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Getting Started with Buy Now, Pay Later with Affirm

Jamie B
Jamie B
• Updated

Vagaro has partnered with Affirm to enhance payment flexibility for your clients. This integration allows customers to pay for your products, packages, memberships, and services in installments, while your business receives the full payment upfront (minus a processing fee). Also, if a customer misses a payment or defaults, your business is not affected.

  • Processing Fee: A 6% + $0.30 fee is applied per Affirm transaction.

  • Affirm Customer Support: Customers can obtain assistance directly from Affirm at affirm.com/help.

  • Transaction Limits: Customers can use Affirm for purchases ranging from $50 to $30,000. Affirm finances up to $20,000; for purchases exceeding this, customers may make a down payment of up to $10,000 to cover the difference.

  • Deposit Time: Funds from Affirm transactions follow your regular batch schedule and are typically deposited within one business day.

  • Only Available in the United States: Currently, Buy Now, Pay Later with Affirm is only available in the United States. Businesses in Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom do not have access to this feature.

Customers will see Affirm as a payment option when browsing your service menu or when you process payments in-house. If you require a deposit at checkout, customers can use Affirm to cover the deposit. When the deposit is less than 100% of the total cost, they can also pay the remaining balance with Affirm, provided the purchase meets your minimum payment requirement.

affirm_option_web_2x.png

Disclaimer

Payment options through Affirm are subject to an eligibility check, may not be available everywhere, and are provided by these lending partners: affirm.com/lenders.

Prerequisites: This feature requires Credit Card Processing.

Is Buy Now, Pay Later Activated for My Business?

Buy Now, Pay Later is automatically turned on for businesses with Credit Card Processing active, so you can start accepting Affirm payments right away. To give you more control over how this payment option is used, we recommend setting a minimum purchase limit for Affirm transactions.

To set a minimum limit for purchases:

  1. Go to Buy Now, Pay Later:

    • Phone: Select More This is an icon used to go to the More initial navigation step on the Vagaro website and the Vagaro Pro app. → Settings → Buy Now, Pay Later.

    • Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro: Select Settings gear → Buy Now, Pay Later.

  2. Enter the minimum purchase amount in the Min field.

Deactivate Buy Now, Pay Later

Affirm can be deactivated at any time, irrespective of outstanding loan payments.

To deactivate Affirm:

  1. Go to Buy Now, Pay Later:

    • Phone: Select More This is an icon used to go to the More initial navigation step on the Vagaro website and the Vagaro Pro app. → Settings → Buy Now, Pay Later.

    • Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro: Select Settings gear → Buy Now, Pay Later.

  2. Select Deactivate.

  3. Select Deactivate again to confirm.

Reactivate Buy Now, Pay Later

Before you can start accepting payments with Affirm, you must activate Buy Now, Pay Later.

To activate this feature

  1. Go to Buy Now, Pay Later:

    • Phone: Select More This is an icon used to go to the More initial navigation step on the Vagaro website and the Vagaro Pro app. → Settings → Buy Now, Pay Later.

    • Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro: Select Settings gear → Buy Now, Pay Later.

  2. Select Activate.

  3. Upon activation, set the minimum payment amount for Affirm transactions.

  4. Select Save.

Employees and Booth Renters

All employees and booth renters are enrolled for Buy Now, Pay Later. No action required. However, keep the following in mind:

  • Commissions for Affirm transactions are calculated from the total sale amount of Affirm transactions. The processing fee is not excluded.

  • If multiple merchant accounts are selected at checkout, funds are split based on the service price.

  • Employees with their own merchant account can't turn this feature on or off for themselves.

Refund Buy Now, Pay Later Purchases

All refunds for Affirm transactions must be processed back to the original payment method:

  • A refund will be posted to the customer’s Affirm account after the refund request is processed. Affirm does not refund any paid interest. A refund credit will appear in the customer’s bank account within three to ten business days, depending on their bank's processing time.

  • Refunds will be deducted from deposits the following business day. The processing fee won't be refunded.

  • Do not refund Affirm purchases with cash or gift cards to prevent duplicate refunds or uncredited customer accounts.

  • You can't partially refund an Affirm transaction.

Buy Now, Pay Later in Reports

Any transactions made with Buy Now, Pay Later are included in your Vagaro reports.

You can find Buy Now, Pay Later reporting in:

Use these reports to track how much you've made through Affirm and any fees you've paid.

Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • Max Reynoso

    6% is way to much for this feature 

    -3
  • Jamie B

    Hi Max, 

    The 6% fee is standard for this type of service. Competitors offering similar buy now, pay later options charge comparable or higher rates. Many businesses see that the increase in average ticket size and the ability to attract more customers more than make up for the fee.

    Thanks, Jamie

    0
  • Amie McCormick

    What is the refund policy with this? I haven't had many disputes but I have had a couple membership contracts end early and dispute the early termination fee and end up winning the dispute which cost me money, even though there was a legal contract with their signature. Vagaro still sided with the client. I would like to add this option for packages but I don't want to have a half used package fully refunded and lose my time and money. My business has a clear NO REFUND Policy but that doesn't always seem to matter. Can I get some insight on this?

    0
  • Jamie B
    Edited

    Hi Amie,

    Thanks for sharing this, and I'm sorry those disputes cost you time and money. That's frustrating, especially when you had a signed contract in place.

    One important clarification: Vagaro doesn't decide disputes or side with the client. When a client files a dispute, the bank or lender reviews the evidence from both sides and makes the final decision. This applies to Affirm as well. Any client who pays with Affirm can file a dispute, just like with a credit card.

    You can't prevent a client from filing a dispute, but you can put yourself in a much stronger position to win one:

    1. Collect signed forms. Have clients sign a form or agreement at the time of purchase that states your refund and cancellation terms. Keep a copy on file so you can submit it as evidence.
    2. Make your policy highly visible. Post your cancellation and refund policy where clients will see it before they buy, such as on your booking page, at checkout, on receipts, and in your business. The easier it is to show that the client saw and agreed to the policy, the better.
    3. Keep records of service. For packages, track each session the client has used. If a client disputes a partly used package, records of completed services help show that you delivered what they paid for.
    4. Respond quickly to disputes. Submit your evidence before the deadline. Include the signed form, your posted policy, and proof of services used.

    These steps don't guarantee every outcome, but they give the bank clear evidence to support your side.

     

    Thanks, 

    Jamie

    0

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