Fupay review

• Enjoy the benefits of Fu's Buy Now Pay Later Card with Apple Pay.
• Buy Now Pay Later everyday essentials like food, rent, cash or bills.
• Pay it back over 8 weeks with personalised repayments based on when and how much you can afford to repay.
• Get a spot of cash deposited directly into your bank account, pay a BPAY bill through the app and pay in-store and online using a Fu Virtual Card.

Fupay is one of Australia's newest Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) companies, but it positions itself as much more. Its tagline, "live large and take charge", encourages customers to spend their money however they want, as long as they are aware of how each purchase will impact their cash flow and future goals.

The platform is designed to assist customers who meet the company's loan standards by "spotting" funds to help them pay their rent on time and avoid falling behind. Customers must attach their bank account data to be eligible for the service, which allows Fupay to assess their eligibility and determine whether they can afford the loan.

This is how this innovative service works.

What is Fupay?

Fupay is a BNPL mobile app. It helps users to manage and spend money by combining their bank account data to offer them a full view of their finances. It uses data from your income, invoices, and transactions to estimate future costs, establish savings goals, and keep track of where and how much you spend.

Fupay offers three BNPL features: Fu Card, Fu Cash, and Fu Bills. The Fu Card is a digital card that can be loaded with any amount of money from $20 to $500 and used anywhere. You may have up to $200 deposited into your Fu Cash account, which you can use however you want. If you use Fu Bills, you can have Fupay cover the cost of a bill up to $500 if it can be paid using BPAY.

Landlords or real estate agents that refer clients to the offering will be paid a referral fee depending on the transaction's total value.

How does it work?

Fupay will help you in deferring rent, buying food, paying household expenses, or securing cash to pay for your lifestyle when you need it most. This is how it works.

• Defer payments for bills, food, rent, cash, and everything else you can think of.
• Apply to get up to $200 deposited into your bank account instantly.
• You may use the app to pay a BPAY bill of up to $500.
• Using a Fu Virtual Card, you may tap and pay in-store and online.
• Simply reimburse Fupay over an 8-week period with individualised instalments based on when and how much you can afford. 
• Plus, there's a 5% flat fee and no interest or account-keeping expenses.

Who is it for?

The platform is aimed squarely at Millennials and Gen Z, or Zoomers, and is intended to serve as a one-stop-shop for them to better manage their finances.

What does it cost?

Fupay does not charge interest and does not conduct a credit check, but it does analyse your income and financial habits. Fupay's fees are as follows.

• There is a 5% transaction fee on each purchase.
• Variable late fees apply.

Pros and cons

There are many different BNPL providers out there, with more sprouting up by the minute, while banks and credit card companies such American Express are also launching comparable products. However, each has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, and these are the ones that apply to Fupay:

Alternatives

The BNPL sector has grown quickly in Australia. These are some of the top Fupay alternatives currently in the market.

• Beforepay. Beforepay is an app-based loan business that allows you to borrow money before payday based on a portion of your paycheque. After that, you have 4 weeks to return the loan, plus a 5% transaction charge. Unlike other BNPL models like Afterpay and Zip, which allow you to borrow money for particular transactions, Beforepay gives you a lump sum cash advance that is sent immediately into your bank account.
• Instapay. Using this platform, employees are charged a fixed fee of $2 to obtain up to 50% of their weekly earnings (up to $250 only) through the Employment Hero payroll platform. Employers pay a fee per employee each month. The value of each transaction varies between $100 and $250.
• CommBank AdvancePay. This platform is one of Australia's newest BNPL providers, and was established in March 2021 by Commonwealth Bank. CommBank is exclusively available to qualified Commonwealth Bank clients and is connected to Commonwealth Bank bank accounts. It can be used anywhere that accepts Commonwealth Bank debit or credit cards.
• Earnd. This platform lets you access on demand your already earned, but not yet paid, employment income. If you obtain your money early, you'll have to budget for the difference the next pay week. You must first create an account with your employer before you can use Earnd. To promote prudent financial behaviour, Earnd sets a restriction on how much you can withdraw (50% of your pay).
• MyPayNow. When you are short on cash a day or two before payday and don't want to take out a loan or use a credit card, MyPayNow is a service that allows you to access your pay early. You can borrow up to 25% of your salary. The minimum weekly earnings required to use MyPayNow is $450. This implies you'll be able to borrow around $120 every week. You can borrow up to $1250 every week depending on your earnings.
• PayActiv. Employees can break away from payday loans using Payactiv, which allows them to access a portion of their earned income in between pay cheques. The company also offers tools and information to help customers to achieve their own financial objectives. Employees may have to pay a fee to access earned wages before payday, depending on their employer's program.

Verdict

Fupay is dubbed as "Australia's first responsible lending rent payment solution" for millennials and Zoomers. It assists customers who meet the company's loan standards by "spotting" funds (up to $200) to help them pay their rent on time and avoid falling behind. A fee of 5% of any transaction is charged and the firm guarantees that no account fees or interest will ever be charged.

The company is unique in its offering, as seen by its tagline "live large, take charge," which focuses on smaller cash amounts, young consumers, and a platform that allows users to take control of their finances.

While Fupay may appear to be nothing more than a way to make purchases, you should still consider the risks associated as you would with any other financial platform.