16 Airlines That Let You Book Flights Now and Pay Later

If you think a vacation is out of your reach, think again. Some airlines and online travel agencies have services that allow you to book a trip now and pay for it over time.

Affirm, PayPal, Uplift, and Klarna are among the book-now, pay-later services travel companies and airlines offer. Here, we break down the basics of these and airlines' own "BNPL" options so you can secure flights when the prices are lowest, even if you don't want to pay for them in full upfront.

Airlines Offering Book-now, Pay-later Flights

AeroMexico

AeroMexico connects major U.S. cities to Latin American destinations like Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. The airline partners with Uplift to provide a monthly payment option. When you go to book a flight, you'll see an option to pay in monthly installments. Click through and you'll be asked for any personal information Uplift needs to process the loan.

You can also pay in installments through Klarna. Download the Klarna extension for Chrome or the app and you should see a pink "K" icon that will show you financing options. AeroMexico takes PayPal, which means you can use PayPal Credit to split up payments if you're approved.

Air Canada

Pay monthly for Air Canada flights and Air Canada Vacations packages with Uplift or PayPal Credit.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines partners with Uplift and Klarna to offer financing for flights.

Allegiant

Allegiant also uses Uplift and Klarna to provide payment plans. Select the Allegiant Pay option at checkout to choose financing through Uplift.

American Airlines

American Airlines offers several ways to buy now and pay later, including Klarna; PayPal Credit; Citi Flex Pay for select Citi cardholders; and Affirm, which has biweekly, monthly, and interest-free options but doesn't cover the cost of any flight extras, like luggage. American Airlines Vacations also gives you the option to pay monthly with Uplift.

Azul

Azul Airlines is a low-cost Brazilian airline that accepts payments through Uplift and PayPal.

Delta Air Lines

Delta offers PayPal Credit as a payment option, and you can pay using Affirm if you book your trip through Delta Vacations, a service for SkyMiles members that bundles flights, hotels, transportation, and activities.

Emirates

One of the United Arab Emirates' two flag carriers, this airline partners with financing institutions Uplift and Klarna. You can also pay with PayPal Credit.

Frontier Airlines

Budget carrier Frontier Airlines lets you pay monthly installments through Uplift on purchases of $49 or more. If eligible, you will see the option at checkout. Frontier is also a Klarna retail partner.

KLM

KLM offers customers the option of holding a fare for 72 hours for a non-refundable fee. This is great if you find a fare that you want to book but need a few days to think about it. In addition, the airline takes PayPal Credit. This service is shown on the payment page as a "Bill Me Later" option, but directs you to your PayPal wallet.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa has a list of payment methods on its website. Some monthly payment options are available specifically for residents of Brazil and Colombia. U.S. residents may pay monthly through PayPal Credit.

Porter Airlines

Porter, a Canadian airline, allows customers to use Uplift and PayPal to purchase flights across the U.S. and Canada.

Qatar Airways

Unless you're flying from Brazil, Brunei, or Kazakhstan, you can hold any Qatar Airways booking for up to 72 hours. How long prospective travelers can hold their Qatar flights depends on where they intend to fly to and from. The "Hold My Booking" option, available on the payment page, requires a non-refundable fee that doesn't go toward the price of your ticket. In most cases, you can also use PayPal Credit.

Southwest

Southwest Airlines uses Uplift to break the cost of the flight up into fixed monthly payments. It also accepts PayPal Credit and Klarna.

Sunwing

Sunwing connects Canadian cities with destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. You can pay for plane tickets in monthly installments through Uplift.

United Airlines

Use Uplift, PayPal Credit, or Klarna to pay for United Airlines flights in monthly installments. The company also has a program called FareLock that allows you to pay a fee to hold a fare for three, seven, or 14 days before paying for it in full. If you decide not to buy the ticket, you forfeit the fee. This service is offered only on itineraries wholly operated by United Airlines and/or United Express.

Online Travel Agencies Offering Monthly Payment Options

Alternative Airlines

Any ticket booked through Alternative Airlines can be paid for in weekly, biweekly, or monthly installments with Uplift. The online travel agency markets itineraries by more than 600 airlines, and Uplift financing can be used for all of them. You can also split payments through Klarna.

CheapOair.com

CheapOair uses Affirm to offer customers a monthly payment option.

Funjet Vacations

Funjet Vacations uses Uplift to offer monthly payments for its flights and vacation packages.

Priceline

Priceline uses Affirm to handle monthly payments. Select the "monthly payments" option on the secure billing step of the booking process and choose from three-, six-, or 12-month options. Alternatively, break it up into four payments over six weeks using Klarna.

How Buy-now, Pay-later Services Work

Airlines and travel agencies partner with BNPL services like the travel-specific Uplift or the more broadly available Affirm to offer monthly payment options. Some take payments through PayPal Credit and/or Klarna. Learn about the differences between these services and how they work.

Affirm

Affirm allows customers to pay monthly or every two weeks. Terms can last up to 48 months for the largest loans, but more typically, they last up to a year. Interest rates vary by person, ranging from 0% to 36% APR, and are determined at the time of sign-up. A down payment and credit check might be required when you apply for a loan.

To use Affirm, you will need a phone number to use as an account login. The service is available only in the U.S. and Canada. Once you've created your account and gotten approved for a loan amount, you can set up auto-pay or pay each month via the app or website. You can find a full list of Affirm's travel partners, including airlines and accommodations, on its website.

PayPal Credit

This is a monthly payment option provided by travel companies that take PayPal. Typically, you'll choose PayPal as your payment method, and once you sign into your PayPal account, you can choose PayPal Credit. As of 2023, the variable purchase APR is about 28% for new accounts, but you can avoid paying interest altogether if you pay the loan off within six months. Loan applications are subject to credit approval.

Uplift

Uplift is the leading pay-over-time financing service in the travel space, partnering with cruise lines, hotel chains, airlines, and more. Once you have selected a product, like your flight, you are shown a per-month rate based on the price of the items in your shopping cart. When you get to the payment page and choose monthly payment as your option, you will be asked for some personal details, and once you click "check rate," you will be told whether you've been approved. Uplift offers an APR of 0% to 36% based on your credit. You won't be penalized for paying late or early, and you can set up autopay so the money comes out of your account automatically.

Klarna

Klarna breaks up the price of your ticket into monthly payments or four equal payments to be made two weeks apart. Add the Klarna extension to your Chrome browser or download the app on your phone, then book your flight as usual, selecting Klarna at checkout. The first payment will be due upfront. Klarna offers an APR of 0% to about 30%.