- Sezzle pays the merchant — or sends you Sezzle Cash — and you repay in fixed installments collected by autopay.
- Approval uses a soft credit check with no minimum score, and each order is reviewed on its own.
- Missed payments can trigger failed-payment and late fees and pause your account, so reschedule before the due date.
Sezzle can look complicated because the Sezzle App now offers several products. Underneath, every one of them follows the same idea: Sezzle pays now, and you repay in a few fixed installments on a schedule you can see in advance.
The basics
When you use Sezzle at a store, Sezzle pays the merchant in full and you owe Sezzle the purchase price, split into equal installments.
When you use Sezzle Cash, Sezzle's bank partner sends money to you, and you repay it plus a flat fee. Either way, your installments are collected automatically on scheduled dates.
How approval works
Sezzle does not use a minimum credit score. When you sign up, it runs a soft credit check — which does not affect your score — and looks at factors such as your payment history with Sezzle, the age of your account and your overall financial picture.
Each order is reviewed individually, so it is normal to be approved for one purchase and declined for another.
Read nextPayment plans→Paying at checkout
- 1
Choose Sezzle at an online checkout, or use the Sezzle virtual card in store.
- 2
Pick a plan: Pay in 2, Pay in 4, Pay in 5 or Monthly Payments where offered.
- 3
Pay the first installment (for example 25% on Pay in 4).
- 4
The remaining installments are scheduled every two weeks.
How Sezzle Cash fits in
Sezzle Cash is the only Sezzle product that puts money in your hands rather than paying a merchant. It requires Sezzle Anywhere, is capped at about $300, and uses a Pay in 5 schedule with nothing due on day one.
Autopay and reminders
Every installment is collected automatically. The Sezzle App sends reminders before due dates by push notification, text and email. You can pay early, change the payment method or reschedule an installment directly in the app.
If you miss a payment
If a payment fails, Sezzle may charge a failed-payment fee of up to $6.95 and, if it remains unpaid, a late fee of up to $16.95 (capped at 25% of the order).
Your account may be paused, which blocks new orders and SezzleCash. If you use Sezzle Up, late payments can be reported to the credit bureaus.
“If you think a payment might fail, reschedule it before the due date. A planned reschedule costs far less — financially and for your standing with Sezzle — than a failed autopay.”
— Danielle Okafor, Managing Editor, Consumer CreditHow Sezzle makes money
Sezzle earns most of its revenue from merchant fees on purchases, from subscriptions (Sezzle Premium and Sezzle Anywhere), and from consumer fees such as SezzleCash service fees, reschedule fees and late fees.
Knowing this helps you see why the app promotes memberships — and why it is worth checking whether a subscription truly pays for itself.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sezzle do a hard credit check?
Not to sign up or use Pay in 4. Sezzle uses a soft check when you create an account. Opting into longer Monthly Payments financing may involve a hard inquiry.
When is my first Sezzle payment due?
For Pay in 4 and Pay in 2, the first payment is due at checkout. For SezzleCash, nothing is due on the day you borrow; the first payment is usually due about two weeks later.
Can I use Sezzle without a subscription?
Yes. Standard Pay in 4 and Pay in 2 at partner merchants require no subscription. Sezzle Anywhere is needed to pay later at any Visa merchant and to access SezzleCash.
- Sezzle Inc., “Sezzle Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results”, August 6, 2026.
- Sezzle – Shop, Save, Earn, Apple App Store listing, accessed October 2026.
- NerdWallet, Sezzle review: fees, plans and credit reporting, accessed October 2026.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, resources on buy now, pay later and earned-wage/cash advance products.