Affirm becomes Sam's Club's exclusive pay-over-time provider, online first and in clubs from 2027

Affirm announced on 22 October 2026 that it has signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement to be the pay-over-time provider for Sam's Club, the membership warehouse chain owned by Walmart. The service will appear on http://SamsClub.com in the coming weeks, and the two companies plan to extend it to Sam's Club locations during 2027. At checkout, shoppers get a real-time eligibility decision for the specific purchase. If approved, they choose a monthly plan and see every instalment and the payoff date before they commit. Affirm repeats its usual pitch that it charges no late fees and that its interest does not compound. Its standard disclosures put rates between 0% and 36% APR depending on credit, with Pay in 4 at 0% APR; the release does not set out terms specific to Sam's Club, and it does not say whether another provider is being displaced. The deal matters because it shows how large US retailers are now buying instalment credit: as a single, exclusive relationship rather than a menu of several pay-later brands. Industry survey data cited by PYMNTS puts Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna and PayPal Pay Later within a few points of each other in user reach, so exclusive contracts with big merchants are becoming the main way to win share. For online merchants, exclusivity cuts both ways. One provider means simpler integration, reporting and dispute handling, and usually better commercial terms. It also means shoppers who prefer a different pay-later brand may not find it, and the merchant carries more concentration risk if that provider changes its underwriting or pricing.