What is Buy Now, Pay Later?
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) adds Affirm as a checkout option you can enable on a per-invoice basis. When it's turned on, your client can choose to pay with Affirm at checkout and get approved for financing, then pays Affirm back over time according to the terms Affirm offers them. Here's how it works at a high level:
Enable Affirm on an eligible invoice (single payment, $50–$30,000)
Client selects Affirm at checkout
You don't collect or manage anything after that. Affirm handles the client relationship, and your payout follows HoneyBook's standard payment processing
You're charged a 6% + $0.30 fee per transaction paid via Affirm
Keep in mind that Affirm's cashflow benefits apply to single-payment invoices only. If you split an invoice into multiple payments, you won't get those same benefits.
Who's eligible
Buy Now, Pay Later is approved by Stripe and Affirm. HoneyBook will pass along your request on your behalf, so eligibility depends on your account status with them.
Account-level eligibility
Whether Affirm is available to turn on depends on your bank account and where you are in the request process. Here's what you'll see in Company Settings at each stage:
Status | What you'll see |
No bank account connected | Nothing yet — connect your bank account first to request Affirm. |
Never requested | A button to request Affirm. |
Approved | A toggle, switched on by default. |
Under review | A toggle, switched off, with a tooltip letting you know your request is pending. |
Declined, or you've turned it off | A toggle, switched off. |
📣 Note Affirm doesn't extend eligibility to every type of business. Industries such as commercial photography, video production, consulting, and other B2B or professional services are ineligible. Members outside the US also aren't eligible. |
Invoice-level eligibility
Even once Affirm is approved on your account, it only appears as a checkout option on an invoice when:
The invoice is a single payment (Affirm doesn't support payment plans or milestone/split invoices)
The payment amount is between $50 and $30,000
If you haven't requested Affirm yet, invoices will link back to Company Settings so you can get started. If your request is still under review, you'll see the toggle switched off with a tooltip letting you know.
Setting up Affirm on your account
If your account is eligible, turning on Affirm may trigger a quick verification step with our payment processor, Stripe. Here's what to expect:
You may be prompted to add additional information on your Bank Details page.
You may receive an email letting you know that changes were made to your account and that additional requirements are needed.
Is something wrong with my account if I get this email or prompt? No — this is a normal, expected part of turning on Affirm, not a sign that anything is wrong with your account. Simply follow the prompt or email instructions to add the requested information, and Affirm will be enabled once it's complete.
Fees
When your client pays an invoice using Affirm, a Buy Now, Pay Later fee of 6% + $0.30 per transaction applies. This fee is in addition to your standard payment processing fee.
📣 Note If you charge clients a Client Processing Fee (CPF), it is not passed on to your client for payments made through Affirm. |
What you'll see as the member
Affirm will appear as a checkout option on eligible single-payment invoices sent to your client. You can track a payment made with Affirm the same way you track any other payment, in Finance > Payments.
There's nothing further for you to do once your client completes checkout with Affirm. Affirm handles collecting the installment payments from your client directly, and your payout follows HoneyBook's standard payment processing. Affirm is a checkout-only option offered to your client, so it won't appear in your list of saved payment methods.
What your client sees at checkout
Your client opens the invoice and selects Affirm as their payment method.
They're redirected to Affirm to complete an approval process.
Once approved, they're redirected back to HoneyBook, and the invoice is automatically marked as paid.
Your client then manages their installment payments directly with Affirm, which won’t involve HoneyBook or require any action from you.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!