key takeaways
- For many, epic memories are replacing traditional milestones.
- Experiences make you happier than stuff, and research agrees.
- The risk with buy now, pay later (BNPL) is that it is used to avoid deciding whether you can actually buy something.
Splitting music festival tickets into payments with buy-now-pay-later apps isn’t necessarily reckless. This might be one of the best money moves we can make right now.
Here’s how to do it right.
Why are we choosing memories over milestones?
Call it a different set of priorities than a few years ago, but the rise of buy now, pay later is real.
And it turns out that breaking payments for summer plans isn’t exactly a unique experience. according to a Recent Credit Karma SurveyMore than a quarter of young adults have used BNPL to cover summer expenses this year.
And it’s not hard to see why.
It’s hard not to put a little more value on the things we can enjoy in the present.
more than half Americans say this is the most stressful summer ever economically They can remember, yet the desire to create memories has not gone away. Concert tickets are still on sale. Friends still plan trips. Weddings, festivals and long weekends are still full of calendars. For many, BNPL has become a way to fit a budget in those moments that seem harder than ever.
But the challenge isn’t just about fitting a concert ticket into the budget. It’s being fitted into a budget that’s already being pulled in a dozen different directions. Because entertainment isn’t the only thing that has become more expensive.
housing prices Keep climbing.
student loan Have started again.
retirement It’s one of those things we know we should think about, but it often gets pushed to the back of more immediate priorities.
For many of us, the milestones we grew up hoping to reach are beginning to seem a little further away than before.
With the future becoming increasingly expensive, it’s not hard to place a little more value on the things we can enjoy in the present. And the numbers reflect that change: about half of us Let’s say we are making financial compromises to enjoy life now rather than for long-term financial security, and 40% people stay at home They say they do this specifically to raise money for experiences like travel, dining out and festivals.
It’s a recalibration of what’s worth spending on, and research supports the logic behind it. Studies have shown that people get more lasting happiness from experiences More than things.
BNPL really fits into our way of earning money
What makes BNPL attractive is that many of us do not get the same predictable salary every two weeks. Between freelance projects, side hustles, gig work, and part-time jobs, income can fluctuate from month to month.
Spend in such a way that the cost does not exceed the value of the memory.
About Half of workers are under 30 years of age Participate in the gig economy, relying on freelance work or side hustles as an additional source of income. in this summer, 59% say they plan to take on extra work Just to afford the season they want.
When money comes in at different times and in different amounts, spreading out purchases may seem much more manageable than paying all at once.
For many of us, it’s less about spending more and more about planning better. It may be easier to budget for a fixed payment schedule than a credit card balance you’re paying off gradually, which may help explain why this is the case. More than half of Gen Z Says BNPL helps in finance management.
That concert may have been $600, but if you break it down into payments, it’s basically $50 a month.
How to make sure BNPL works for you
BNPL can be a real tool, but like any tool, we need to know how to use it. Here are some ways to help make sure BNPL keeps working for you:
- Go with a payment timeline. Before splitting a purchase, ask yourself whether you would buy it if you had to pay the full amount today. Don’t blame yourself for this, but make sure you’re actively choosing to spread the payments rather than using the plan to avoid making the decision.
- Keep active plans to one or two at a time. Stacking up multiple BNPL plans with overlapping due dates can make things go haywire fast.
- Keep an eye on your credit. FICO announced in 2025 that some BNPL payment behavior will be incorporated into its credit scoring model. It’s worth knowing before a missed payment shows up in a place you didn’t expect.
For many of us, the use of BNPL is a concrete response to real pressures, where life has become more expensive. But spending on what makes us feel good is not the problem. We just need to make sure we spend in a way that doesn’t cost more than the value of the memory.
If you’re also looking for ways to stretch your summer budget, this guide covers smart ways to save on luggage, cars, and everything in between.