Dua Lipa performs on stage at Ziggo Dome on June 4, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The singer is set to perform in Canada this summer.Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Canadian music fans purchasing tickets to Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Rüfüs Du Sol or any number of other artists descending on the country this summer likely saw a bolded memo at checkout.
“Pay in full or split your payments with buy now, pay later options,” reads a message on Ticketmaster’s online checkout beneath the credit card field.
The world’s largest ticket seller, along with countless live events vendors and venues, has offered some form of “buy now, pay later” financing since 2018.
But the number of people taking advantage of this option, which breaks up payments into weekly or monthly installments, has soared, along with the number of retailers offering it.
An earnings supplement from Affirm, one of the world’s largest buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers, showed that the use of its service for travel and ticketing, including concerts, by users in Canada, the U.S. and Britain grew 26 per cent year-over-year in its most recent quarter ending March 31.
Meanwhile, U.S. data from LendingTree, a marketplace for lending, found that 18 per cent of BNPL users in April said they had used the loan to buy a ticket to a live event. That’s up from 7 per cent in 2022.
It may be a sign of more stress among debt-burdened consumers. But it’s also a potential lifeline for a struggling industry.
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“BNPL allows retailers in the concerts and live events space to sell tickets to people who do not have a credit card or may have exhausted their credit limit,” said Vivek Astvansh, associate professor of quantitative marketing and analytics at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management.
The rise of BNPL comes at a time when the live events and concerts industry is struggling in many respects.
In January, an economic report from the Canadian Live Music Association found that budget-conscious concertgoers were getting pickier about which shows they attended and spending less money at events.
Plummeting alcohol sales hit venues and performers hard, with Canadian alcohol consumption falling 8 per cent since 2008.
“People are spending less when they actually do come to venues,” said Carlos Robayo, director of finance and administration at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines, Ont. He said that artist, building and operating venue costs have increased too.
Adding to those challenges are declining corporate sponsorships and a trend of concertgoers buying tickets at the very last moment, said Erin Benjamin, the Canadian Live Music Association’s president and CEO.
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A small fraction of big-name acts such as Taylor Swift saw soaring ticket prices in recent years, with fans struggling to afford Eras tour ticket prices in Canada, which hovered at a minimum of $1,690 on resale sites.
By the end of last year, gross profit from the top 100 tours surpassed the 2023 total by 3.6 per cent, while ticket sales were down one per cent. Growth came from increases in average ticket prices, according to Pollstar.
Other venues have struggled, though. Several concerts and festivals were cancelled in the past two years, including the Muskoka Music Festival and Just for Laughs in 2024 – both due to financial straits.
In this environment, BNPL can open the door to customers who might have otherwise opted out of attending concerts.
Merchants “use it because it makes them more money,” said Elizabeth Mulholland, CEO of Prosper Canada, a charity promoting financial empowerment-focused policies and resources.
In fact, 2021 RBC Capital Markets data found that BNPL raises a retailer’s sales conversion rate by 20 to 30 per cent on average.
While Ms. Benjamin couldn’t quantify the scale of the trend, she said members of the Canadian Live Music Association have reported an increase in BNPL usage.
One analysis from Billboard Pro, an entertainment industry publication, showed that roughly 60 per cent of general admission ticket buyers for the 2025 Coachella music festival – where tickets start at around $820 – used buy now, pay later financing.
While this loan can open doors to customers who might have otherwise opted out due to cost, the service isn’t always “interest-free.”
At Coachella, a US$600 ticket required about a $50 down payment and a roughly $40 upfront fee, said Ed deHaan, a professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
“[You’re] paying $41 to borrow $550,” he said over e-mail. This might seem like a 7.5 per cent interest rate. “The catch, though, is that these are short-term loans.”
If a buyer pays off this loan in three months, the annualized rate is over 30 per cent. “That’s a lot of interest,” he said.
While BNPL carries many risks for consumers – compounding loans and interest as high as 30 per cent for late payments, for example – it also has drawbacks for retailers, including fees up to 8 per cent per transaction.
“The point of BNPL is to induce consumers to buy more...this is why companies are willing to pay high fees to fintech companies,” said Gail Henderson, director of the Business Law Program at Queen University’s law department.
Worldwide, BNPL payments amounted to US$340-billion in 2024, “a remarkably high” number for a payment option that took off in 2021, said Mr. Astvansh, with McGill.
Consider Klarna: In March, 2024, nearly 76,000 Canadians used the BNPL app; in March, 2025, that increased to 144,00, “an almost 100 per cent hike.”
The average concertgoer is also between 18 to 41 years-old, an age-group more vulnerable to the pitfalls of buy now, pay later.
This group is more likely to have less savings and more debt, said Ms. Mulholland.
And yet, Gen Z and Millennials constitute 72 per cent of BNPL users in Canada, according to Mr. Astvansh.
May data from LendingTree found that 40 per cent of BNPL users reported paying late in the past year – up from 34 per cent previously.
