POS Lender Affirm Launches New Mobile App

EXCLUSIVE- Point-of-sale financier Affirm today launched its mobile app as it looks to strengthen its online business.

The app, which Bank Innovationfirst reported about in August, is available today for download.

The new app will give customers a virtual card that they can use to make online purchases. Additionally, it will let users split larger online purchases into smaller fixed payments. Customers will be able to make their payments to Affirm through this app, with the option of setting up automated payment.

Perhaps the most important feature of the app is that opens the field for consumers to use their Affirm credit to merchants beyond the San Francisco’s 1,200 retail partners.

“It lets customers request a one-time-use virtual card to make a purchase at any merchant, even those that are not Affirm’s partners,” Jack Chou, Affirm’s head of product told Bank Innovation.

“The Affirm app is a credit app. It is our first direct to consumer product,” he said. “Before the app, the consumer would have to go through the merchant to get that credit. It was a POS product, which was integrated on merchant company websites. This app is a deliberate move for us to put our customers need at the forefront.”

The app, which is free, is available on Apple and Google Play.

Established by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin in 2012, Affirm is based in San Francisco. Its partners include travel site Expedia, home goods retailer Wayfair, and luxury retailers like The Real Real, Rebecca Minkoff among others.

It was built with idea of providing transparent point-of-sale loans that allow customers to finance retail purchases. Its loans range anywhere between $200 and $10,000. The company’s philosophy is “ethical” lending; in other words, lending with honesty and transparency. The company prides itself on only charging simple interest, with zero added fees, no late charges, no deferred interest, or any kind of predatory costs.

Since its establishment, Affirm has raised $425 million in debt and equity from Founders Fund, Spark Capital Growth, Jefferies, Andreessen Horowitz Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Silicon Valley Bank.

Affirm’s banking partner is New Jersey-based Cross River Bank.