In this article · 11 sections
- What is buy now, pay later, and how is it different from installments?
- Does buy now, pay later increase sales?
- Who carries the risk: the store or the lender?
- What do installment payments cost the merchant?
- Which BNPL providers work with CloudCart?
- Which installment lender should you choose?
- How do you add buy now, pay later to a CloudCart store?
- How to show installments so they sell
- Installment payment mistakes to avoid
- What changes for buy now, pay later in the EU from November 20, 2026
- Frequently asked questions
In short: buy now, pay later (BNPL) lets a customer take the product today and pay for it in installments over 2 to 60 months. The lender approves the customer, pays your store the full amount and carries the risk if the customer stops paying. In CloudCart, installments are switched on from the admin with TBI Bank, Fibank, Mokka and six more Bulgarian lenders, and the platform takes no percentage of the sale.
This guide is for foreign founders with a Bulgarian company, expats running a store in Bulgaria and EU sellers with Bulgarian customers. Bulgarian shoppers pay for expensive items in installments through local banks and lenders, so those are the providers below, with the setup in CloudCart, the Bulgarian ecommerce platform.
What is buy now, pay later, and how is it different from installments?
Buy now, pay later is a payment method where the customer gets the goods at once and pays later, or in monthly installments, through credit from a bank or a finance company. For your store it is one more option at checkout, next to cards and cash on delivery (COD). In Bulgaria, four different things go under this name, and the type decides who pays the interest and whether you set anything up at all.
| Type | How the customer pays | Who pays for the credit | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deferred payment | The full amount within 30 days, then installments if they choose | The customer, if they miss the 30 days | PlatiPosle gives 30 days at 0% cost |
| Installment purchase (point-of-sale credit) | Monthly installments, usually 3 to 60 months | The customer, through the lender's interest and APR | TBI Bank, Fibank, UniCredit Consumer Financing |
| 0% installments | The price split into equal parts | You, the merchant, through a commission to the lender | TBI Bank's 0% schemes for selected products |
| Splitting a card payment | Pays in full by card, then splits it in their bank's app | The customer, through credit from their own bank | Bulbank Mobile: purchases from €75 to €800 over 3, 6, 9 or 12 months |
The last option needs nothing from your store. You receive the full card payment, and the split is between the customer and their bank. At UniCredit Bulbank, a "Split" button appears in the mobile app for card purchases from €75 to €800, and the bank notes that this is not available to foreign nationals (UniCredit Bulbank, in Bulgarian). So cards are the base, and an installment method is for higher-value orders, where the customer picks the monthly amount in your store.
Installments are not without cost for the customer. PlatiPosle's representative example for a €255.65 loan over 6 months is a monthly installment of €47.71, an APR of 48.21% and a total of €286.28; if the customer repays the principal within 30 days, they pay €255.65 (platiposle.bg, in Bulgarian). Show the installment with the number of months and the total the lender's calculator returns.
For a store run in English: the credit agreement is between the customer and the lender, and the lender decides who qualifies. TBI Bank, for example, needs the customer's middle name and EGN (the Bulgarian personal identification number) in the checkout form. If many of your buyers are foreigners living in Bulgaria, ask the lender before signing which applicants it accepts.
Does buy now, pay later increase sales?
Installments help most with high-priced products: electronics, home appliances, jewellery, bicycles and courses. The customer sees "€50 a month" instead of "€600" and decides by the monthly budget. On products at €20 to €30 the effect is small.
There is no public, verifiable figure for the sales lift from BNPL in Bulgarian online stores; the numbers in lenders' ads come from their own clients. Measure it instead: switch installments on, show them on the product page, and after 4 to 6 weeks compare these three numbers with the period before.
| Metric | How to calculate it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Share of installment orders | Installment orders ÷ all orders | How many customers want installments at all |
| Average order by method | Installment revenue ÷ installment orders, compared with card and COD | Whether installments raise the basket value |
| Lender decline rate | Payments "declined" ÷ all installment applications | Whether you need a second lender |
Who carries the risk: the store or the lender?
The lender carries the risk of non-payment. It checks the customer, signs the credit agreement and pays your store the full amount on approval; if the customer stops paying, the lender chases them. Three things stay with your store:
- Pending order. While the lender reviews the application, the order payment is "pending". Do not ship until the payment is "completed".
- Decline. If the lender declines, the payment becomes "declined". Offer the customer another method: card, bank transfer or cash on delivery.
- Returns. When goods come back, the refund goes through the lender. With TBI Bank (Fusion Pay), Fibank, PlatiPosle, Iute, Mokka and NewPay, the CloudCart order has no refund button: you handle the return in the lender's portal or directly with the lender, and once the lender cancels the credit, you mark the payment as refunded in CloudCart. Withdrawal periods are covered in returns and consumer rights for online stores.
