Upfront Summary: Is Klarna worth it?

Klarna brings the convenience of “buy now, pay later” to your day-to-day shopping experience. When you purchase an item using Klarna you have the opportunity to get what you want today and pay for it over a set period of time. It’s easy to use and relatively reliable, but it is important to understand how Klarna works and what to expect as a customer before downloading the app or web browser extension. 

Boasting their interest-free, “pay in 4” method of shopping on their homepage you may be quick to question the companies safety and legitimacy. Do they truly mean interest-free or are there hidden fees and fine print to be deciphered? All of the company details, including refund policies and customer input, are presented in this article to help you make an educated and informed decision about Klarna before signing up. 

Klarna Company Information

Official Website:https://www.klarna.com/us/
Founded:2005
Owner:Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO
Number of Employees:3.8K
Revenue:1.087 billion USD (2020)
Location:Stockholm, Sweden
Customer Service Contact:844-KLARNA1 (844-552-7621)
Social Media:Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram 

What is Klarna?

Klarna is a “buy now, pay later” shopping tool. The app allows consumers to create payment plans on purchases made at select stores that do not otherwise offer such methods of payment. Companies that accept Klarna payments include popular brand names such as Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, Microsoft, and more. 

This app can be used for both in-store and online shopping. They market their financial services as an interest-free alternative to credit cards. Klarna is convenient and easy to use. 

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How Does Klarna Work?

When making a purchase with Klarna, you are using a one-time card to pay the store and then making interest-free payments to Klarna. First, you have to download the app or browser extension to shop online and in stores. Then, you set your budget and create a one-time card for the amount of money you plan to spend. Klarna offers multiple payment plans, their most popular being the “pay in 4” plan which is set up to make a payment every 2 weeks. When shopping with Klarna you still have to pay something up front. For example, with the “pay in 4” plan you will pay 25% of the total upfront. 

Is Klarna Safe and Legit or a Scam?

After researching the company from top to bottom, it is safe to say that Klarna is not a scam. It is a safe and legit company with an A+ rating on Better Business Bureau®. The app has 4.8 stars on the Apple App Store and 4.4 stars on Google Play. Many reviews can be found online from both customers and employees, proving that Klarna is a well-used app across the globe.

Not every buy now, pay later company is made equally. Other businesses offering these services may not be as safe as Klarna, so be sure and conduct research before offering up any sensitive information to other companies. 

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Klarna Fees

Late fees

Although advertised as an interest-free payment option, there are some fees to look out for if you do not make your payments on time. If you miss a Klarna payment, you will receive an email notification about the payment failure and a second attempt to charge your card. If the second attempt also fails you will be charged a late fee of up to $7. The late fee will never exceed more than 25% of your purchase.

Pre-authorization charge

Additionally, Klarna may attempt a pre-authorization charge on your account before you purchase to ensure the card is not fraudulent. This will never be more than the amount of your first installment. The pre-authorization charge is instantly reversed. For customers who were not expecting this charge, they may worry about the trustworthiness of the company. 

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Does Klarna Have Good Customer Service?

Klarna is growing rapidly and therefore, hiring rapidly as well. Based on customer reviews it seems that the customer service systems at Klarna are poorly managed. There is a lot of “passing the hot potato”, if you will. It sounds like the customer service team passes issues back and forth without any streamlined process to fully address and solve the customer’s issue. 

Also, as an international company, Klarna customer service team members are located all over the world. This impacts their customer service because it is difficult to streamline protocols and procedures across borders. 

Does Klarna Have A Refund Policy or Buyer Protection?

When you pay with Klarna your purchase is still made through the store you are shopping at. So, if you decide to return an item that you purchased with Klarna, you return it directly to the store where it was purchased. Every store return policy and refund policy is different so it is important to gather that information from the retailer before purchasing. Your refund through Klarna will be based on the refund policy of the store. 

Once you have decided to return the item to the retailer, you will need to report the return in the Klarna app. When a return is reported, Klarna will stop charging future payments. According to customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau®, Klarna does not do a great job at processing refunds. Each refund is processed differently depending on the payment plan. If the store’s refund policy only offers store credit, you will still be responsible for the payments to Klarna and you will receive your store credit directly from the store, not via your Klarna app. 

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How to Delete A Klarna Account?

After giving Klarna a try and deciding the services they offer do not benefit you, it is not difficult to delete an account. First, you must ensure that all orders are paid off. Klarna needs 10 days for a payment to clear before closing an account. Once all purchases are paid off, you can remove your payment information from the app. You will need to contact customer service to opt out of marketing emails and to delete your personal data. As previously mentioned, Klarna’s customer service department does not have the best reviews so this part of the process could potentially take a bit of time. 

The Pros and Cons of Klarna

Based on the research referenced in this article, here is a list of pros and cons to consider before downloading and shopping with Klarna:

Pros

  • Interest-free payment plans
  • Can be used for online and in-store purchases
  • Many stores to shop at 
  • Safe and legit business

Cons

  • Customer service can be unreliable
  • Refund can be complicated depending on store policy
  • Late fees can add up

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Klarna Careers

Is Klarna a good company to work for?

Overall, Klarna sounds like a good company to work for. According to employee reviews on Glassdoor, the company is growing fast. Klarna offers competitive compensation and room for growth. As long as you are meeting your KPIs and other goals, you have the freedom to complete the tasks however works best for you. However, this freedom may not be for everyone.

Klarna is an international company and there is a lot of figuring it out for yourself and taking initiative that may not be best for everyone. It’s important to keep in mind that Klarna is a Swedish company and their ways of doing business may differ from that in the US.

Is it difficult to get a job at Klarna?

Due to Klarna’s fast growth, they are needing to hire more and more employees. It is not necessarily a competitive job pool. The downside is that the hiring process at Klarna is not very advanced. Employees say that the hiring process seems inefficient yet management sees no problem with it. 

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Best Klarna Alternatives

In the world of buy now, pay later services, Klarna certainly makes the list among the top businesses. However, each business has its strengths. If you are looking to compare apples to apples, here are a few other companies in the industry to look in to:

  • Afterpay
  • Affirm
  • Sezzle
  • Splitit
  • Perpay
  • PayPal Pay in 4

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Klarna affect my credit score?

Klarna will not affect your credit score but they may perform a soft credit check. This soft credit check will verify your identity and look at your credit report to learn more about your financial behavior. This credit check does not happen when you download the app or first sign up for Klarna. They will only run the check when you are utilizing a payment plan option or applying for monthly financing. 

Can I trust Klarna?

Yes, Klarna is safe and can be trusted. They are a legit business with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau® and they are trusted by many big name companies. 

Does Klarna set a spending limit?

Klarna does set a spending limit for each user. The more you shop with Klarna and consistently pay off your purchases on time, the more money you are allotted to spend at one time. Klarna will show you an estimated amount available on your web browser extension or in your app. 

What’s the catch with Klarna?

Based on this research, there is no catch. Klarna is safe and interest-free. If you are confident in your ability to make payments on time, every time, Klarna is a great tool for you to use while shopping online and in-stores.