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QVC Easy Pay lets you buy now and pay later—but is it worth it?

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I can’t be the only one who coped with this seemingly million-year winter with a little retail therapy. Splurging is fun—but at the same time, I’ve learned from experience that the enjoyment of treating myself can turn into buyer’s remorse and financial anxiety if I’m not careful. Knowing this, I try to spread my spending gradually throughout the year and avoid sinking loads of cash into a single purchase.

One of the obvious ways to do this is to take advantage of payment plans. It feels like more and more retailers are rolling out these features, with platforms like Afterpay and Affirm offering financing options, and some retailers have their own version of this. QVC has been using its own in-house installment payment plan known as Easy Pay for years with both TV watchers and online shoppers. I tend to be interested in payment plans, but cautious about them—there’s nothing worse than discovering extra fees or punitive fine print after you’ve already checked out.

That's why it's important to examine each payment plan individually, and we've done the work for you with Easy Pay. Read on to see how you can spread out your payments at QVC.

How does QVC Easy Pay work?

An infographic saying that Easy Pay allows you to buy an item now and pay later
Credit: QVC

If you're shopping for a specific product and can't find special financing elsewhere, there's a good chance QVC offers it.

At its core, Easy Pay is a relatively simple idea. It’s a QVC-exclusive payment plan that allows you to pay for a purchase in installments, instead of all at once. Easy Pay splits the cost into three to six automatic payments and those installments include associated fees like taxes and shipping and handling like any other full-priced purchase. Your first payment is due when the item is shipped, after which you’ll receive a new charge to your credit card or PayPal account each month until the entire cost is paid off.

The payment installments are interest-free, meaning QVC will not charge you additional fees for using this tool. However, if you put your Easy Pay purchase on a credit card, you may incur fees from your credit card issuer. The only thing you are changing about your purchase is when you pay and the amount for each payment.

If you ordered something through Easy Pay, you can still make returns within 30 days of the date you received the package for a full refund of the purchase price (you won't be refunded for shipping and handling and there is a return label free). That would mean you get refunded for the first Easy Pay payment you made within that timeframe only—not the full price of the product.

What purchases are eligible for Easy Pay?

A woman takes a pair of headphones out of a box
Credit: Getty Images / chee gin tan

Installment plans can be good options when you've got income coming in but don't have a lump sum when you need it.

Easy Pay is available for any item bought through the QVC website. If you're a frequent QVC shopper, you've probably noticed the amount and number of Easy Pays under the price of a product. That being said, there are a few factors that will affect whether a specific purchase will work with Easy Pay.

The first factor is payment type. Easy Pay requires payment either through a major credit card, PayPal, or a QVC credit card (a.k.a., the QCard. Prepaid cards can’t be used. If you do have a QCard, you might be eligible for other financing options on your QVC purchases, but you can’t use both Easy Pay and another special financing on the same purchase. Additionally, Easy Pay purchases have to come through the QVC website—not through an outlet or subsidiary store. And finally, Easy Pay can’t be applied retroactively to purchases you’ve already made.

It’s also worth noting QVC can refuse an Easy Pay purchase for other reasons. According to QVC, they “may” request a consumer report on you from a credit bureau (you don’t need to do anything if this happens). This kind of inquiry should not have any effect on your credit score, but if your credit is already funky, QVC may refuse the Easy Pay request. Don’t worry, though—if this happens, you can still buy the item from QVC by paying in full.

What does Easy Pay not do?

A stack of credit cards
Credit: Getty Images / bernie_photo

Paying in installments might be helpful—just understand the limitations of what the program offers.

It’s important to understand that Easy Pay doesn’t actually change the cost of a purchase—as long as you pay off your credit card bill in full and on time. This means that it won’t charge you more for your purchase, but it also means you’re not saving any money. You’ll still have to pay in full eventually—and you won’t be able to opt out of making a payment once you’ve committed, which could lead to more interest if you're charging the payments on a credit card and can't pay later.

Easy Pay also doesn’t allow you to change your monthly payment dates once your purchase is confirmed. Whatever date your item is shipped will become the basis for future bills (in general, you’ll be charged 30 days from that initial date). Easy Pay offers some nice flexibility by allowing you to spread payments over several months, but that doesn’t mean you can reschedule bills for whenever they’re convenient for you.

Aside from potential credit issues, if you do try to finagle the system, and change or cancel your current credit card to not make payments, you won't be able to purchase anything from QVC until you update your payment information and pay this installment.

Should you use Easy Pay?

A woman removes a piece of clothing from a box
Credit: Getty Images / insta_photos

Like with any financing plan, the key to success with Easy Pay is to think ahead and respect your budget.

Whether you should use Easy Pay really depends on your own preferences, purchases, and financial situation. It might be a helpful solution if you know you’ll have the money to cover smaller recurring payments each month—but payment plans also have pitfalls, and you shouldn’t leap in without understanding them.

If you’re charging an Easy Pay purchase to your credit card, be aware that you are basically building debt that you’ll need to pay off. That’s no big deal if you’re confident in your ability to pay off your bill each month—but like any other kind of credit, Easy Pay might tempt you into splurges that you wouldn’t normally make and can’t really afford. Ultimately, you’re still paying the same amount of money, so be sure you feel comfortable with the price before you check out.

By the same token, you want to be pretty secure in your financial stability before agreeing to make payments in the future. I like to think about worst-case scenarios (I know, I’m a blast at parties). Is there any chance I won’t be able to afford this payment next month? If so, I’m better off rethinking the purchase. But if you’ve got the money and you’re just looking for ways to make an expense feel lighter, Easy Pay might be just what you need.

Learn more about QVC Easy Pay

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