These airlines and booking sites let you spread vacation costs into manageable monthly payments.
Remember when “save first, travel later” was the golden rule? Thanks to the rise of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services, you can be sipping piña coladas in Cancun while making your first payment from your beach chair. Airlines have caught onto this trend faster than you can say “boarding pass,” partnering with financial services to make travel accessible to everyone—not just those with hefty savings accounts.
Whether you’re eyeing that flash sale to Europe or need to book a last-minute family visit, these payment plans let you secure your seat now and spread the cost over time. Sure, putting it on a rewards credit card is usually smarter if you can pay it off, but when that’s not an option, BNPL opens doors that might otherwise stay closed.
Airlines Embracing the Pay-Later Option
Aeromexico has partnered with Flex Pay to make exploring Mexico and Latin America more budget-friendly. Select “monthly payments” at checkout, customize your payment schedule, and you’re good to go. Plus, they accept PayPal, so PayPal Credit users can split payments, too.
Air Canada keeps it simple with both PayPal Credit and Flex Pay options. No late fees and automatic payments make this as smooth as Canadian whiskey.
Alaska Airlines extends its West Coast chill to payment plans through Flex Pay, covering routes throughout North America with zero penalties for late payments.
Allegiant goes all-in with Flex Pay for not just flights, but complete vacation packages including hotels and car rentals—perfect for those “why not add everything?” moments.
American Airlines offers multiple BNPL options: Affirm for flights and seats (though not extras like baggage), PayPal Credit, and Citi Flex Pay for eligible cardholders. American Airlines Vacations also offers monthly payment plans.
Delta Air Lines caters to Amex cardholders with Plan It installments over three, six or 12 months. Book through Delta Vacations and Affirm stretches payments up to 24 months.
Emirates offers three-month payment plans if you book with select credit cards and accepts PayPal on a payment plan.
Frontier Airlines proves even budget carriers can get more budget-friendly with Flex Pay (minimum $49 purchase). No need to pay rock-bottom fares all at once!
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines takes a different with 72-hour fare holds for a small fee, plus it accepts PayPal Credit acceptance. Sometimes a few days to think a booking over is worth its weight in stroopwafels.
Lufthansa accepts PayPal, with special payment plan options for Colombian and Brazilian residents.
Porter Airlines brings Canadian politeness to payment flexibility with both Flex Pay and PayPal options across US and Canadian routes.
Qatar Airways offers 72-hour booking holds (except for flights from Brazil) for a non-refundable fee, plus it accepts PayPal Credit.
Southwest Airlines combines its famous customer service with Flex Pay flexibility and PayPal acceptance.
United Airlines provides Flex Pay and PayPal Credit options, plus FareLock service to hold fares for up to 14 days on United-operated flights.
WestJet offers Flex Pay and three-day fare holds for just $10 per passenger.
Online Travel Agencies Join the Party
Alternative Airlines is the overachiever of the group, offering payment plans on 600+ airlines worldwide through Affirm, PayPal, Afterpay, and Klarna with customizable weekly and monthly options.
CheapOair keeps it straightforward with Affirm monthly payments and PayPal acceptance.
Funjet Vacations leverages Flex Pay for complete vacation packages.
Priceline uses Affirm to split flight and vacation package costs at checkout.
How These Services Actually Work
Affirm offers the most flexibility, with payment plans up to 60 months, but interest rates vary wildly from 0% to 36% APR based on your credit rating. Available in the US, US territories, and Canada.
PayPal Credit provides six months interest-free for purchases over $149, then jumps to around 30% APR. Simple if you already use PayPal.
Flex Pay (formerly Uplift) dominates travel financing with 0% to 36% APR, zero late fees, and automatic payment options.
Klarna splits purchases into four interest-free payments or monthly installments up to 24 months, with APRs from 0% to 35%. Their browser extension makes checkout seamless.
Twist’s Take: BNPL has made travel accessible to more people by eliminating one of the biggest hurdles—upfront flight costs—but don’t let easy payments trick you into spending beyond your means.