Order Up: DoorDash Now Lets You Pay for Food Deliveries in Installments

DoorDash has partnered with Swedish fintech company Klarna to allow customers to pay for their deliveries in smaller monthly installments with Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). The tie-up is already drawing jokes and criticism online.

When customers reach checkout on the DoorDash app, they’ll now see Klarna as an additional payment option, allowing them to spread out their payments.

Customers can “Pay in full” with Klarna, pick “Pay in 4,” which allows them to pay for their purchase in four interest-free installments, or “Pay Later,” which allows customers to defer payments for up to 30 days without paying interest.

Reaction was swift on social media. Personal finance author and influencer Dave Ramsey posted a GIF of himself with his head in his hands. Another user on X commented: “The delivery guy watching me sign a 6-year financing deal for my double cheeseburger.”

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David Sykes, chief commercial officer at Klarna, said the partnership is an “important milestone in Klarna’s expansion into everyday spending categories.” It’s also not the Swedish group’s only big win in recent months; it inked a deal to provide BNPL services for Walmart earlier this month.

The partnership comes as more and more Americans seem to be concerned about the rising cost of food. About 73% of Americans tell Pew Research that inflation is a top economic concern, with the cost of groceries cited as the top concern alongside housing.

Still, the demand for food deliveries continues to grow in the US, even as many chain restaurants have raised prices for standard menu items in recent years. DoorDash also has a number of fees itself. In the fourth quarter of 2024, DoorDash reported a 19% year-over-year increase in total orders, reaching 685 million, while its revenue rose over 26% to $2.3 billion.

But BNPL making its way to the world of food delivery shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise—it’s already a huge and growing part of how Americans pay for goods. Last Black Friday, BNPL usage grew 8.8% year-over-year to $686.3 million, with it being particularly popular for electronics, clothing, video games, and groceries.

About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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