Do you want financial freedom? Sure everyone wants that. That is why Sezzle is worth looking at; because it advertises as the way forward to achieving financial freedom.
The question is whether Sezzle, which is a“Buy Now, Pay Later” solution, is legit and does give financial freedom by empowering shoppers to buy now and pay later without stress. This Sezzle Review will answer this question and more, including “How to qualify for Sezzle?”, “What shops offer Sezzle?”, “Are there hidden fees?”, “Will Sezzle hurt your credit?”, etc.
What is Sezzle?
Sezzle is an interest-free payment solution that gives shoppers the freedom to buy now and pay later. It is owned by Sezzle Inc, a financial services company driven by its mission to financially empower the next generation of shoppers. The company which is headquartered in Minnesota, United States, was founded in January 2016, and has been a public company since July 2020.
Sezzle – Overview
- Owner: Sezzle Inc
- Founded: 2016
- Website: www.sezzle.com
- Address: 251 N 1st Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403, US
- Company Type: Public Company (Post IPO equity) – July 12, 2020
How does Sezzle Work?
Sezzle allows shoppers pay for their online orders in 4 interest-free instalments, which are spread over 6 weeks, rather than paying the full amount at once at the time of purchase.
When using Sezzle, your order amount will usually be divided into four equal amounts. The first part (25% of the Order total) is to be paid upfront, while the remaining three parts (25% of the Order each) is to be paid in 6 weeks, each due two weeks apart. Thus, Sezzle is not for you if you will need more than 6 weeks to pay off your purchase.
Sezzle is totally interest-free. Thus, what you’ll not have to pay anything on top of your Order amount. If the full amount of your order is $60. At the time of purchase, you’ll be required to make a $15 upfront payment. The remaining $45 will be paid over the next 6 weeks ($15 every 2 weeks).
However, know that when you pay with Sezzle during checkout, the merchant is paid in full for the order immediately. So, your order is processed as when you pay in full using your credit card; and you should receive delivery of your purchase within the merchants processing and shipping times. Thus, Sezzle does empower you financially to buy what you want, when you want. It is like an invisible friend that extends you credit to buy what you want now, but with a promise of paying back later.
How Sezzle Works – Overview
- It is a “Buy now pay later” app
- It allows your Order amount in 4 small instalments
- 25% of Order is paid upfront (at time of purchase)
- Every 2 weeks, 25% of Order is due (thus, you pay remaining 75% of Order over 6 weeks)
- No interest payment whatsoever
Sezzle Limits
While it will be fine to be able to place large orders, Sezzle is a bit restrictive in this regard. Especially for first-time shoppers, Sezzle typically approves only relatively small orders, around $50 – $100. Thus, the key to getting approval when starting new in Sezzle is to “start small” – place small orders. Then as you continue using Sezzle, and paying off purchases on time, you’ll be able to get approval for larger orders.
However, Sezzle does not show credit limits. To see your limits, you’ll have opt into an in-app service called Sezzle Up (more on this later). Not having access to limits may be off-putting, as you will not know upfront what order amount Sezzle will approve. You’ll need to wait for the approval decision after choosing Sezzle at checkout. The good thing though is that the approval decision comes very fast; you’ll know within a few seconds whether your order amount is within your credit limits and approved, or whether it exceeds your credit limits and is not approved.
Sezzle Limits – Overview
- Does not give access to limits
- Approves only relatively small orders for Sezzle newbies
- Furnishes instant approval decision
Does Sezzle Pay Automatically?
To ensure that payments of instalments are easy, Sezzle automatically debits you when your instalment payment is due. You just have to ensure that you have sufficient funds in the bank account or card linked to your Sezzle account.
The payment methods you can use with Sezzle include:
- Debit and credit cards
- Bank accounts
- Prepaid/ benefit cards (albeit, to pay off instalments, and not to place new orders)
Sezzle allows you to manage your instalment payments. If you cannot make your payment when they were originally scheduled, Sezzle allows you to reschedule the payment (moving it out up to two weeks from the originally scheduled date). In fact, Sezzle allows 3 reschedules per order.
Sezzle also allow you to pay off an order in full early. The process of doing is not very swift. There is no way to pay off an order in one lump sum, so you’ll have to pay off your instalments one by one. You’ll have to go to the “Order” in your Sezzle dashboard, and find the “Pay Now” button on an instalment (to pay “that” instalment). Only when an instalment is paid will you see the option to pay appear on the next instalment. Thus, if you’ve not paid any instalment, you’ll have to repeat the process three times to pay off an Order in full early.
Payments – Overview
- Accepts bank accounts, credit cards and debit cards
- Payments are automatically made on due dates
- It allows rescheduling of instalment payment (to up to 2 weeks from the originally scheduled date)
- 3 reschedules per order are allowed
- There is the option of paying off an order in full early
- An order cannot be paid off in full in one lump sum
Are there hidden fees when using Sezzle?
