COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW · News & developments
Costco UK Deploys Affirm Installment Financing for Online Purchases
Affirm Holdings and Costco Wholesale UK expanded their payment relationship by introducing point-of-sale installment options for members shopping online in the United Kingdom. Eligible UK customers can now divide basket balances at digital checkout into interest-free or interest-bearing monthly installments with no late or hidden fees. The international deployment extends a financing offering originally introduced to U.S. members in 2025.
Why this matters
Big-ticket items like consumer technology and household appliances drive basket size but face severe conversion drag in tight consumer spending environments. Offering structured point-of-sale financing tackles this hesitation directly on Costco UK's e-commerce portal. The economic advantage for Costco lies in risk allocation: Affirm underwrites each customer transaction in real time and absorbs the default exposure, letting Costco capture transaction volume and retain upfront merchandise settlement without having consumer credit liabilities on its own balance sheet.