HOW TO USE AFFIRM TO PAY FOR YOUR NEXT FLIGHT

Ever wondered how you can make your next big travel purchase via monthly installments? Well this quick how to guide is for you! This is perfect for the budget traveler that may not have it *all* right now but will have it later, including those who also may not have credit cards just yet but are eager to travel. I don’t know about you, but any chance that I have to pay for a big purchase in installments? Sign me up! Read further on how to pay for flights monthly for as low as $60 or less.

I frequently use both Klarna and Afterpay for a variety of purchases within beauty, clothing, and even my groceries. Used wisely, these companies provide interest free installment options giving people the opportunity to budget with each paycheck. I’ve also seen the ability to purchase your flights with Affirm, but have never figured out how to do it until now! So if you know you are trying to plan a future vacation using Affirm is a perfect way to pay for it monthly while still staying within your budget.

What’s perfect about using Affirm is that once you learn how to pay for your flights in installments, you can apply the same method to any website of your choosing that may not offer Affirm, Afterpay, or Klarna at checkout. I absolutely love when a website that I’m shopping on offers these automatically, but some companies do not offer it at checkout. But that has all change now with the Affirm app.

You can use Affirm for majority of airlines based in the United States, Priceline, Expedia, Royal Caribbean cruises, and more!

So first things first, download the Affirm app and let's get to it!

DOWNLOAD THE AFFIRM APP

After you download the Affirm app, just like anything else, you set up your account and enter your information. Once you enter your information, Affirm will be able to provide you a approved credit line without checking your credit score. This approved credit line is how much money you are eligible to spend through Affirm.

I was approved to spend up to $6000. Now that doesn’t mean that I will go and start spending money crazily, BUT that if I need to make a large purchase or several purchases at once, that I have up to that specific amount to spend and pay back overtime. I recently purchased a lovely bright teal suitcase set from Sams Club featuring TSA locks, garment bag organizers, and USB port. I am paying this off in 4 bi-weekly installments interest free and now have $5,840 remaining to spend on other purchases. Once I fulfill my 4 bi-weekly installment payments, my eligible total will go back up to $6,000.

See how much your eligible for in the Affirm app!

GREAT YOU'RE APPROVED! FIND A FLIGHT DEAL

Give yourself a congratulatory high five because this can be a game changer for your next travel adventure! Let's put this baby in test drive and see the magic work. For this example I'm going to use a flight deal I found on Google Flights to show you how to use your approved amount. I always check Google Flights to compare the best flight prices depending on my travel destination and dates. For a quick search from Nashville (BNA) to Turks and Caicos (PLS) I found a nice deal for $347 in May!

REVIEW YOUR AFFIRM HOMEPAGE

Now that you've found a great flight deal let's go over what you're looking at in the Affirm app. Once your account is setup you should see the following on your homepage:

1. SHOP: you will see on the app that you have a variety of websites that you can visit that are automatically connected with Affirm. From my homepage I can visit Amazon, Sams Club or Expedia all through the app and checkout with Affirm for them to pay on my behalf and setup my payment schedule.
2. CARD: Once you are approved for the eligible amount, you will be assigned a virtual card. This essentially acts as a credit card where you have a specific credit line that you have to pay back monthly. You will use this virtual card to checkout through the app for some websites.
3. MANAGE: Manage all of your purchases and see your upcoming payments that are due bi-weekly, or monthly. Including your progress towards paying it off, or even the ability to pay it off early. The goal is to always manage your payment schedule wisely and make sure you are making your payments on time. This means still making travel purchases within your means or budget so you don't overextend your wallet.

FIND YOUR FLIGHT DEAL IN THE AFFIRM APP

In the search bar, you will add your favorite airline that you plan on purchasing the ticket through.

Note that your eligible amount may change depending on which website you are shopping on. Below my eligible amount changed to $5,000 max spend out of my remaining $5,840(another business class ticket perhaps?!) through American Airlines. They also remind me to click "Pay with Affirm" at checkout to make sure I can choose my payment plan.  

After clicking "shop online" it will proceed to the American Airlines website and you will enter the flight information you found on Google flights. Select the exact flight legs to match the price deal. You'll confirm your trip summary and enter your passenger details and information.

CHOOSE YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENT PLAN

After entering your passenger information and choosing your seats, you'll be brought to the final payment page. This is where you will either click the blue "Pay with Affirm" button or choose one of the options the airline's website provides. In this case, by going through the Affirm app, American Airlines already indicates a "Monthly Payments" option for me to select.

Once you click "Continue with Affirm" you will be brought to the final purchase amount. As you can see below I have a variety of payment plan options that may include interest or are interest free. Below I am offered to pay off my flight in either 3, 6 or 12 months. In 6 months I can pay $61/mo or as low as $32/mo for 12 months. The interest amount will depend on total purchase price and remember you can always pay it off early which will affect your overall remaining scheduled payment totals.

After choosing your purchasing plan, Affirm will pay on your behalf, and everything will be confirmed as normal through the website! So congrats, you’ve just purchased your first flight for as low as $60 down!

CELEBRATE - YOU JUST BOOKED YOUR NEXT VACATION!

How amazing is this? My jaw dropped when it finally clicked and I figured it out so I had to rush and write a blog so everyone knows how to use this. I always heard that you can pay for flights or hotels with Affirm but never understood how to do it until now. I was missing a key part of the process which was literally just downloading the Affirm app. Like wow are you kidding me!

This can apply to downloading the Klarna and Afterypay apps as well creating endless opportunities to pay monthly for any website. What a relief to know that I am not limited or forced to pay full price for big purchases if I don't have to. We love options over this way ;)

I know a lot of people that find affordable flights, but may not have all of the money at once in order to pay. Or have to have the physical cash in their debit accounts because they may not have credit cards in order to add big purchases to. If you still budget correctly and find just enough money for the first initial payment, this can be a game changer, and increase your ability to travel the world. Because after all - to travel is to live.

I hope this quick blog helped you understand how to maximize your travel adventures by putting flights on a monthly payment plan that works within your budget. With this knowledge, I hope more people are able to afford to travel whether it’s starting off with just one vacation per year or having the ability to go on more planned vacations.

On top of that when you catch a deal on Scott’s cheap flight emails or are scourging Google Flights, you won’t have to decide sacrificing something else to afford a banging flight deal. Instead you can make healthier decisions on what you can afford monthly by going on the Affirm app to make just the first down payment. In this way you can still take advantage of the cheap flight deal and avoid feeling like you missed out.

Let me know if you've used Affirm for a previous vacation or if you're new to this knowledge and ready to use it on your next travel adventure!