Flights With No Money Down
Search flights across hundreds of airlines and see exactly what’s due today, which for most plans is less than you think, and sometimes nothing.
What Are Flights With No Money Down
Flights with no money down are tickets you book today with little or nothing due at checkout. The airline issues the ticket right away, and you pay the fare in installments afterward. You choose a provider such as Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, or Zip at checkout, they approve you in seconds, and you pay them back on the schedule shown before you confirm.
The phrase gets used loosely, so it helps to separate two things. A pay-in-4 plan is a pay-later product, and it always takes the first of its four payments at checkout, which is about a quarter of the fare. That is a small first payment, and a real one. A no-money-down plan is different. Many BNPL providers require a down payment, but depending on the fare, your travel dates, and the terms you’re approved for, monthly plans can sometimes offer $0 due today. That is the only way to get a ticket issued with nothing out of pocket, and monthly plans are available on our checkout.
This page shows what each provider actually charges at checkout on the same $600 fare, how to book with nothing or almost nothing down, and how to choose a plan that fits the fare you’re looking at.
What You Actually Pay Today, by Provider
Every row below uses the same $600 round-trip fare so the numbers line up. The last column shows what you’ll find on our checkout.
| Provider | Plan | Due at checkout | Remaining | Credit check | Available at Flexible Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affirm | Pay in 4 or Monthly | $0 to $150, depending on approval | 3 × $150 every 2 weeks, or 3 to 12 monthly payments | Soft pull | |
| Klarna | Pay in 4 | $150 | 3 × $150, every 2 weeks | Soft pull | |
| Afterpay | Pay in 4 | $150 | 3 × $150, every 2 weeks | None, internal review only | |
| Zip | Pay in 4 | $150 plus a small per-installment fee | 3 × $150, every 2 weeks | None, internal review only | |
| PayPal Pay Later | Pay in 4 | $150 | 3 × $150, every 2 weeks | Soft pull | Not yet |
| Uplift (on airline sites) | Monthly | Varies by approval | Monthly payments | Soft pull | Not offered |
| Deposit plan | Layaway | 15% ($90) | Weekly or biweekly until two weeks before departure | None | Launching soon |
The pay-in-4 rows can never reach $0 because the first installment is the down payment. The provider collects it the moment you confirm, and the other three follow every two weeks. A monthly plan is built differently. It is a short loan, the schedule is monthly instead of biweekly, and the down payment is decided at approval rather than fixed at a quarter of the fare. On some approvals that number is zero.
Fare size matters here. Pay-in-4 plans usually stop somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 depending on the provider and your history with them, which is why Zip or Afterpay will sometimes grey out on a larger international fare. Above that range, monthly financing is the plan that remains, and it is also the one that can sometimes be $0 down. On a $1,700 fare, a monthly plan is often the only split option that appears at all.
Who Can Book
The requirements are the same across every plan on this page, and none of them involve a hard credit inquiry.
18 or older
US resident
Debit or credit card
Phone number for verification
Approval is the provider’s decision, not ours, and a decline from one provider leaves no mark on your file. You can try another on the same screen.
How to Book With Nothing Down
1. Search your route
Compare live fares across hundreds of airlines. The price you see in results is the price your plan is built on, so there is no markup added when you choose to split it. Round-trip and one-way searches both work with every payment option on this page.
2. Choose Buy now, pay later and pick a provider
On the payment step, select Buy now, pay later and tap the provider you want. The amount due today shows on screen before you confirm. A monthly plan displays $0 when your approval carries no down payment, and each pay-in-4 provider shows its first installment. Nothing is charged until you approve the plan.
3. Ticket issued, installments follow
Your ticket is issued immediately and the airline confirmation lands in your inbox. The provider charges the remaining installments automatically on the schedule you accepted, and you can pay the balance off early at any time without a penalty.
