News item | 14-05-2025 | 6:03 AM
More than thirty percent of Dutch young people sometimes use the possibility to pay after an online purchase afterwards. Most young people only want to pay if something is delivered or want to be able to return it without paying. On the other hand, they are afraid of making debts or losing the grip on their money. Six in ten young people think it is not a good idea to also pay in physical stores afterwards.
This is apparent from a flash poll among 677 young people aged 16 to 21 from research agency IPSOS I&O. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and Wijzer in Geldzaken had the poll carried out in the context of the ‘Pay later Kater’ campaign. Both organizations point young people with the campaign “How do you prevent a payment later?” Pay on the risks from afterwards to prevent money worries and debts.
On Wednesday 14 May, State Secretary Jurgen Nobel will visit a School for Practical Education in The Hague in the context of the campaign. During this visit he hand out ‘sour aftertaste ice cream’ to students. The State Secretary does this together with Christian Meijer from Wijzer in Geldzaken and young people who themselves have negative experiences with paying afterwards. The ice creams taste sweet first, but then soon sour. A flyer is stuck on the ice cream with useful tips to prevent payment arrears.
State Secretary Jurgen Nobel: “Paying afterwards is becoming increasingly seductive. With a few clicks you get the most beautiful things in the house, even if you don’t have a balance. It seems handy, but don’t spend money that you don’t actually have.”
Reminders and extra costs
The cabinet and the House of Representatives are worried about the increasing number of transactions with afterwards paying apps. According to figures from the AFM, hundreds of thousands of minors use this, while that is only legally allowed from the age of eighteen. This can lead to payment arrears and extra costs. The flash poll shows that one in seven young people has paid too late when paying afterwards. One in ten of them then had a reminder or to do with additional costs. A quarter of the young people surveyed know someone who has had money problems after paying after paying.
New rules and age check
The government sees the introduction of a European directive, foreseen in 2026, as the fastest and most complete measure to protect consumers against the risks of paying afterwards. Providers of ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ (BNPL) must, among other things, carry out a creditworthiness assessment under this revised guideline (including a BKR test) and meet rules with regard to provision of information and advertisements. There will also be a legally required age check.
Pay afterwards in physical stores
The flash poll shows that six in ten (61%) young people do not think paying afterwards in the shopping streets. This is possible in some stores since the beginning of this year. “Paying afterwards is already a problem, which means that people end up in debt. This will only make the problems worse,” says one of the young people. “This is more likely to be tempted to spend money they don’t have,” says another. Most say they never use this (77%). The government has previously called on providers from afterwards not to make these services in the shopping streets possible.
Afraid of debts
Of the young people who sometimes use payment afterwards (31% of young people), a quarter use it regularly. Five percent always pays a product afterwards. Most do it because they do not yet know if they want to keep the product and then can return it without paying. Young people also want to pay afterwards because they do not want to have paid a risk, while a product has not yet been delivered. They also want to pay at a time that suits them better. Young people who do not want to keep a grip on their expenses (74%), are afraid to make debts (41%) or do not want to be tempted to buy things they do not need (30%). , “If I can’t afford it now, how do I know for sure that I can pay it later?” Says a respondent.
Pay a hangover later
During the ‘How do you prevent a payment later’, videos are shown on social media with the ‘payment later’ in the lead role. That is a grumpy hangover that stays on your things as long as you have not paid the bill. Through the website jegelddebaas.nl, young people receive tips to prevent a payment-Later hangover. Young people with money problems are also pointed out that they can go anonymously at Geldfit.nl for help, via the number 0800-8115.
View all Results of the flash poll And for images of the campaign ‘How do you prevent a payment later?’.