ThriveCart Introduces Installment Payments With ThrivePay Installments

ThriveCart, the leading no-code sales and payments platform used by digital course creators, coaches, and online entrepreneurs, has launched a new flexible payment option called ThrivePay Installments. Designed as a card-linked alternative to traditional buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) solutions, this feature allows customers to split their purchases into installment payments using pre-authorized credit card limits — without creating new loan obligations.

The rollout reflects evolving demand for more flexible payment options, particularly for higher-ticket digital products, subscriptions and global sales where traditional BNPL may face limitations due to underwriting, regional restrictions or product size.

What Is ThrivePay Installments?

ThrivePay Installments enables a customer to pay for a purchase in 3, 6, or 12 monthly installments by utilising the available limit on their existing credit card. Unlike many BNPL plans that require new credit checks and generate new debt instruments, this approach:

• Uses the customer’s existing credit card limit.
• Pays the merchant upfront in full at the time of purchase.
• Allows buyers to split the cost over agreed term lengths.
• Avoids creating new loan accounts for customers.

This model is particularly useful for digital businesses selling premium products — such as comprehensive online courses, coaching programmes, software bundles, or higher-priced physical goods — where standard BNPL approval rates and regional availability may be less favourable.

Why This Matters for Merchants

1. Higher Approval Rates

ThriveCart claims the approval rate for its installment option can be as high as 85%, significantly exceeding many traditional BNPL approval rates. This is due to leveraging pre-existing credit limits rather than bespoke credit underwriting.

2. Expanded Global Applicability

Traditional BNPL options are often restricted to specific geographies or reliant on local lending rules. ThrivePay Installments operates through credit card networks, which are more universally available, making it more attractive for global sellers.

3. Better Suited for Larger Purchases

BNPL has historically been popular for smaller purchases, but larger transactions — such as expensive digital courses or multi-component subscriptions — can trigger extra friction or limited BNPL availability. ThrivePay Installments is marketed as better suited for these higher-value sales, helping merchants capture revenue that might otherwise be lost.

How it Works in Practice

When a customer chooses ThrivePay Installments at checkout:

1. Their credit card’s available limit is pre-authorized for the full purchase amount.
2. ThriveCart processes the sale and settles the full amount with the merchant up front.
3. The customer then repays the balance in agreed monthly installments (3, 6 or 12 months) through their credit card billing cycle — essentially charging portions of the purchase back to the card over time.

This decouples the merchant’s payment receipt from the customer’s repayment plan, reducing risk and improving cash flow for the seller while giving buyers flexibility.

Industry and Market Context

Flexible payment options like BNPL have surged in popularity over the past decade, particularly in e-commerce, because they can boost conversion rates and increase average order values. However, BNPL has also attracted scrutiny from regulators over concerns about consumer debt accumulation and transparency, and its performance can vary significantly by region.

ThrivePay Installments addresses some of these issues by avoiding the creation of new debt contracts and instead piggybacking on the credit card infrastructure — a model that may face less regulatory friction and broader applicability for international sellers and their buyers.

What This Means for Sellers

For creators and businesses using ThriveCart, the launch of installment payments is a strategic enhancement of the checkout experience. It:

• Encourages purchase completion for higher-ticket offers.
• Reduces friction in the checkout process, potentially boosting conversion rates.
• Gives merchants an alternative financing option that doesn’t require merchant-side credit risk or integration with third-party BNPL lenders.
• Makes ThriveCart more competitive with platforms that already offer integrated financing options.

Given ThriveCart’s existing base — which has processed more than $8 billion in sales across over 70 million transactions — this enhancement could have a meaningful impact on both e-commerce strategy and revenue performance for sellers worldwide.

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