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Microsoft is introducing a new feature in Edge allowing customers to pay for e-commerce transactions in instalments – and not everybody is happy.
The ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) feature is, controversially, integrated at the browser level, thanks to a partnership with third-party payments provider Zip, formerly QuadPay.
The option is similar to those already offered by many e-commerce sites and web payment providers such as PayPal.
It allows any purchase between $35 and $1,000 made through Microsoft Edge to be split into four payments over a six-week period.
The option appears at the point of checkout as an alternative to a credit or debit card number. Linking a Microsoft account to a Zip account will apparently make the purchase process quicker.
While the service is being promoted as ‘interest-free’, some were quick to point out that all transactions are subject to a “$4 flat fee”.
The new buy now, pay later feature is currently available in Microsoft Edge Canary and Dev channels and, says Microsoft, will be available by default to all users in Microsoft Edge release 96, expected later this month.
The company is currently asking for feedback – but what it’s getting is far from positive.
Microsoft pushes ahead with controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ feature for Edge browser
‘It’s like you’re recapitulating the worst IE browser extensions and installing them by default’, grumbles one user
