Emary, General Manager UK at PayPal.

“As BNPL becomes regulated by the FCA, and continues to grow in the UK, the bar for trust and transparency will only rise – and we think that’s a good thing. For businesses, it means customers will increasingly gravitate toward payment options from names they recognise. PayPal’s Pay in 30 Days gives merchants a way to meet that demand, backed by a checkout experience their customers already know and trust.”

Merchant angle

For retailers, PayPal is positioning the new option as an addition to its current checkout rather than a separate technical project. Merchants that already use PayPal checkout do not need a new integration to offer Pay in 30 Days.

The company also cited research among 1,000 UK business owners and senior representatives who offer buy now, pay later services. In that survey, 64% said customer trust in their provider mattered most, while 50% said offering a broad range of payment options at checkout directly supported conversion.

This forms part of a wider battle among payments groups to retain a visible place at online checkout, where instalment products and short-term deferred payment options have become more common. Providers are trying to appeal to both consumers seeking flexibility and merchants seeking to reduce friction before a sale is completed.

PayPal’s approach in the UK centres on expanding the range of choices available under one brand. Alongside Pay in 3 and the new 30-day deferred payment option, customers enrolled in PayPal+ can earn PayPal+ Points on eligible Pay in 30 Days purchases.

The UK is an important market for the group, and buy now, pay later remains a closely watched area across consumer finance and digital commerce. Businesses in the segment are under pressure to demonstrate that their products are clear to use and easy for customers to manage as official oversight intensifies.

Pay in 30 Days is designed to sit within the same account and payment environment customers already use for online shopping. Eligible shoppers can select the option at checkout, complete the purchase and then settle the full amount within 30 days.

The product arrives as payment groups compete over trust, ease of use and checkout placement in a market where short-term credit has become a routine part of online spending. Pay in 30 Days is being made available to eligible customers across PayPal’s nearly 30 million-strong UK user base.