In recent weeks, it’s been hard to miss the slew of updates coming in regarding gas prices, which have hit historic highs in the U.S.
Amid the heightened coverage of these spikes and other impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, attention started being placed on Stockholm-headquartered fintech company Klarna’s ‘Fill Up Now. Pay Later’ feature. In a Protocol piece shared Wednesday, for example, it was noted that Klarna (as well as Zip) had collaborated with gas station companies to facilitate payment plans.
In an explainer page on the official Klarna site, the option was summarized as follows:
“You can now gas up or grab snacks at Chevron and Texaco and split the cost over 6 weeks with Klarna.”
The Shade Room also highlighted the gas station availability of Klarna as a choice of payment, noting that the option required the creation of a digital in-store card within the service’s official app. In the ensuing comments, some applauded the payment-splitting feature while others were more critical.
“We can confirm this isn’t new news, just the result of marketing that was in the pipeline and went live,” a Klarna rep later told Complex. “We have been partnered with Chevron since 2021 and have done marketing with them a few times since then, so no connection to the recent increase in gas prices either.”
In reference to the ‘Fill Up Now. Pay Later’ feature’s designated section of the site not currently being live, the rep noted that the page has gone live “on and off a few times” since the partnership started in 2021.
In a tweeted statement on Wednesday, President Joe Biden addressed current price concerns, arguing that oil and gas companies “shouldn’t pad their profits” at the expense of everyday people.
Below, see more of what’s transpired as part of the Klarna and gas prices discourse.
