What is Affirm?

Affirm strives to keep you out of unhealthy debt by facilitating fair, transparent credit so you can pay over time for the things you love. We offer affordable monthly payments at a pace you choose - usually 3, 6, or 12 months, so you're in control. From day one, you know how long you'll pay, and you know how much you'll pay because we never charge late fees or other hidden fees.

How it works?

Installments over 3, 6, or 12 months.

At Cerqular, you can choose Affirm as a payment method during checkout and seamlessly apply for a loan to pay for your items right then. You can choose monthly payment options that work with your budget.

How do Affirm payments work?

4 interest-free payments.

Depending on the merchant and your order value, you can make 4 interest-free payments every two weeks, so you pay your purchases off quickly with no impact on your credit.

What is an Affirm Virtual Card?

To pay with Affirm at other merchants, you can apply for a loan at affirm.com or in the Affirm app, and you'll get a virtual card you can use at most stores, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. It works like a credit card - just choose to pay by credit card at checkout, then enter your virtual card number.

When you’re approved for a loan in our app or on affirm.com, you can have the loan amount loaded onto a virtual Visa card. It's meant to be used one-time only, at a merchant of your choice, either online or in-store (most merchants who accept Visa cards will accept an Affirm Visa virtual card as a form of payment).

Card expiration and leftover money

A virtual card expires 24 hours after it’s issued, and you won’t owe anything if you don’t use it. You can cancel the card at any point before it expires, and you won’t owe anything. It’s also fine to only use a portion of the funds. You’ll only owe the amount you spend, plus any accrued interest.

After the merchant processes your purchase, we’ll provide a payment schedule for the full card amount. After 21 days (or longer, depending on your transaction), we’ll return any funds you didn't spend and update the payment schedule accordingly, you can expect a smaller final payment, fewer upcoming payments, or both.

We wait 21 days (or longer, depending on your transaction) because some merchants may take that long to process all the items in your order. In very rare cases, it may take up to 90 days to remove the unused amount from your loan balance.

Please note that you can’t use your virtual card at merchants that sell goods or services that are in violation of Affirm’s Terms of Service such as firearms and alcohol.

How do I make a purchase with an Affirm Virtual Card?

You can request a virtual card in your Affirm account.

There are three places to access your virtual card: in the Affirm app, in your account on the Affirm website, or via the confirmation email we send you after you request the card.

When paying with your virtual card online, it works like a standard credit card. At checkout, choose a credit card as your payment method, then enter the card number and other requested information.

Pay online

1. To pay online:

2. Go to checkout

3. Choose to pay with a credit card

4. Enter your virtual card’s 16-digit card number

5. Enter your own billing address

6. Complete checkout

Use Apple Pay

To pay in a store with an iPhone 8 or earlier:

1. Before checkout, add your virtual card to Apple Pay

2. At checkout, look for the Apple Pay symbol

3. Hold your device near the card reader to open Apple Pay

4. Tap to choose your virtual card

5. Rest your finger on Touch ID until you see Done

To pay in a store with an iPhone X or later:

1. Before checkout, add your virtual card to Apple Pay

2. At checkout, look for the Apple Pay symbol

3. Double-click the side button of your device to open Apple Pay

4. Tap to choose your virtual card

5. Glance at your device to verify with Face ID

6. Hold your device near the card reader until you see Done

Use Google Pay

To pay in a store with an Android device:

Before checkout, add your virtual card to Google Pay. Also, turn on NFC in settings

At checkout, look for the Google Pay symbol

Open Google Pay. Swipe to choose your virtual card

Hold the back of your device near the card reader

Choose Credit when prompted. You’ll see a blue checkmark once you’ve paid

How do I cancel my virtual card?

You can cancel the card at any point before it expires, and you won’t owe anything.

