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# Stripe BNPL
> Accept Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm payments through Stripe. These BNPL providers allow customers to split purchases into installments while you receive full payment upfront.
## Supported providers
PaymentKit supports three BNPL providers via Stripe:
* **Klarna** - Pay in 4, Pay in 30, financing options
* **Afterpay/Clearpay** - Pay in 4 installments (Clearpay is the brand name in the UK and EU)
* **Affirm** - Monthly payment plans
## Setup
### Step 1: Enable in Stripe Dashboard
Before enabling BNPL in PaymentKit, you must first enable the capabilities in your Stripe account.
1. In your Stripe Dashboard, navigate to [**Settings > Payment Methods**](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/payment_methods)
2. Enable the BNPL providers you want to accept:
* Klarna
* Afterpay/Clearpay
* Affirm
3. Complete any required verification steps for each provider
Enabling BNPL in PaymentKit without enabling the corresponding capability in Stripe will result in payment failures. PaymentKit does not validate Stripe capabilities when you enable a provider.
### Step 2: Enable in PaymentKit
1. Navigate to **Orchestration > Payment processors**
2. Edit your Stripe processor settings
3. Toggle on the BNPL providers you want to accept (Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm)
4. Save your changes
Once saved, the enabled BNPL options will appear at checkout for eligible orders (based on amount limits and currency support).
## Provider comparison
Each BNPL provider has different capabilities, supported currencies, and transaction limits.
### Supported currencies
| Provider | Supported currencies |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Klarna | USD, EUR, GBP, SEK, NOK, DKK, AUD, NZD, CAD |
| Afterpay | USD, AUD, NZD, GBP, CAD |
| Affirm | USD, CAD |
### Transaction limits
| Provider | Minimum | Maximum | Notes |
| -------- | -------- | ------------ | ----------------------- |
| Klarna | \$10 USD | \$10,000 USD | Limits vary by currency |
| Afterpay | \$1 USD | \$2,000 USD | Limits vary by currency |
| Affirm | \$50 USD | \$30,000 USD | USD and CAD only |
BNPL options are automatically hidden at checkout when the order amount falls outside the provider's limits for the checkout currency.
### Subscription support
| Provider | Supports subscriptions | Supports recurring renewals |
| -------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Klarna | Yes | Yes (via saved payment method) |
| Afterpay | No | No |
| Affirm | No | No |
For subscription checkouts, only Klarna is displayed as a BNPL option. Afterpay and Affirm do not support recurring payments and are automatically hidden.
### Saved payment methods and off-session charging
Each BNPL provider handles saved payment methods differently:
| Provider | Payment method saved? | Off-session charging supported? |
| -------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Klarna | Yes | Yes |
| Afterpay | No | No |
| Affirm | Yes (record only) | No |
**Affirm payment methods cannot be charged off-session.** When a customer pays with Affirm, PaymentKit saves the payment method for record-keeping purposes only. You cannot use it for future charges, recurring billing, or merchant-initiated transactions. The saved payment method serves only as a reference showing the customer previously paid with Affirm.
**Afterpay payment methods are not saved.** After a customer completes an Afterpay payment, no reusable payment method is created. Each Afterpay transaction requires the customer to re-authenticate through Afterpay's redirect flow.
**Klarna is the only BNPL provider that supports off-session charging.** Klarna payment methods can be saved and used for recurring subscriptions, future charges, and merchant-initiated transactions without requiring customer re-authentication.
## Checkout flow
BNPL payments use a popup-based flow:
1. Customer selects a BNPL provider at checkout
2. Customer enters required information:
* **Klarna**: Email address
* **Afterpay**: Email address and full name
* **Affirm**: No additional fields required
3. Customer clicks to proceed and a popup window opens to the BNPL provider's site
4. Customer authenticates and selects their preferred payment plan in the popup
5. After approval, the popup closes automatically and checkout completes
6. If the customer cancels or closes the popup, they can retry or choose a different payment method
The merchant receives the full payment amount (minus fees) immediately. The BNPL provider handles collecting installments from the customer over time.
## Subscriptions with Klarna
Klarna is the only BNPL provider that supports recurring payments. When a customer subscribes using Klarna:
1. Customer completes initial checkout with Klarna, authorizing future charges
2. PaymentKit saves the Klarna payment method for future use
3. On each renewal date, PaymentKit charges the subscription automatically using the saved payment method
4. No customer redirect is required for renewals — charges happen in the background
Klarna renewal charges are processed as Merchant-Initiated Transactions (MIT). The customer receives a new Klarna installment plan for each renewal charge.
If a Klarna renewal fails, the standard dunning flow is triggered — the customer receives an email notification and PaymentKit retries the charge according to your dunning settings.
## Klarna payment plan availability
Klarna determines which payment plans (Pay in 4, Pay in 30, financing, etc.) to display at checkout based on their own business rules. **Merchants cannot customize which payment options appear** — this is controlled entirely by Klarna.
Available payment plans depend on:
* **Customer location** — different plans available by country
* **Transaction currency** — must match merchant's business location
* **Order amount** — some plans have minimum/maximum thresholds
* **Klarna's underwriting of the merchant** — Klarna approves merchants for specific plan types
If you're seeing fewer payment options than expected, contact Klarna directly through the [Klarna Merchant Portal](https://portal.klarna.com) to discuss enabling additional payment plans for your account.
PaymentKit passes transactions to Stripe, which routes them to Klarna. Neither PaymentKit nor Stripe controls which Klarna payment plans are displayed to customers.
## Known limitations
1. **Stripe Dashboard capability required** - Merchants must enable Klarna, Afterpay, or Affirm capabilities in their Stripe Dashboard before these options work. Enabling in PaymentKit alone is not sufficient.
2. **No capability validation** - When you enable a BNPL provider in PaymentKit, the system does not verify that your Stripe account has the capability enabled. Capability mismatches only surface at charge time when the payment fails.
3. **Setup mode not supported** - BNPL methods are not available for setup mode checkouts (save-card-only flows).
4. **Refund timing** - BNPL refunds may take longer to process than card refunds, as the BNPL provider must adjust the customer's installment plan.
5. **Mid-subscription payment method changes** - Switching from another payment method to BNPL mid-subscription requires canceling and creating a new subscription.
6. **Klarna is the only BNPL provider that supports subscriptions** - Afterpay and Affirm do not support recurring payments. Checkout sessions with subscription items will only show Klarna as a BNPL option.
7. **Affirm payment methods are saved for reference only** - While Affirm payment methods are stored after checkout completion, they cannot be used for recurring charges, merchant-initiated transactions, or any off-session billing.
8. **Afterpay does not save payment methods** - Afterpay transactions are one-time only. No reusable payment method is stored after checkout completion.
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