Instalment buying grows more popular — stricter rules for BNPL apply from 20 November
According to a Verivox survey published on 25 September 2026, 15 per cent of Germans would prefer to pay for an online purchase of 1,000 euros in instalments, up from 9 per cent in 2024. From 20 November 2026 interest-free and short-term payment deferrals also fall under consumer credit law. According to the Federal Ministry of Justice, classic buying on invoice remains exempt in principle.
What happened
On 25 September 2026 the comparison portal Verivox published a survey carried out by the Innofact institute in July 2026 among 1,002 people aged 18 to 79. 15 per cent would prefer to pay for an online purchase of 1,000 euros in instalments, up from 9 per cent in 2024. Invoice (29 per cent) and PayPal (21 per cent) remain ahead, with cards at 14 per cent. Among those with a net income below 2,000 euros, 23 per cent choose instalments; from 4,000 euros upwards, only 7 per cent. At 25 euros, almost one in two (48 per cent) prefers PayPal. Verivox itself brokers loans; the survey is a provider study.
Who is affected
Online merchants with larger baskets, such as electronics, furniture or bicycles, and anyone offering instalments or “pay later” in checkout through a payment service provider.
Analysis
On its own the figure would be a consumer footnote. It becomes pressing because of the date: the new consumer credit law applies from 20 November 2026. According to the FAQ of the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJV), free-of-charge and short-term loans, loans under 200 euros and corresponding payment deferrals will then also fall under the protective rules, with a stricter creditworthiness assessment. Classic buying on invoice is exempt in principle, explicitly also when the merchant assigns the receivable to a service provider.
For merchants this means: invoice stays as it is. With instalments, the obligation lies with the lender, usually the payment service provider, but the checkout flow may change: more questions, more declines, different wording. Anyone who only notices in November will notice it in the abandonment rate.
What to do now
- Ask your instalment or “pay later” provider in writing what changes on 20 November in the checkout flow and in decline rates.
- For baskets over 1,000 euros, check whether instalments are offered at all; the survey shows one in seven expects them there.
- From mid-November, review the abandonment rate per payment method weekly, so that a drop does not first show up in the Christmas trading period.