In the Affirm app

1. On the home screen of the Affirm app, tap View card

2. Tap Edit or cancel card, then tap Cancel card

At affirm.com

1. On the homepage, click the virtual card timer in the upper-right corner

2. Click Edit amount or cancel card, then click Cancel card

Affirm Savings account

Affirm also works with Cross River Bank, Member FDIC, to provide interest-bearing savings accounts with no minimum deposit requirements and no fees. After you securely link your bank account to your Affirm savings, you can transfer money into your account. However, you may not make more than six withdrawals or transfers from your account during any monthly statement cycle.

Will Affirm affect my credit score?

Creating an Affirm account and seeing if you prequalify will not affect your credit score. If you decide to buy with Affirm, these things may affect your credit score: making a purchase with Affirm, your payment history with Affirm, how much credit you've used, and how long you’ve had credit.

Does Affirm charge interest and fees?

Fees - We don’t charge any fees. That means no late fees, no prepayment fees, no annual fees, and no fees to open or close your account.

Your APR may be different depending on your creditworthiness and where you are shopping. The exact terms that apply to your purchase will be given when you check out with Affirm.

Interest - Depending on the size of your purchase and where you’re shopping, your payment plan may include interest. You’ll never owe more interest than you agree to on day one—so you always know exactly what you’re getting into.

At checkout, Affirm always shows the total amount of interest you’ll pay and you will never be charged more than that. This way, you always know what you’re getting into. If you pay faster than agreed, you might be charged less!

What does it mean to prequalify?

When you prequalify, you get an estimate of how much you can spend with Affirm. You don’t have to use the full amount, and you’re not on the hook to pay anything back until you actually make a purchase.

Pre-qualified amount vs. credit limit

A pre-qualified amount is an estimate of what a lender may qualify you to borrow in the future. This is different from a credit limit. A credit limit is the maximum amount of credit a lender has already decided you can borrow.

Ways to prequalify

Prequalifying just takes a minute and won't affect your credit score. Look for the option in our app or at our partner stores. These two experiences are a bit different, so we’ll break it all down for you.

Prequalify in the app

The app gives you an idea of how much you can borrow through a virtual card. Later, if you request a loan and are approved, you’ll get a virtual card to use at almost any online or in-store checkout.

Prequalify at partner stores

Our partner stores may give you the opportunity to prequalify while you’re on their site or in their store. This shows you how much you can borrow to use only at their store.

The app vs. partner stores

Keep in mind, you might prequalify in the app, but not at a partner store. Or, you may prequalify at a partner store, but not in the app.

That’s because these experiences work differently. Use the app to see if you prequalify almost anywhere. Visit a partner store to see if you prequalify with just that store.

Which should you choose?

Up to you! There’s no harm to your credit score if you try to prequalify both in the app and at a partner store.

Prequalified, but not approved

Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee you’ll get approved, even if you’re prequalified. That’s because your prequalified amount is an estimate. It may change—or go away—depending on a few different things. This includes your borrowing and payment history at Affirm and elsewhere.

Example

Let’s say you prequalify for a new purchase, then miss a payment on a current purchase. For the short term, you may still see that you’re pre-qualified. But if you go on to apply to pay over time, that missed payment may impact your ability to use Affirm.

Thousands of stores offer Affirm as a payment option at checkout. But if you don’t see us at checkout, you can still pay over time. Just download the Affirm app (or sign in at affirm.com), tell us where you’re shopping, and we’ll give you a one-time-use virtual card you can use to complete your purchase online or in stores. Then, pay us back over time.

What if I don't see Affirm at checkout?

Thousands of stores offer Affirm as a payment option at checkout. But if you don’t see us at checkout, you can still pay over time. Just download the Affirm app (or sign in at affirm.com), tell us where you’re shopping, and we’ll give you a one-time-use virtual card you can use to complete your purchase online or in stores. Then, pay us back over time.

Refunds

In order to get a refund, please contact the store where you bought your item to request a refund. They can let you know if a return is possible and how much the refund will be, according to their own return policy.

