This is evident from a quick survey among 677 young people aged 16 to 21 conducted by research agency Ipsos I&O. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and Wijzer in Geldzaken had the survey conducted as part of the Pay Later Hangover campaign. Both organizations are drawing young peoples attention to the risks of paying afterwards with the campaign How do you prevent a Pay Later Hangover? to prevent financial worries and debts.
On Wednesday, May 14, Secretary of State Jurgen Nobel will visit a practical education school in The Hague as part of the campaign. During this visit, he will distribute sour aftertaste ice creams to students. The Secretary of State is doing this together with Christian Meijer from Wijzer in Geldzaken and young people who have had negative experiences with paying afterwards. The ice creams taste sweet at first, but soon turn sour. A flyer with handy tips for avoiding payment arrears is stuck to the ice cream.
Secretary of State Jurgen Nobel: Paying afterwards is becoming increasingly tempting. With a few clicks, you can get the most beautiful items at home, even if you have no balance. It seems convenient, but dont spend money you dont actually have.
Reminders and additional costs
The cabinet and the House of Representatives are concerned about the increasing number of transactions with pay-later apps. According to figures from the AFM, hundreds of thousands of minors use this, while it is legally permitted only from 18 years old. This can lead to payment arrears and additional costs. The quick survey shows that 1 in 7 young people has ever paid late when paying afterwards. 1 in 10 of them then received a reminder or faced additional costs. A quarter of the surveyed young people knows someone who has encountered financial problems due to paying afterwards.
New rules and age checks
The cabinet sees the introduction of a European directive, scheduled for 2026, as the quickest and most comprehensive measure to protect consumers from the risks of paying afterwards. Providers of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) must, under this revised directive, carry out a creditworthiness assessment (including a BKR test) and comply with rules regarding information provision and advertising. There will also be a legally required age check.
Paying afterwards in physical stores
The quick survey shows that 6 out of 10 (61%) young people think paying afterwards in shopping streets is not a good idea. This has been possible in some stores since the beginning of this year. Paying afterwards is already a problem at the moment, causing people to get into debt. This will only exacerbate the problems, says one young person. This tempts people to spend money they do not have, says another. Most say they would never use this (77%). The cabinet has previously called on providers of pay-later services to make these services not available in shopping streets.
Afraid of debts
Of the young people who sometimes use paying afterwards when shopping online (31% of young people), a quarter use it regularly. 5% always pays for a product afterwards. Most do it because they are still unsure whether they want to keep the product and can return it without payment. Young people also want to pay afterwards because they do not want to risk having paid for a product that has not yet been delivered. They also want to pay at a time that suits them better. Young people who do not do this want to keep control of their spending (74%), are afraid of accumulating debts (41%), or do not want to be tempted to buy things they do not need (30%). If I cant afford it now, how can I be sure I can afford it later? says one respondent.
Pay Later Hangover
During the campaign How do you prevent a Pay Later Hangover, videos featuring the Pay Later Hangover are shown on social media. This is a grumpy cat that sticks to your belongings as long as you havent paid the bill. Through the website Jegelddebaas.nl, young people receive tips on how to prevent a pay-later hangover. Young people with financial problems are also reminded that they can anonymously seek help at Geldfit.nl, via the number 0800-8115.
View all results of the quick survey and for visual material from the campaign How do you prevent a Pay Later Hangover?.