That's not really the point I am making and I think you know it. BNPL options which let someone split a 500 dollar payment over 2 years are there to encourage people to spend money who otherwise wouldn't feel OK about dropping 500 dollars right then. I.e. if you have to use the BNPL option, you can't afford it in the first place. In fact, if you have to even stop and think about whether it's worth splitting it or not it means it's not a good idea.