Once we receive the refund, the refund amount will show up in your loan timeline within 3–10 business days, and your balance will be updated.

Making payments
While you’re waiting for your refund, please continue to make any monthly payments that are due.

Refund application
Refund is less than balance
If your refund is less than your total purchase balance, it might not lower or cover your next monthly payment. Instead, you can expect fewer monthly payments, a smaller final payment, or both.

Refund is more than balance
If your refund is more than your purchase balance, you will get back the difference, minus any interest you have paid. Affirm will credit your payment method within 3–10 business days.

Getting a refund by check
When you get a refund for a returned purchase, Affirm refunds your money back to your original payment method. That means if you made payments by check (including money orders, MoneyGram, cashier's check, and so on), you will receive your refund by check.

However, there are a few cases when you will get a refund by check when you originally paid with a debit card or ACH payment:

1. The refund was initiated 180 days or more after the original payment.

2. Your original payment method is closed or no longer active. Since Affirm cannot issue a refund to a different account, Affirm will refund by check.

3. Our payment processor is unable to process the refund back to the original payment method.

To ensure you receive your refund in a timely manner, we want to make sure your address information on file is up to date. In most instances you should expect to receive your check within 30 days of when you became eligible for the refund.

If you overpaid a loan payment, you can request a refund here. You will receive the refund by check if you made the payment by check.

Refunds for paid interest

Unfortunately, we do not refund paid interest. When you make payments, the funds are first applied to the accrued unpaid interest and then the principal. Since interest is the only cost of borrowing with Affirm, it is not refundable.

Where is my refund?

To see the status of your refund:

1. Sign in to your Affirm account.

2. Navigate to Pay.

3. Select your purchase.

4. Your refund will show up as an adjustment in your purchase details.

Don’t see it? Your refund will show up within 3–10 business days.

Order issues and cancellations

You’ll need to initiate any cancellations or returns with the merchant first according to their policies, then we’ll update your Affirm loan after the cancellation or return is fully processed.

If you haven't received an order confirmation from the store this probably means your order wasn’t fully processed by the store. To make sure, look for the purchase in your Affirm account. If it’s not there, check with the store.

If you made a down payment on an order that wasn’t processed

If your order wasn't processed, your down payment usually won’t be processed either. However, you might see a pending hold for the down payment in your account (the one you used to make the down payment). This doesn’t mean that the down payment went through, and you’ll usually see the hold drop from your account within 7–10 business days. In other words, you won’t see a refund for the down payment because it was never processed in the first place.
 
If your purchase is still processing

Right after you check out with Affirm, the store finalizes your order and prepares it for shipment. During this time, your purchase is in merchant processing.

Once the merchant finalizes your purchase, you'll get a loan confirmation from Affirm with your final payment schedule.

If you can’t reach the merchant for a cancellation or return

That’s a frustrating experience, and we’ll help if we can.

If you’re experiencing issues with an order you recently placed, please fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you soon.

If you have an issue with an order that has been delivered, please see dispute a purchase for information about how we can help.  

If you have an issue with a confirmed refund that hasn’t shown up on your account, please see get a refund for more information.  

Dispute a purchase

We’re sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with a purchase. If you haven't done so already, please contact the store where you bought the item to try to resolve the issue with them. The store is usually the expert on returns, cancellations, missing orders, and damaged or defective items.

If you are unable to resolve an issue with the merchant 

If you have an issue with your purchase and the merchant can’t help, you can contact us to open a dispute on your behalf, as long as you made the purchase within the past 60 days. Here’s how the process works:

- If we open a dispute, both you and the merchant have 15 calendar days to provide evidence to support your claim.

- After reviewing the evidence, we'll notify you of a decision within 15 calendar days (it could be up to 90 calendar days at some merchants if you used a virtual card for the transaction).

- While your purchase is in dispute, you're not allowed to make payments on your loan.

