Finance commentator George Kamel says “buy now, pay later” services have moved far beyond small convenience purchases and are now helping people finance groceries, vacations, concert tickets, clothes, food delivery, and other spending they often cannot afford in the first place.
In a recent video, Kamel reacted to a series of TikTok clips where users joked about, defended, or confessed their use of services such as Affirm, Klarna, and Afterpay. His larger argument was simple: these apps make debt feel harmless by cutting it into smaller payments, but those payments still follow people home long after the purchase is over.
Kamel opened by saying that more than half of Gen Z and millennials have used buy now, pay later to purchase something they could not afford. He then walked through videos that, in his view, showed how normalized the habit has become, especially among younger consumers who are already under financial pressure.
A $32,000 Lesson In Small Payments
One of the first TikTok users Kamel reacted to said she had spent $32,196.23 on Affirm and Klarna since 2020. The woman, who introduced herself as Diva, said she was $107,000 in debt and had become known online as the “Affirm and Klarna girl.”
Diva said that when she began sharing her debt journey, she had about $9,500 owed to Affirm and Klarna, and had since brought that balance under $3,000. She said she was preparing to pay off eight of those remaining accounts soon.
Kamel said he was glad she was climbing out of the debt and being honest about the process, but he was troubled by the wide range of things she said she had financed. According to Diva, her buy now, pay later purchases included groceries, concert tickets, Airbnb stays, car repairs, gift cards, and “pretty much anything” the services would allow.
That is where the appeal of these platforms becomes clear. They do not only show up when someone is buying a couch or laptop; they appear at checkout for normal life expenses, which can make a purchase feel manageable even when the person’s larger financial life is already strained.
Kamel said some of the spending may have involved real needs, such as car repairs or groceries, but he argued that the same tool was also being used for wants, such as concert tickets and trips. He said the danger comes when people in a bad financial position turn to these services because they feel there is no other option, only to create another set of monthly payments they must climb out of later.
The Trap Of “Only $10”
Kamel also reacted to a satire skit in which a man brags that he bought expensive loafers for only $10, before explaining that he was actually making 90 monthly interest-free payments of $10.
Kamel said the joke worked because it captured how people often defend buy now, pay later purchases. The customer focuses on the small payment instead of the full price, and the pain of the purchase gets spread out so thinly that it becomes easier to ignore.
In that example, the total still came to $900, but the monthly number sounded small enough to seem harmless.
Kamel called this “death by a thousand cuts,” saying the problem is not always one massive payment, but many small obligations stacked on top of each other. When someone has several of these plans going at once, a $10 payment here and a $50 payment there can quietly become a serious monthly burden.
This is one of the most important parts of the buy now, pay later problem. The services are not marketed as debt in the same heavy way credit cards or loans are, so the user may not feel the same warning signs when they click through the purchase.
Kamel said that is exactly why the companies prefer terms such as payment plans or micro-installment loans. The language sounds softer, but the financial commitment is still real.
Vacations, Food Delivery, And The False Promise Of Later
Another TikTok user urged people to “book that trip” and put it on a payment plan, saying life is too short to skip experiences just because the money is not available right now.
Kamel said that kind of message is powerful because it speaks to a feeling many people already have. It tells them they deserve the trip, the experience, or the memory, and that the payment can be handled later.
But in his view, the “later” part is where the trouble begins. The trip may last a few days, while the payments can last months, leaving someone stressed, paycheck to paycheck, and unable to make progress on other financial goals.
Kamel said he wants people to travel and enjoy life, but argued that saving up and paying cash makes the experience better, not worse, because the trip is not followed by a long trail of bills.
That point may sound old-fashioned, but it is difficult to dismiss. A vacation bought with debt can feel exciting at the time, yet the emotional benefit often fades faster than the payment schedule, especially when rent, groceries, utilities, and other bills are still waiting.
Kamel also noted that buy now, pay later services are increasingly tied to everyday spending. He mentioned food delivery, DoorDash, Costco, and other retail partnerships as examples of how these services are becoming harder to avoid.
When People Pay Klarna Before Rent
One of the most alarming clips Kamel played came from a woman who joked, or possibly admitted, that she would pay Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay before her car note, light bill, water bill, rent, or other obligations.
