Apple Pay Gains Support for Citi Monthly Payment Plans

Wednesday January 29, 2025 12:23 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple Pay now supports Citi Flex Pay, allowing U.S. Citi credit card holders to pay for ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases over time with the Flex Pay option.

Apple Pay Citi Flex
Citi Flex Pay is available for ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases over $75. The default payback period is three months, but there are longer payback durations available with a monthly fee. Flex Pay can be used when making purchases on websites or in apps.

To use Citi Flex Pay, an eligible Citi credit card needs to be added to ‌Apple Pay‌. When making a purchase, select the Citi credit card and then tap on "Pay Later." From there, select a Citi Flex Pay option.

Apple previously had its own buy now, pay later service called ‌Apple Pay‌ Later, but it was discontinued last year. Apple now partners with third-party providers for pay over time options. Apple's other U.S. partners include Affirm, Klarna, and Synchrony.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

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Top Rated Comments

zilchfox

23 months ago

For the love of… Please, PLEASE, never use these or anything similar (such as Afterpay, etc). If you have to finance your everyday purchases, you need to take a serious look at your financial health.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

HobeSoundDarryl

23 months ago

Does it not bug people that the whole credit machine has worked its way down to trying to get people into a monthly payment arrangements on only $75 purchases? I guess next we're making 5 payments to finance $50 purchases and than 3 payments to finance $25 and just keep that going until we're making payments in pocket change to finance $1. How low can that go? 6-7 monthly penny payments to repay a nickel (loan)?

Is it a sign that many are tapped out and maximizing profit in the financing game is increasingly becoming a volume play vs. the big deals for big cuts? Or maybe it's both: harvest big on big deals AND harvest small on big volume of little deals?

Your fathers or theirs would generally only get into payment plan arrangements for relatively large purchases: houses & cars. But in the last 40-50 years, the big payment model has worked its way down to smaller & smaller purchases. Another way to say that is finance entities like banks are working their way into getting a little bite of every transaction... and then attempting to double down their revenue by encouraging relatively micro payments to finance fairly cheap purchases.

I bought a small group of family dinner last week and today I got the offer to spread that bill for one dinner over 6 payments. Maybe that's good? But from a high level viewpoint, I'm not so sure. 10 or 20 years ago, I'd toss a joke of needing "90 days same as cash" to buy dinner at THAT place. And now such terms are actually popping up... for ONE meal.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

mansplains

23 months ago

I bought a small group of family dinner last week and today I got the offer to spread that bill for one dinner over 6 payments. Maybe that's good? But from a high level viewpoint, I'm not so sure. 10 or 20 years ago, I'd toss a joke of needing "90 days same as cash" to buy dinner at THAT place. And now such terms are actually popping up... for ONE meal.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

acgmph

23 months ago

Does it not bug people that the whole credit machine has worked its way down to trying to get people into a monthly payment arrangements on only $75 purchases? I guess next we're making 5 payments to finance $50 purchases and than 3 payments to finance $25 and just keep that going until we're making payments in pocket change to finance $1. How low can that go? 6-7 monthly penny payments to repay a nickel (loan)?

Is it a sign that many are tapped out and maximizing profit in the financing game is increasingly becoming a volume play vs. the big deals for big cuts? Or maybe it's both: harvest big on big deals AND harvest small on big volume of little deals?

Your fathers or theirs would generally only get into payment plan arrangements for relatively large purchases: houses & cars. But in the last 40-50 years, the big payment model has worked its way down to smaller & smaller purchases. Another way to say that is financier entities like banks are working their way into getting a little bite of every transaction... and then attempting to double down their revenue by encouraging relatively micro payments to finance fairly cheap purchases.

I bought a small group of family dinner last week and today I got the offer to spread that bill for one dinner over 6 payments. Maybe that's good? But from a high level viewpoint, I'm not so sure. 10 or 20 years ago, I'd toss a joke of needing "90 days same as cash" to buy dinner at THAT place. And now such terms are actually popping up... for ONE meal.

New age payday loans. Predatory no matter how you look at it.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

cjsuk

23 months ago

For the love of… Please, PLEASE, never use these or anything similar (such as Afterpay, etc). If you have to finance your everyday purchases, you need to take a serious look at your financial health.

This.

Worth noting that credit providers can and do sell debts. Next thing you know you’ve been sold out to a third party who adds fees and interest.

Also Citi. No thanks. Worked with them. Circus clowns.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

mansplains

23 months ago

Citi Flex Pay seems worse than other BNPL, since the entire purchase amount is counted against your credit limit. This effectively increases your credit utilization. Obviously it would go down as you make your payments, but the payment options themselves aren't as flexible as Affirm and Klarna.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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Apple Pay Gains Support for Citi Monthly Payment Plans

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