- If the dispute is resolved in your favor, we'll refund the full amount of your purchase, minus any interest paid.

- If we resolve the dispute in the merchant's favor, then your original payment schedule will still apply. This means that any payments that were due during the dispute period will be immediately due.

As always, we don't charge late fees, so you won't end up paying more than you already agreed to upfront.

How to start your dispute with Affirm

Note: For disputes on purchases made with Debit+, see Debit+ issues and disputes.

1. Log in to your account at affirm.com. (Note: this is currently available only through the affirm.com website and not through the app.)

2. Click on the loan you’d like to dispute.

3. If your loan is eligible, you’ll be asked a series of questions to gather information about your purchase and your dispute. We’ll ask you to upload evidence about your specific dispute.

4. When you’re finished filling out all fields and uploading evidence, click submit.

That’s it! We’ll keep you updated on your dispute, but you can always check the status by signing in to your secure messaging portal here on the Help Center.

Note: Please do your best to fill out all fields. This will help our team resolve the issue faster.

If you haven't received your item 

Reach out to the store where you placed the order. They can give you any updates on processing, shipments, cancellation, returns, and refunds.

If you canceled an order or returned an item

If your order has not been finalized or completed yet please see order issues and cancellations.

If your loan was processed and the merchant has finalized the cancellation or return, which can take up to 21 days or longer, we’ll update your Affirm account with the cancellation or loan refund, as appropriate.

Depending on how long it takes the merchant to finalize the return, and how much is refunded, we’ll either void the loan, which means you’ll no longer see it in your Affirm account, or we’ll update your loan principal balance and payment schedule.

Note: If the merchant gives you a store credit instead of a refund you’ll still be responsible for your Affirm payments, and your payment schedule won’t change. Similarly, if the merchant charges any restocking or return fees, then you’ll be responsible for any remaining balance on your loan. For more information on how refunds are processed, please see get a refund.

If you haven’t received your refund

It’s normal for a refund to take a while to be reflected in your Affirm account. Once we receive the refund from the merchant, which can take 21 days or longer, it can take 3–10 additional business days to update your account.
 
If you’re still being billed for a returned item

It’s normal to still get payment reminders while you’re waiting for a return to process. Merchants can take up to 21 days, and sometimes even longer, to process a return, so we can’t update your Affirm account until the merchant does their part.

You should still make any payments that come due, to avoid late payments. Rest assured that when the return is fully processed, we’ll refund the entire purchase amount of the items you returned, minus any interest you’ve paid.

Next Steps

Interested in paying over time? Learn how to create an account,prequalify, or make a purchase.

Create an account

You can sign up at a partner store, at affirm.com, or in our app.

When you sign up at a partner store, you automatically find out if you’re eligible to make a purchase with Affirm. This extra step doesn’t affect your credit score.

Mobile number required

You need a mobile phone number from the US or US territories. This helps us verify it’s really you who is creating your account and signing in.

When you create your account, we’ll ask for your mobile number. Each time you sign in, you’ll enter your number, and we'll text you a verification code. Please note that Affirm will never call, email, or text to request your verification code so never share it with anyone else.

Later, if you get a new mobile number, it’s no problem to update your Affirm account. Just get in touch right here.

Sign up online

1. At checkout, select Affirm as your payment method.

2. Follow the prompt to enter your mobile number. Select Continue.

3. Type your full legal name and your email address.

4. Type your date of birth and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number.

5. Select Create account.

6. See your purchase decision.

Sign up on affirm.com

1. Click Create account at affirm.com.

2. Type your full legal name.

3. Type your mobile number and your email address.

4. Type your date of birth and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number.

5. Click Create account.

Sign up in the mobile app

1. Download the free Affirm app from the App Store (iOS) or the Google Play Store (Android).

2. Follow the prompt to enter your mobile number. Select Next.

3. Enter your full legal name and your email address.

4. Enter your date of birth and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number.

5. Select Create account.