Affirm, a leading payment company headquartered in London, has forged a powerful alliance with UATP—the global payment network backed by the world’s major airlines. This Affirm-UATP partnership puts Affirm’s flexible installment plans at the fingertips of UATP’s extensive network, spanning airlines, rail services, and travel agencies across the U.S., U.K., and Canada.

As demand for flexible payment solutions in travel surges, this collaboration gives UATP merchants a major edge, empowering their customers to break up travel expenses into manageable, transparent payments. No late fees. No hidden costs. Just simple, smart financing.

For UATP, this means more completed checkouts, higher conversions, and boosted revenue. For travelers, it builds trust, confidence, and loyalty, with crystal-clear pricing and quick, hassle-free eligibility checks. This isn’t just a payment option—it’s a game-changer for the travel industry.

Key Takeaways

• Affirm’s pay-over-time installment plans are being integrated into UATP’s global payment network, allowing airlines, rail operators, and travel agencies to offer flexible financing directly at checkout.
• Eligible customers can choose from personalized installment plans ranging from short-term, interest-free options to 36-month terms, with APRs starting at 0%. All plans include transparent pricing and no late fees.
• The partnership gives travel brands a tool to increase bookings and raise average order values, especially as consumer demand softens. Affirm data shows that merchants offering financing typically see a 70% lift in order value and reduced cart abandonment.
• By offering an alternative to traditional credit cards, Affirm and UATP aim to make travel more affordable and less stressful, especially for consumers looking to avoid revolving debt or high-interest charges.

Affirm-UATP Partnership to Bring Pay-Over-Time Financing to Global Travel Merchants

On May 1, 2025, Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM) announced a strategic global partnership with the Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP), the payment network owned and operated by the world’s leading airlines.

This collaboration integrates Affirm’s flexible, transparent pay-over-time financing directly into UATP’s network, enabling thousands of travel merchants – including airlines, rail carriers, and travel agencies—to offer customers the option to finance travel expenses in installments. Affirm is a leading point-of-sale financing provider whose travel and ticketing business grew 40 percent year-over-year as of December 31, 2024, while UATP has long served as the premier payment network for airline-centric transactions worldwide.

With Affirm’s transparent financing model and UATP’s established global infrastructure, the partnership will modernize travel payments, enhance consumer affordability, and boost booking conversions amid ongoing market uncertainties.

Under the agreement, merchants on the UATP network will integrate Affirm’s pay-over-time options directly into their booking and checkout flows, allowing customers to split travel expenses into equal, manageable payments without hidden or late fees.

After a quick, soft credit check to determine eligibility, consumers can select from customized payment plans with term lengths ranging from short-term, interest-free installments to longer-term financing of up to 36 months, with rates starting as low as 0 percent APR. At launch, UATP merchants in the U.S., U.K., and Canada can access integration details and merchant support resources via dedicated web pages provided by Affirm and UATP.

In late 2024, Affirm expanded its partnership with Priceline to enable pay-over-time financing across one of the world’s largest online travel agencies. Additionally, in August 2024, Hotels.com integrated Affirm’s pay-later solution into its booking flow, allowing consumers to split hotel costs into installments.

By choosing Affirm at checkout, travelers can book flights, accommodations, and ancillary services immediately, then spread the cost over time in equal installments that align with their cash-flow needs.

Unlike traditional credit cards, which often impose compounding interest and hidden fees, Affirm’s model guarantees a transparent fee structure with no penalties for on-time payments, reducing financial stress and improving budgeting predictability.

The ability to finance travel purchases mitigates sticker shock and encourages itinerary upgrades, enabling travelers to consider premium seating, additional services, or extended stays. This flexibility can also reduce reliance on high-interest credit cards, potentially leading to lower default rates and a more inclusive payment landscape.

Merchants on the UATP network stand to benefit from increased average order values and improved conversion metrics when offering pay-over-time options. Affirm’s merchant analytics indicate that retailers generally see a 70 percent increase in average order value and a 28 percent reduction in cart abandonment when financing is available at checkout. Affirm reports that over 90 percent of its transactions come from repeat users, meaning the loyalty generated by its platform among travelers who value financial flexibility.

Not only this, but transparent pricing and straightforward eligibility checks can also result in deeper customer trust and repeat bookings, driving long-term revenue growth for travel brands. Merchants can also leverage promotional financing offers, such as zero-interest holiday campaigns, to spur incremental demand during off-peak travel windows.

The partnership is unfolding against a backdrop of softening consumer demand across the travel sector. In early May 2025, American Airlines withdrew its full-year guidance due to persistent softness in domestic travel demand and broader economic headwinds. Delta Air Lines reported “solid” first-quarter results but noted that growth stalled amid global economic uncertainties. European carriers—including Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, and Virgin Atlantic—have all reported declines in U.S.-bound bookings attributed to factors such as American border policy changes, tariffs, and overall economic volatility.

UATP data further indicates that 44 percent of consumers will abandon a transaction if their preferred payment method is unavailable, underscoring the critical need for diverse, consumer-friendly payment options. Post-pandemic travel rebounds are leveling off, and discretionary spending remains under pressure, making financing solutions an attractive lever to reignite bookings.

UATP has previously collaborated with multiple buy-now-pay-later and installment payment providers to diversify its payment offerings. In September 2024, UATP partnered with BNPL provider Klarna to enable flexible airline payment options via its network. Earlier, in April 2021, UATP expanded its arrangement with PayPal to include the “Pay In 4” installment solution for airfare purchases.

In March 2019, UATP teamed with Uplift to offer installment payments for travelers booking flights and accommodations. By partnering with multiple BNPL providers, UATP has positioned itself as a neutral facilitator that accommodates both legacy and innovative payment methods, ensuring member merchants can tailor financing offerings to diverse consumer preferences.