She said those companies came before “any and everything,” calling them her “besties.”
Kamel said that mindset was dangerous because it turns the correct order of financial priorities upside down. He explained that people should cover what he calls the “four walls” first: food, utilities, housing, and transportation.
Those basics, he said, must come before any debt payments, including buy now, pay later balances.
Kamel stressed that this advice comes from someone who does believe debts should be paid, but not before the essentials that keep a person housed, fed, and able to work. In his view, prioritizing installment apps over rent or utilities shows how deeply these services can distort someone’s sense of financial urgency.
The clip also revealed something more subtle about consumer loyalty. These companies are often presented in friendly, casual, almost playful ways, but Kamel argued that they do not actually care about the customer as a person; they care about keeping the account active and profitable.
Kamel Calls The Business Model Predatory
Kamel became especially direct when discussing who uses buy now, pay later services and why he believes the industry is harmful.
He said many users are not debt-free people making clever cash-flow decisions, but people who already have credit cards, student loans, car payments, or damaged credit. He argued that buy now, pay later companies step in when people are already stretched, offering another way to spend when they may not qualify for more traditional credit.
Kamel cited Consumer Financial Protection Bureau findings from 2021 to 2022, saying borrowers with deep subprime credit scores accounted for 45% of buy now, pay later originations, while subprime borrowers accounted for another 16%.
He called the companies “predatory scumbags,” saying they position themselves as helpful while profiting from people who are already financially vulnerable.
Kamel also discussed reports that Klarna had lost more than $100 million in the first quarter of 2025, tied to consumer credit losses. He said the losses showed that many users are falling behind, despite the promise that these payments are supposed to be easy and manageable.
If the payments are so small and simple, he asked, why are so many people late?
His answer was that people overestimate what future versions of themselves will be able to handle. A buyer assumes next month will be easier, but then the regular bills arrive, the old debts remain, and the new buy now, pay later payment is added to the pile.
Marketing Makes Debt Feel Like Freedom
Kamel also reacted to a Klarna ad featuring a mayfly that wants to buy something now and pay later, even though it only lives for 24 hours. He said the ad was clever and strange, but also a sign of how strong the industry’s marketing has become.
He argued that these companies use charming, funny, and frictionless advertising to make people feel comfortable spending money they do not have. The goal, he said, is not to help people budget better, but to make checkout easier and increase how much people spend.
Kamel said Klarna and Afterpay have promoted to retailers that customers spend more when buy now, pay later is available. In his view, that is the real business pitch: consumers are more likely to raise their cart totals when they do not have to face the full price immediately.
That is why the services are so appealing to stores. A shopper who might hesitate at $500 may feel calmer about smaller installments, even though the total cost has not disappeared.
The problem, as Kamel presented it, is that the friction removed from checkout often returns later as stress.
The Simple Alternative: Budget, Save, And Say No
Kamel’s advice throughout the video was not complicated. He said people should avoid borrowing money, live below their means, use a budget, and only buy things when they have the cash.
He acknowledged that this is not the most popular financial message, especially online, where “book the trip” and “you deserve it” posts often get more attention than basic budgeting advice.
Still, he said the signs of real financial progress are not paid Klarna balances or higher spending limits. The signs that someone is winning, in his view, are rising savings, growing investments, more peace, and less stress.
That is a useful way to frame the issue because buy now, pay later can create the feeling of control without creating actual stability. A person may be current on every installment plan and still have no emergency fund, no breathing room, and no way to handle the next surprise bill.
Kamel’s report on the TikToks was often humorous, but the message underneath was serious: buy now, pay later services turn today’s wants into tomorrow’s obligations, and for people already living close to the edge, that can make a hard financial life even harder.
His bottom line was that these apps are not a harmless shortcut. They are debt made to look friendly, and the easiest way to avoid the trap is to stop using them before the small payments become another reason a paycheck disappears.
Ed spent his childhood in the backwoods of Maine, where harsh winters taught him the value of survival skills. With a background in bushcraft and off-grid living, Ed has honed his expertise in fire-making, hunting, and wild foraging. He writes from personal experience, sharing practical tips and hands-on techniques to thrive in any outdoor environment. Whether it’s primitive camping or full-scale survival, Ed’s advice is grounded in real-life challenges.
