Contents
In this article, we'll cover the most common questions that both prospective and new Affirm customers have about our platform as they get started with us.
To learn more about integration options and how to integrate with Affirm when you are ready, please refer to our integration overview guide.
Getting started questions
How do I get started?
At Affirm, we don’t provide a cookie-cutter approach—instead, we offer a variety of options tailored to your industry and product offerings. You can get started by filling out this form. You can then expect to hear back from our sales team in 3 to 5 business days from submission.
In what countries is Affirm available?
We work with businesses based in the U.S. and Canada, as well as businesses based outside the U.S., as long as:
- The majority of their customers have a billing address in the U.S. or Canada
- The business has a U.S. or Canadian entity
- The business has a U.S. or Canadian bank account where we can deposit funds.
We can only provide our pay-over-time solution to U.S. and Canadian shoppers.
If you meet these requirements, you can get started with Affirm by creating an account here. Once you access your Merchant Portal and provide some information about your business, our team will contact you with next steps.
Affirm’s acquisition of PayBright is complete. Merchants and consumers in the US and Canada can choose from Affirm’s variety of payment solutions.
What types of businesses does Affirm work with?
Affirm works with thousands of businesses of all sizes and across a wide range of industries. We don't require our partners to meet a minimum volume for online sales. To explore a partnership, your business should:
- Sell directly to U.S. or Canadian consumers
- Operate in accordance with our prohibited business policy
- Have a U.S or Canadian bank account
If you checked everything off this list, we’d love to explore a partnership! You can get started by creating a merchant account.
My website isn't fully live yet, can I still apply?
At this time, we do require that your website be fully live for us to explore a partnership. Your website should also be running on one of our supported e-commerce platforms; you can review the list here.
The Customer experience
How does Affirm work for my customers?
When shoppers visit your site, they’ll be able to see Affirm wherever they choose, including on your homepage and your product, cart, and checkout pages. When shoppers know about Affirm’s flexible payment options early in the shopping journey, this can eliminate sticker shock and remove price as a barrier.
When they’re done adding items to their cart, they can select Affirm as their payment method at checkout. They’ll enter a few pieces of information and get a real-time decision. (Or if they’re a returning user, they’ll simply sign in.) They’ll then see 1–3 payment options with terms ranging from 6 weeks–36 months, depending on their cart size and credit history, and on the financing program you chose.
Once your customer confirms their payment plan, you’ll be able to process the order. Your customer will then make their payments at affirm.ca or in the Affirm app, or they can turn on AutoPay.
What financing programs do you offer?
Our powerful Adaptive Checkout™ solution dynamically offers the perfect payment options for your customers and your cart sizes. Shoppers receive the most relevant payment terms with just a few simple pieces of information. With Adaptive Checkout, you can offer 4 interest-free payments every 2 weeks, installments up to 36 months, or both.
Buying with Affirm is quick and easy—we ask new users for just a few pieces of basic information, and then our approval decision only takes 10–12 seconds. Returning users just need to sign in to apply. Shoppers are then offered between 1–3 payment plan options depending on their cart size and credit history, and on the financing program you choose. If you choose a 0% APR program, qualifying shoppers will be offered 0% APR payment plans, while shoppers who don’t qualify may be offered interest-bearing payment plans.
For more information on financing programs, please contact our Merchant Care team.
Can I use Affirm for In-Store and Telesales?
Once you’ve set up your e-commerce integration and depending on your in-store and telesales annual revenue, we do offer in-store and telesales integrations in the U.S & Canada. Both integrations require minimal lift.
With our in-store offering, your customer will visit a store-specific URL on their phone and request a one-time-use virtual credit card to pay for their purchase, which you process as a card-not-present transaction. You can read more about Affirm's in-store solution here.
With our telesales solution, your customer will receive an email and SMS message with a checkout URL. Once they follow this link, Affirm will present an identical integration to the in-store flow. You can find more info about our telesales solution here.
What will my customers pay?
For each Affirm transaction, shoppers pay between 0–36% APR based on their credit history and the financing program they choose.
When shoppers select Affirm at checkout, they’ll get detailed payment plan options. No matter their payment plan, they’ll never pay a penny more than they agree to on day one—Affirm never charges shoppers late fees or any other kind of fee. We take on all repayment risks.
How does Affirm maintain security against possible cyber threats?
Security against Cyber threats and data protection is an essential part of Affirm, this is why we have developed key measures to bring the best experience.
Check the details of our security program on Affirm's Security Posture.
Merchant fees
What is my fee?
For our merchant partners, we charge a merchant discount rate (MDR) and transaction fee. The exact fee we charge is based on a few factors, including the program option you choose, your business size, and your business’s risk profile based on data we've gathered from working with thousands of businesses.
A typical Affirm fee is a base percentage + $X.XX per transaction—but this can vary by business type and size. We don’t charge integration fees, annual fees, or monthly fees. Once you create an Affirm merchant account and submit a few pieces of information about your business, you’ll see additional details about our various financing program offerings and associated fees.
To learn more about fees and programs, create a merchant account today.
How and when will I be paid?
Affirm settles to your bank account via ACH transfer within 1–3 business days of each transaction. We pay you upfront, in full, less the merchant discount rate (MDR) and transaction fee. You can read more about the settlement process here.
How do refunds work?
Issuing refunds on an Affirm order is the same as processing a credit card refund, and you can do it directly through your e-commerce platform or the Affirm Merchant Portal.
For a partial refund, Affirm will first credit your customer’s final recurring Affirm bill. If the refund amount is larger than the final recurring bill, Affirm will apply the remainder of the refund to the preceding recurring bill, and so on. All other payment terms will remain unchanged from the customer’s original plan.
We don’t refund the merchant discount rate or the transaction fee. You can read more about refunds here.
Integration
How does integration work?
Whether you’re on an e-commerce platform or you use our direct API implementation, the integration process is designed to be quick and easy.
Once we decide to partner together and you select the financing program you’d like to offer your customers, we'll give you access to our learning management platform, which will walk you through the integration step by step. Most of our partners integrate Affirm very quickly, and our Integrations Team is always available if you need help.
Once the integration is complete, your customers won’t ever have to leave your website—because Affirm will be seamlessly integrated into your checkout.
Where can I get my API credentials?
If you're a developer looking to get public and private keys, you'll first create a merchant account and sign an agreement, and then our team can activate your account. You can also learn more about the integration process here.
What e-Commerce platforms do you work with?
We have direct integrations with many e-commerce platforms. You can review the list here. We’re constantly adding more, so keep checking back for updates!
Why am I getting an “Incorrect provider credentials” error?
If you’re trying to test or run Affirm’s checkout on your website and your merchant application is still under review, it is likely that you will receive this error. When and if your application is approved, you will receive working API keys to use on your website.
However, if your application has been approved and you are still receiving this error, please reach out to our Merchant Care team.
> Next: Getting Started With Affirm: Signing Up and Account Creations