Max Levchin, Founder and CEO of Affirm, emphasized the consumer benefits of the collaboration, noting that travel accounts for 10% of global spending, and it can often be both costly and stressful. Traditional credit options only add to the burden with hidden fees and unnecessary complexity. He stated that people deserve better, and this partnership with UATP will deliver exactly that: the transparent, flexible payment solutions that Affirm is known for, offered as a turn-key option for leading travel brands. He added that they’re excited to help make travel a little less stressful for everyone while supporting growth across the industry.

Ralph Kaiser, President and CEO of UATP, added that partnering with Affirm will make travel more accessible for customers who prefer not to use traditional credit cards. He emphasized that travelers are increasingly seeking safer, alternative payment options, and this collaboration meets that demand by offering a solution that hasn’t been available to them until now.

Affirm’s travel and ticketing segment experienced nearly 40 percent year-over-year growth through the end of 2024, which shows consumer uptake of pay-over-time financing in the travel industry. The company has extended credit to over 50 million consumers globally, with repeat transactions accounting for more than 90 percent of volume, illustrating strong consumer satisfaction and platform stickiness.

From a merchant perspective, data indicates that adding Affirm can boost average order values by up to 70 percent while reducing cart abandonment rates by approximately 28 percent, critical performance indicators for travel operators aiming to optimize conversion.

Merchants participating in the UATP network can integrate Affirm’s pay-over-time option into their online and mobile booking channels through a simple onboarding process supported by UATP and Affirm technical teams. During checkout, customers select Affirm, complete a quick eligibility check based on a soft credit inquiry, and immediately view personalized payment plan options, ranging up to 36 months at rates starting from 0 percent APR, all displayed with clear terms and no hidden fees.

This seamless process preserves the merchant’s booking flow and minimizes friction by eliminating the need for customers to leave the checkout page or complete lengthy applications, thereby enhancing overall user satisfaction.

Affirm also recently partnered with Costco to offer members similar payment flexibility. Through this collaboration (similar to that with UATP), Costco shoppers can now split eligible purchases into 36 monthly installments, making it easier to manage larger expenses with transparent, predictable payments.

About Affirm

Affirm Holdings, Inc., founded in 2012 by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin with Nathan Gettings, Jeffrey Kaditz, and Alex Rampell, is redefining the future of finance. Headquartered in San Francisco and publicly traded on NASDAQ under AFRM, Affirm is a powerhouse in financial technology.

The company runs a cutting-edge point-of-sale payment network and offers innovative financial products—including installment loans, a modern debit card, and a high-yield savings account—serving customers across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Affirm isn’t just offering alternatives to traditional credit—it’s reshaping how people pay, save, and spend. By underwriting each transaction with a mix of credit data and machine-learning models, and charging no late or hidden fees, Affirm has grown into the largest U.S.-based “buy now, pay later” lender, serving 22 million users and 358,000 merchant partners and processing $28 billion in payments annually.

Affirm went public on January 13, 2021, raising about $1.2 billion in its initial offering. In fiscal 2024, the company generated $2.32 billion in revenue but posted a net loss of $518 million as it continued to invest in technology and expansion, supported by $9.52 billion in assets and $2.73 billion in equity.

To fuel growth beyond North America, Affirm launched in the U.K. in November 2024—its first market outside the Americas—offering both interest-free and interest-bearing installment plans at merchants such as Alternative Airlines and Fexco. In early 2025, it extended its exclusive Shopify partnership into Canada and partnered with FIS to integrate its “Affirm Card” pay-over-time solutions into banking clients’ offerings—moves that underscore CEO Max Levchin and CFO Robert O’Hare’s drive to scale the business responsibly on a global stage.

About UATP

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Universal Air Travel Plan, Inc. (UATP) is a global closed-loop payment network dedicated exclusively to travel-related corporate expenses, including airline, hotel, rail, and travel agency payments. Established in 1936 as the Air Travel Card by American Airlines and the Air Transport Association, UATP pioneered a buy-now, pay-later model for ticket purchases and has since evolved into a multicarrier network owned and operated by a consortium of global airlines. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in Los Angeles, São Paulo, Miami, New Delhi, Beijing, Geneva, Tokyo, and Singapore, UATP issues cards through participating airlines and travel management companies to corporate account holders worldwide.

UATP’s core product suite includes the Travel Protection Plans, UATP Corporate Card, and comprehensive payment and data solutions—such as DataStream®, DataMine®, DataView®, and Ceptor®—that streamline transaction processing, reporting, and reconciliation for issuers and account holders. Serving over 300 airlines, rail networks, and travel agencies—accounting for approximately 97 % of scheduled global available seat kilometers—UATP processes around $15 billion in annual payments, delivering secure and efficient financial technology to thousands of corporations and merchants.

Under the leadership of President and CEO Ralph Kaiser, who has more than doubled network charge volume to over $18 billion since 2003, UATP continues to expand its ecosystem through strategic partnerships—including integrations with B2B airfare aggregator Mystifly and Uber Wallet—to enhance payment flexibility and data transparency for corporate clients.

Conclusion

The Affirm–UATP partnership marks a major step forward in reshaping how travel is paid for in today’s economic climate. With Affirm’s installment plans now accessible through the UATP network, merchants gain a tool that meets evolving customer expectations while helping improve conversions and revenue.

Travelers, in turn, get more financial flexibility and clearer cost control without relying on traditional credit cards. As economic pressures continue to affect consumer spending, this collaboration offers a practical solution that benefits both merchants and customers while modernizing the payment experience across the global travel sector.