Italians travel more often and spend more money to do so. According to HeyLight Focus On Travel 2026, the study conducted by HeyLight, the Buy Now Pay Later platform of Compass, during the summer of 2026 82% of Italians spent at least one vacation period, compared with 75% the year before. The average expenditure rose to €1,386 per person, 12% higher than in 2025. And it wasn’t easy for everyone: one in four Italians say they had to be careful, giving up or postponing other needs.
Figures like these shift the focus to a question that arrives alongside the quote, where one wonders not only where to go, but when to pay. For a long time the options were to settle everything upfront, or to postpone the trip and meanwhile save up. A third path has been added: installment payments, also known as Buy Now Pay Later (literally “buy now, pay later”): you book today and pay in several installments in the months that follow.
How it works, which trips it makes sense for, and, above all, when it’s truly worthwhile? Let’s try to clarify.
Pagare a rate non è una scelta di ripiego
Paying for a trip in installments is no longer an exception. According to the same study, 67% of Italians know Buy Now Pay Later, up from 61% in 2025. The share rises to 80% among the younger cohort and to 72% among Millennials, who together with Gen Z account for 67% of BNPL requests in Italy.
And those who consider it for vacations have clear reasons why. Among those who have not yet used it for travel, 23% would consider it: 48% to spread the expense over time, 44% to maintain liquidity for other needs, and 24% to start with more peace of mind.
These are planning-driven motivations. After all, 56% of those who traveled this summer organized in advance to face the expense, and 31% set aside money in the preceding months. Installment payment follows the same logic, which is about deciding ahead of time how to support a cost that is already known.
How it works
With HeyLight the mechanism is simple. You can split payments up to €5,000, choosing from 2 to 12 installments. The application takes only a few minutes to complete: the result is delivered during the online session or in person. The installments are charged to a payment card or bank account.
You can request it in-branch, directly with the consultant at the time of confirmation, or online, on the operator’s site, when you reach the payment step. If you have already arranged the trip by phone or email, you can receive a link by email or SMS and complete the request
With real-time results you know immediately whether you can proceed, and the reservation isn’t left pending while you wait for a response.
For which trips does it make the most sense
The installment approach works best with trips chosen well in advance and that carry high value, not just in euros. Think long-haul journeys, where flights and accommodations push the total up, or cruises, often booked many months ahead of departure. Also study trips that families schedule ahead of time, and experiential packages, from safari to culinary tours, built around something you truly want to experience.
They all share a common feature: the amount is known early and the departure is distant. Spreading the expense over that period allows you to lock in the preferred option immediately, without waiting to have the full amount saved.
It’s the case for many families with children: according to HeyLight, their average vacation spend exceeds €1,500 per person.
When it pays off and when it’s better to wait
The installment payment is a useful tool, but it isn’t right for every situation. Before choosing it, it’s worth asking yourself three questions.
The first is whether you already have other installments in progress. Smartphones, appliances, cars: installments add up, and what matters is the total that leaves your wallet each month, not the travel installment alone. The second concerns the stability of your income over the months covered by the plan. A contract about to expire, seasonal work, or a major upcoming expense are good reasons to opt for fewer installments, or to delay. The third is whether you have a margin for the unexpected, such as a repair, a medical expense, or a bill higher than expected. If the travel installment wipes out that margin, it’s better to wait.
There’s also a practical aspect often overlooked: with a long plan, some installments may arrive after you return, perhaps when you’re already thinking about the next trip. It’s better to account for this from the start.
Finally, it’s, in effect, a financing arrangement: the request is subject to assessment and the installments must be paid regularly. Before confirming, read the economic terms carefully in the information documents.
What changes in the trip
Spreading the expense changes not only how you pay. It can also change the trip you choose. Paying over multiple months, the same monthly budget can make room for what you initially removed to stay within limits: a sea-view room, two extra nights, a boat excursion, a flight with better times. Not surprisingly, according to HeyLight’s study, among those who would consider BNPL for vacations 19% would use it to choose a better travel option than the one initially planned. The total remains the total: an upgrade costs what it costs, even if paid in installments. Spend is spread, but the experience isn’t.
Even the payment is part of the journey
Like choosing dates or accommodations, the way you pay is part of vacation planning.
Installment payments are becoming more prevalent in tourism as well. HeyLight, already available in around 40,000 retail locations and on 3,000 e-commerce sites in Italy, was among the featured players at the TTG Travel Experience 2026 in Rimini, one of Italy’s major industry events.
Promotional Message for HeyLight is a registered trademark of Compass Banca S.p.A. and identifies several installment payment solutions: A) The free payment extension offered to consumers, subject to evaluation, by sellers of goods and services with which Compass Banca S.p.A. has signed an agreement for the assignment of pro-soluto credits (factoring). Full terms applicable to the extension are available at sellers of goods and services. Factoring contract information sheets available at http://www.compass.it, http://www.HeyLight.com, at Compass Banca S.p.A. branches or at financial agents operating as credit intermediaries with a single mandate or exclusive product mandate of Compass Banca S.p.A. Pending approval by Compass Banca S.p.A. B) The consumer loan, approved or not, directly from Compass Banca S.p.A. C) Additionally, the HeyLight brand has been licensed to Holipay S.r.l., an Italian company based at Viale Ortigara, 7/9, Milano Marittima (RA). The Italian Business Registry of RA, Tax Code and VAT Number 16090851003. The technological service offered by Holipay is designed for the needs of hoteliers, to automate and schedule the cash flow of deposits through a software-as-a-service integrated with a payment gateway service. Use of the service is subject to terms and conditions at www.heylight.com/it/it/viaggi-turismo.