Picking the Right Plan for Your Fare
The right choice usually comes down to the size of the fare and how far out the trip is.
| Monthly plan | Pay in 4 | Deposit plan Launching soon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Due today | Sometimes $0, depending on approval | About 25% of the fare | 15% of the fare |
| Ticket issued | Immediately | Immediately | After the final installment |
| Interest | 0% to 36% APR, shown before you commit | 0% | 0% |
| Plan length | 3 to 12 months | Six weeks | Until two weeks before departure |
| If you miss a payment | Balance still owed, may affect credit | Balance still owed, late fee possible | Reservation can lapse, no debt follows |
| Best for | Larger fares and trips months away | Fares under $1,000 you can clear in six weeks | Trips booked well ahead with no loan involved |
A $1,500 fare to Manila booked four months out fits a monthly plan, where the first payment can sometimes be zero and the schedule stretches. A $450 fare to Orlando three weeks out fits pay in 4, where about $113 goes today and the rest is done before you’ve unpacked. The deposit plan is for travelers who want the fare locked and no debt at any point, and we’re opening it soon.
Our layaway flights page explains how the deposit plan will work.
Why People Look for Flights With No Money Down
Timing is the most common reason. A fare is good on the 28th and payday is the 1st, and three days is enough for the price to move. A plan with nothing due today lets you book on the 28th and pay on the 1st.
Emergency and bereavement travel is the next. A flight home for a funeral can’t wait for a paycheck, and airlines have largely stopped offering bereavement fares. A $0-down plan turns a fare you can’t cover today into a fare you can.
Some travelers are protecting a purchase elsewhere. A large charge on a credit card raises utilization, and that can cost real money on a mortgage or auto loan rate in the weeks before closing. A BNPL plan keeps the fare off the card.
Others simply want to keep cash for the trip itself. Hotels, food, and ground transport all come due during travel, and splitting the flight leaves that money available.
Travelers with credit concerns can read our flights with bad credit page and our no credit check flights page, which cover approval odds and what each provider actually reads.
Other Ways to Keep Cash in Your Pocket at Booking
- PayPal balance. Pay from money already sitting in your PayPal account with no new plan and no inquiry.
- Cash App Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. No new account to open. The full fare is charged to whichever card or balance is linked.
- Split the fare with travel companions. Each traveler pays their own share at checkout, so nobody fronts the whole booking.
- Book early. Fares are usually lowest six to twelve weeks out on domestic routes and further out on international ones, and a lower fare means a smaller first payment on any plan.
Every payment method we accept is listed on our ways to pay page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you book a flight with $0 down?
Sometimes. Monthly plans can be approved with nothing due at checkout, depending on the fare and the terms you qualify for. Pay-in-4 plans always take the first installment today, which is about a quarter of the fare.
Do airlines offer no-money-down tickets directly?
Rarely. Most airlines route you to Uplift, which is monthly financing with its own approval and its own down payment rules. Booking through a platform that offers several providers gives you more than one shot at a low or $0 first payment.
Is no money down the same as no credit check?
No. $0 down describes what you pay at checkout, and no credit check describes how the provider decides to approve you. Monthly plans sometimes offer $0 down after a soft check. Afterpay and Zip skip the credit bureaus but take a first payment. Our no credit check flights page covers the second half in detail.
What's the smallest first payment on a $500 flight?
Sometimes $0 on a monthly plan if your approval carries no down payment, and about $125 on any pay-in-4 plan. A deposit plan, once it launches, would take $75.
Does $0 down mean 0% interest?
Not always. Some monthly plans are 0% APR and others carry interest, and the provider shows the rate and the total cost before you commit. Pay-in-4 plans are 0% interest but always take a first payment. You can have one or the other, and occasionally both.
Can I book a flight for someone else with no money down?
Yes. The traveler's name goes on the ticket and your name goes on the payment plan. Enter the passenger details for the person flying, then select the plan under your own account at checkout.
What if I'm declined for $0 down?
Try a pay-in-4 provider on the same screen. Each one runs its own approval, and a decline from one has no bearing on the next. A smaller fare or a different travel date sometimes changes the answer as well.
Can I pay off early?
Yes, with no penalty on every provider we offer. Paying a monthly plan off early also reduces the interest you pay, since interest accrues on the remaining balance.
See What's Due Today
Search hundreds of airlines, pick a plan at checkout, and see the first payment before you confirm, which might be nothing at all.
Search Flights