Microsoft has added a feature to the Edge browser that enables payment in installments as soon as you pay at webshops. Although the ‘buy now, pay later’ option is currently only available in America, reactions to the news have been mostly negative.
Paying in installments is an option that appears automatically as soon as you, as an American Edge user, want to pay for a product between 35 and 1000 dollars, the moment you would normally enter your payment details. The feature is powered by Zip, a company that specializes in this. But also four dollars extra per purchase, which is not mentioned anywhere in Edge itself.
Under the blog post This is one of the reasons why critical voices are pouring in on this subject and on social media. Microsoft would encourage Edge users to actually take out loans, which can have nasty consequences if buyers can’t pay off the amount on time. “Stop exploiting people who are in financial trouble,” read one of the comments.
“Shameful”, “dirty” and “greedy” are also some of the curses that come up regularly.
How long…
After years of muddling through, the Edge browser has recently had a more positive image. Microsoft is therefore committed to keeping users happy. That is why it may just be that the function will not last long. Such controversy may deter users of other browsers from switching to Edge.
