Jetstar improves its book now, pay later option

THE LOW-COST airline made headlines last month when it launched a fly now, pay later option. Now it’s going to get even better.

LAST month Jetstar gave travellers the option of booking now and paying later for domestic flights, in an Australian-first partnership with payments platform Afterpay.

Now, that option has just got a whole lot better.

Previously, the Afterpay option was available to Australians booking domestic flights and products online eight weeks in advance. Passengers could then pay off their airfares in small, regular payments.

Now that time has been slashed by half — meaning passengers can book now and pay later for flights just four weeks away.

The update is available from today.

“Since launch day, Afterpay has been incredibly popular among our customers in Australia, with thousands of bookings in the first month,” a Jetstar spokesman said.

“With Christmas only weeks ahead, we decided to expand this option for more travellers by making Afterpay available for bookings four weeks in advance of travel.”

The airline said it was also working towards offering Afterpay on international flights.

“We’ve heard from many customers wanting to include Afterpay on international flights and that’s a possibility we’re exploring for the near future and will announce opportunely,” the spokesman said.

The Afterpay service is available for transactions between $200 and $1000, booked four weeks or more in advance of travel, and a service fee of $10 applies.

When the game-changing partnership between Jetstar and Afterpay was first launched in September, Jetstar Group’s chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said the low-cost carrier was the first airline in Australia to offer it.

“Our mission at Jetstar is to offer low fares to enable more people to fly to more places, more often. Partnering with Afterpay gives our customers the option to lock in low fares at today’s prices and pay over time, even during our sales,” she said.

“Many of Jetstar’s customers already use Afterpay to purchase items at various retailers and are familiar with the flexibility of paying over time.”

To take advantage of Afterpay, customers simply choose a fare on the Jetstar website and select the Afterpay payment option.

The booking will be made with the fare price locked in, and the flight itinerary will be sent.

Customers can then make regular repayments and go on their trip.