When exactly the money reaches you depends on your contract with the lender. With Mokka, the payout usually comes 1 to 3 business days after approval.
What do installment payments cost the merchant?
You pay the lender a commission agreed in your contract. Lenders in Bulgaria usually do not publish merchant tariffs, so compare offers on the percentage they keep, any setup or monthly fee, and the cost of each 0% scheme.
0% installments cost you the most, because the interest the customer does not pay, you pay. Use them on selected products with a healthy margin, and keep them off the rest of the catalog. At TBI Bank this is done in the Schemes tab, where you link the bank's 0% schemes to specific products or categories.
A platform percentage on top of the lender's commission hurts most on orders of €1,000 and more, where every percent is tens of euro of margin.
Which BNPL providers work with CloudCart?
CloudCart has ready integrations with the banks and lenders that offer installment purchases in Bulgaria. You sign with the lender, enter its credentials in the admin, and the method appears at checkout. Most integrations work on every plan. The exception is Smart UCF: the pricing page marks it as not included in the plans from Baby Pack to CC Master, so for UniCredit ask support@cloudcart.com which integration is available on your plan.
| Provider | What the customer sees | What you enter in CloudCart |
|---|---|---|
| TBI Bank (Fusion Pay method, TBI Pay for the customer) | 3 to 60 months for orders from €52 to €15,000, 0% schemes, a monthly-amount button on the product page | Merchant code and keys from TBI Bank, test and live |
| Fibank (E-Credit) | Schemes with monthly amount, APR and total, optional down payment | Store Unique ID from Fibank and the minimum order amount |
| UniCredit Consumer Financing (Smart UCF) | Credit from 3 to 60 months, online application in the UCF portal | UCF username and password, test and live |
| Mokka | Installment purchase, most often 2 to 12 installments, instant decision | Store ID, Store Key and API address, test and live |
| PlatiPosle ("pay later" in Bulgarian, by Credissimo) | Installments of the customer's choice and 30 days to repay at no extra cost | API key, UUID and minimum amount |
| Klear | Installments, a button on the product page, special finance programmes | Public and private API key, test and live |
| NewPay | Installment payment on NewPay's page | API Key and API Secret, test and live mode |
| Iute | Application in a window inside your store, without leaving the site | Two API keys and the country |
| BNP Paribas Personal Finance | Consumer credit for the order | Merchant code, POS ID and email |
Important about DSK Bank: DSK Bank has retired the DSK BNPL app, so CloudCart no longer checks these payments and the status is updated by hand. DSK Zero (0% installments) shows only in stores in DSK Bank's partner programme, with manual approval. If you are starting now, choose another lender.
The older TBI and UCF integrations, with email applications, stay for stores that already use them. A new store should use Fusion Pay for TBI Bank and Smart UCF for UniCredit, which update the payment on their own.
Which installment lender should you choose?
The right lender depends on your average order, 0% installments and sales outside Bulgaria. For most new stores with orders above €52, TBI Bank through Fusion Pay is the most complete choice, and a second lender is added to reduce declines at approval.
| If your store… | Suitable lender | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sells electronics, furniture or appliances for €52 to €15,000 | TBI Bank (Fusion Pay) | 3 to 60 months, a button with the monthly amount on the product page, 0% schemes per product |
| Wants a fast decision for the customer and shorter terms | Mokka | Decision right after a short form, most often 2 to 12 installments, money usually in 1 to 3 business days |
| Also sells in Romania or Greece | Mokka | Works in all three markets, with a separate API address for each country |
| Has customers who want a down payment | Fibank (E-Credit) | Down payment, interest by product category, a separate application page for phones |
| Has customers who prefer to pay after 30 days | PlatiPosle | 30 days to repay at no extra cost, then installments if they choose (on platiposle.bg's terms) |
| Wants the customer to stay on the site | Iute | The application runs in a window inside your store |
Two installment methods at checkout are a sensible maximum: easy for the customer to compare, and only two portals for you to watch.
How do you add buy now, pay later to a CloudCart store?
The steps are the same for every provider; only the fields in step three differ.
- Sign a contract with the lender and ask for the online store credentials listed in the table above.
- Add the method. In the admin, open Settings, Payment providers, add a payment method and choose the provider; if it is not listed, follow the link to more payment methods in the App Store.
- Enter the credentials. In the Settings tab, paste the details from your contract. Where there is a test mode (TBI Bank, Mokka, Smart UCF, Klear, Iute, NewPay), start with the test credentials. For Fibank and PlatiPosle, CloudCart checks the details with the lender when you save, so a wrong key cannot be saved. For TBI Bank, the method does not activate until the bank accepts the details.
