https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/30/affirms-cto-talks-transparency-and-the-tech-that-makes-bnpl-possible/

BNPL is not a new concept; it’s just taken off in recent years and become far more mainstream.

Buy now, pay later lets people do exactly what its name suggests — buy something and pay for it later. The difference between BNPL and credit cards is that rather than charge the full amount of a purchase on a card, consumers can choose to pay for an item in installments.