Citizens Advice's response to the FCA's announcement on Buy Now Pay Later

Responding to the FCA’s announcement on new protections for Buy Now Pay Later consumers, Tom MacInnes, Director of Policy at Citizens Advice, said:

“Having pushed for change for so long, it’s a relief to see the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) follow through in proposing better protections for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) consumers. 

“With virtually no oversight, the booming BNPL market continues to leave people struggling to repay credit they can’t afford, falling behind on essential bills with many needing emergency support, like food bank vouchers.

“This is a long overdue opportunity to get regulation right. The FCA and firms must now have a laser-like focus on turning these proposals into good outcomes for consumers.”

Additional information

  • In 2024, Citizens Advice helped 5,534 people with a BNPL issue, more than three times the amount of people helped in the whole of 2022. 

  • Up until the end of June 2025, the charity helped 3,798 people with a BNPL issue. This is an increase of 48% from the same period in 2024 (when it saw 2,565 people). 

  • Dealing with debt repayments is still the main issue among those who come to Citizens Advice for help with BNPL (82% of clients with a BNPL issue in 2025).

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Notes to editors:

  1. Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.

  2. Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. 

  3. Citizens Advice helped 2.68 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2023-24. And we had 51.7 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.

  4. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,000 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 service outlets across England and Wales.

  5. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers. 

  6. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.