Overview
SquadTrip offers three ways to pay for your trip: Pay in Full with a single transaction, Pay in Installments with a deposit and monthly charges, or Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) through Klarna, Afterpay, or Affirm. This guide explains each option so you can choose what works best for your budget.
Pay in Full
Paying in full means you pay the entire trip cost in one transaction at checkout. This is typically the lowest price option since no installment fees or convenience fees apply.
Pay in Installments
Paying in installments splits your trip cost into monthly payments with a minimum deposit upfront. The organizer sets:
The minimum deposit amount (at least $35)
The payment schedule and duration
Any additional installment fee
SquadTrip automatically charges your card on each due date and usually sends a reminder 5 days before. If you sign up late, your remaining balance is split evenly across the plan's remaining due dates (those more than a day away), ending on the organizer's "collect all payments by" date -- which can be as late as the trip's start date.
Buy Now, Pay Later Options
If the organizer has enabled BNPL, you can select it as a separate payment option at checkout. With BNPL, you owe $0 today if approved -- the BNPL provider finances the full amount. Which providers you see depends on what the organizer enabled, your trip’s currency (there is no BNPL on EUR trips) and the amount: Afterpay up to $2,000, Klarna up to $10,000, and Affirm from $50 up to $17,500, all measured on your total including the 4% fee. Available providers:
Afterpay
Divides your cost into 4 equal payments, due every two weeks
First payment at checkout, then 3 more bi-weekly charges
No interest if paid on time; late fees may apply for missed payments
Klarna
Three options available:
Pay in 4: Four bi-weekly, interest-free payments
Pay Later: Pay in full within 14 or 30 days
Financing: Extended plans spanning 6-36 months (interest may apply)
Affirm
Monthly installment plans from 3 to 36 months
Interest ranges from 0%-30% based on creditworthiness
No late fees, but missed payments may affect credit score
BNPL Convenience Fee
A 4% convenience fee is applied to your total when using any BNPL provider. This fee is clearly shown at checkout before you confirm payment.
Using Promo Codes with Payments
Promo codes can be applied at any point in checkout -- switching payment option recalculates the discount automatically
If paying with installments, the discount reduces your total and installment amounts are recalculated (a 100%-off code can only be used when paying in full)
Only one promo code can be used per order
Promo codes cannot create a negative balance
Summary
Option | Best For | Fee | Interest? |
Pay in Full | Lowest total cost | 6% processing fee (paid by you or absorbed by the organizer, depending on the organizer's fee setting) | No |
Pay in Installments | Budget monthly payments | 6% (same who-pays rule) + optional installment fee | No |
Buy Now, Pay Later | Finance with $0 due today | 6% (same who-pays rule) + 4% convenience fee | Varies by provider |
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
BNPL options are not showing at checkout | BNPL requires the organizer to enable it and a Stripe connection. Verify the trip currency is supported by the BNPL provider (e.g., USD for Affirm). If BNPL is still not appearing, contact the organizer. |
Promo code is not reducing the installment amounts | Switching payment option recalculates the discount automatically, so the order does not matter. If the discount still looks wrong, check that the code is valid for the package you chose (and that it is not a 100%-off code, which only works when paying in full), or contact the organizer. |
BNPL provider declined my payment | Each BNPL provider runs its own credit and eligibility check. If declined, try a different BNPL provider or switch to a standard card payment. Contact the BNPL provider directly for details about the decline. |
Installment amounts seem higher than expected | If you signed up after some payment dates already passed, your remaining balance is split across fewer installments, resulting in higher individual payments. This is expected behavior for late sign-ups. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I switch from installments to pay-in-full after I have already started paying? A: Yes. Log into your dashboard, open the trip and click Make New Payment, then enter your full remaining balance. That settles the account in one payment and no further installments are charged. (If the organizer enabled it, a "Pay off your balance with Buy Now, Pay Later" option also appears.)
Q: Is there interest on SquadTrip installment plans? A: No. SquadTrip installment plans do not charge interest. However, the organizer may add a flat installment fee to the total cost for travelers who choose installments over paying in full. This fee is shown clearly at checkout.
Q: Why is there a 4% fee on BNPL but not on regular card payments? A: The 4% convenience fee covers the additional processing costs charged by BNPL providers like Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm. Standard card payments do not incur this extra fee because card processing costs are already included in the platform's standard fees.
Q: Can I use a promo code and BNPL at the same time? A: Yes. Apply your promo code first, and it will reduce the total amount. Then select your preferred BNPL provider at checkout. The BNPL plan will be based on the discounted total, and the 4% convenience fee applies to the discounted amount.
Q: What happens if I miss an installment payment? A: If auto-billing is enabled, SquadTrip will retry the charge every 2 days, up to 4 times. If your card has expired or was lost or stolen, retrying will not help — update your payment method rather than waiting for the automatic retry. You will receive email notifications about the failed payment. Log in to your dashboard to update your card or manually retry the payment to avoid falling behind on your schedule.
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