Sezzle is absolutely free to use, and interest-free. There are no hidden fees whatsoever. As long as you pay off your instalments on time, there are no fees at all.
However, Sezzle charge fees for two reasons – a payment fails, or more than one payment reschedule has been applied to an order.
For the former, if your card has expired or you have insufficient funds, and Sezzle is unable to process your instalment payment, a $10 fee is charged which is added to your payment. However, know that Sezzle will send you an alert before a payment is due, so you will not be caught unawares.
For the latter, Sezzle allows 3 reschedules per order, but only the first is free. The second and third time you’ll reschedule an instalment payment will attract a $5 fee each. You’ll also need to approve of this fee before the rescheduling will be approved.
Charges – Overview
- No hidden charges
- A $10 fee is charged when an instalment payment fails
- A $5 fee is charged after the first allowed payment reschedule
Will Sezzle affect your credit?
There’s good news here. Using Sezzle will not affect your credit score because Sezzle runs only a soft credit check.
However, there is an “upgrade” service called Sezzle Up which gives you access to view your limit, boost your limit, and allow you shop at stores exclusive to Sezzle Up Users. Joining Sezzle Up can affect your credit score, because it reports your payment behaviour to credit agencies. A history of timely payments on financial obligations will have a positive effect and actually build your credit, but a history of inability to meet your financial obligations on time will negatively affect your credit.
That said, using Sezzle will not affect your credit except you join Sezzle Up. While you can terminate your enrolment with Sezzle Up at any time, it will continue reporting your transactions up till 90 days after.
How do you qualify for Sezzle?
To qualify for Sezzle, you need to have a working email address, a valid U.S. mobile number, and an active U.S. bank account. You’ll also need to be at least 18 years (or at least 19 years if in Alabama).
If you meet these requirements, you can be on your way to Sezzle financial freedom by clicking “Sign up” in the website, and filling out the required information to complete the simple sign-up process. You can then proceed to shopping; and at checkout, simply select Sezzle as a payment method.
Sezzle also boasts of instant approval decision. It only takes a few seconds to get know if Sezzle will empower you for your shopping experience.
Where can you use Sezzle?
Sezzle allows you to shop in over 34,000 stores, which includes some of the biggest online stores like Target. You’ll find stores to shop men and women clothing, kids wear, shoes, accessories, home, sports and outdoors wear, active wear, wellness products, beauty, electronics, Art, pets’ products, and more. Of course, many of your favourite brands supports Sezzle, such as Alohas, Thursday Boot, Akira, etc.
However, while Sezzle continues to expand its coasts by gathering support from more stores, it still is not supported by some of the most popular stores such as Amazon, Macy’s, Walmart, Wayfair, etc. Thus, one big disadvantage of Sezzle when compared to other “buy now pay later” services is its relatively low usage coverage.
How to contact Sezzle?
It should be assuring to know that if you have any concerns or issues with any of Sezzle’s services, you can contact Sezzle and it will address it as soon as possible.
It supports an email service, allowing you to contact Sezzle via support@sezzle.com. A phone service is also supported. You can call +1 (888) 540-1867. However, the phone service is not available round the clock, but only between 9 AM to 5 PM, Central Time.
Sezzle Promo Codes
Sezzle usually have different exciting promotions. For example, there is the Sezzle Spend which is a form of credit issued to Sezzle users for various reasons. You’ll find Sezzle Spend in your dashboard if issued to you.
You can use it at any time in your Sezzle’s payment gateway. It will be applied to the final instalment on your payment plan, with the effect of reducing the amount of that final instalment. For example, if your order total is $60, and your Sezzle Spend totals $5. The down payment, first instalment payment, and second instalment payment will be $15 each, but the third instalment payment will be $10.
Alternatives of Sezzle
One question people ask is whether Sezzle is like AfterPay. The answer is yes. Sezzle is just one player in the “buy now, pay later” apps field, of which AfterPay is a leading player.
Apart from AfterPay, some other payment services that you can use as alternative of Sezzle include: Affirm, Klarna, and Splitit
Conclusion, Pros & Cons
The “buy now, pay later” app, Sezzle, has an excellent 4.8/ 5 rating in Trustpilot. Its high rating by users is understandable.
Sezzle does well on its declared mission to financially empower the next generation of shoppers, as it allows shoppers make purchases, and pay off in 4 interest-free instalments over 6 weeks. As can be seen below, the pros of Sezzle outweigh the cons.
Pros
- Empowers shoppers to buy now and pay later
- Can be used in some 34,000 stores
- Furnishes instant approval decision
- Does not charge Interest or hidden fees
- Offers easy sign up and simple payment plans
- Carries out only soft checks that does not affect credit score
- Allows you move out instalment payments (up to 2 weeks from original due date)
Cons
- Available only to shoppers in the US
- Does not give access to limits
- Approves relatively small orders for starters
- Charges fees for failed payment
- You cannot pay off purchases early in one lump sum