- Set the amounts. Fill in the minimum and maximum order amount for which the method shows. For TBI Bank the limits are €52 to €15,000; you can narrow them, not widen them.
- Write a clear name, for example "Pay in installments with TBI Bank, 3 to 60 months". A generic "Credit" explains less.
- Link the 0% schemes to products: for TBI Bank and Iute in the Schemes tab, for Fibank in the Promotions tab.
- Switch on the product page button with the monthly installment (TBI Bank, Klear and Iute have one) and pick its style.
- Activate and place a test order through to the lender's page, check its status in Orders, then switch to live credentials.
TBI Bank: what to know about Fusion Pay
The customer chooses installments at checkout, fills in their middle name and EGN and finishes the application on the bank's site. CloudCart asks TBI Bank for the schemes for the cart amount and shows the 0% ones separately. With the TBI Calculator module on, the months are chosen in the bank's calculator.
Fibank and Mokka: what to know
With Fibank you enter only the Store Unique ID, because the bank's public key is built into CloudCart; Fibank sets the interest by product category, and a bank promotion for one product goes in the Promotions tab. Mokka takes three fields per environment, test and live, and gives you the API address for each country, Romania and Greece included, with the contract.
How to show installments so they sell
Installments sell when the customer sees them on the product page, long before checkout:
- The installment next to the price. Show "from €49 a month" next to the product price with the lender's button. The customer decides before adding to the cart.
- A minimum amount that makes sense. The minimum in the admin hides the method for orders the lender will not finance.
- A label for 0% products. Mark the products with 0% over 6 or 12 months with a label in the catalog.
- Fast confirmation. Once the payment is completed, ship and tell the customer, who has already signed and is waiting.
- The mobile version. Many applications are filled in on a phone, so test the button and the form there; more in the guide to the mobile version of an online store.
Installment payment mistakes to avoid
- Shipping before approval. An installment order that is still pending is not paid. If the lender declines, the goods are with the customer and the money never comes.
- Going live without a test. A wrong key then shows up in front of a real customer.
- 0% installments on the whole catalog, or on discounted products. The commission for 0% schemes can eat the margin; with TBI Bank, switch 0% off for products on sale.
- Forgotten manual statuses. For email-based methods and DSK, check pending orders every day.
- Promises only the lender can make. Do not write "no interest" or "approval in minutes" unless the terms come from your contract. The interest, the APR and the approval are the lender's decision.
What changes for buy now, pay later in the EU from November 20, 2026
From Nov 20, 2026, EU member states apply the new Consumer Credit Directive (EU) 2023/2225 (EUR-Lex). It brings into scope credit below €200 and credit granted at 0% interest with no other charges, which covers most buy now, pay later services where a lender stands between the store and the customer. The creditworthiness check and the information before the contract are the lender's duty, not the store's.
The directive leaves out a store that itself gives the customer time to pay, at 0% with no third party, when the full payment is made within 50 days of delivery; if you run such a scheme, go over it with your accountant and lawyer. Otherwise, show the terms exactly as the lender gives them and do not promise credit before it is approved. The general consumer rights on credit, such as the 14-day right to withdraw from a credit agreement, are summarised on Your Europe.
If you are still choosing which methods to offer, cash on delivery vs card payments covers the fees and refusals of the two most used methods, and the full list of payment integrations is on the Payments page.
Frequently asked questions
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) is a payment method where the customer receives the goods at once and pays later or in monthly installments, through credit from a bank or a finance company. The lender approves the customer and pays the store the full amount. In Bulgaria, such services come from TBI Bank, Fibank, UniCredit Consumer Financing, Mokka, PlatiPosle, Klear and Iute, among others.
Sign a contract with TBI Bank for online sales and get the merchant code and keys. In CloudCart, open Settings, Payment providers, add Fusion Pay, enter the credentials, set the amounts between €52 and €15,000 and activate the method. If the bank has given you 0% schemes, link them to products in the Schemes tab.
That is the lender's decision, made under its own terms. TBI Bank's form in CloudCart, for example, asks for the EGN, the Bulgarian personal identification number. If many of your customers are expats, ask each lender which applicants it accepts, and keep cards and cash on delivery at checkout for everyone else.
Yes, the right to withdraw from an online purchase applies to installment purchases too. You notify the lender, which cancels or reduces the credit, and then mark the payment as refunded in the CloudCart order.
Questions about setting up installment payments in your store? Write to support@cloudcart.com.
Sources
- UniCredit Bulbank, in Bulgarianwww.unicreditbulbank.bg
- platiposle.bg, in Bulgarianplatiposle.bg
- EUR-Lexeur-lex.europa.eu
- Your Europeeuropa.eu