Hell Pizza takes BNPL to new depths with ‘pay when you’re dead’ scheme

New Zealand restaurant chain, Hell Pizza, has launched a devilish take on Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) — pizza that you only have to pay for when you’re dead. While the chain isn’t asking for your soul, the contract is legally binding.

This may sound like a joke, but it’s very real. Hell has launched the ‘buy now pay much later’ scheme as a response to the increasing popularity of BNPL products in New Zealand.

“As the heat turns up on ‘buy now pay later’ schemes trapping a growing number of Kiwis in spirals of debt, we’re launching AfterLife Pay, where customers don’t have to pay for their pizza until they’re dead, with no late fees or penalties,” the Hell Pizza website reads.

For now it’s just a trial that runs until June 17, but 666 select customers will sign a legal amendment to their wills, stating that the cost of their pizza will be paid for upon death, with no interest or late fees applied.

The terms and conditions also state that valid applicants must “… submit a declaration declaring that the Applicant (its Estate) will pay HELL for the Pizza in the Afterlife upon the Applicant’s death (subject to being a successful applicant).”

If you’re wondering how this can be enforced if Hell goes out of business or if this promotion is simply forgotten about in 50 years, the company has thought of that too.

The terms and conditions also state that Hell has the right to “forgive any debt owed to it by the Applicant”.

While Hell did open its first Australian location in Brisbane earlier this year, AfterLife Pay is only available to New Zealand residents.

Hell Pizza stokes the BNPL fire

While this is clearly a promotion that will probably result in 666 free pizzas, it has a good message at its fiery molten core.

“AfterLife Pay is a light-hearted campaign that reinforces HELL’s stance on buy now pay later schemes — you can have your pizza and eat it too without any pesky late fees or penalties,” Hell says.

While BNPL products are often used for retail items, there has been a trend towards them also being used for food and beverages, with the latter sparking controversy in Australia a few years back as BNPL was introduced to pubs.

“We’re seeing a growing number of people using the schemes to buy essential items like food, and we think it’s taking it a step too far when you’ve got quick service restaurants like ours being asked to offer BNPL for what is considered a treat — especially when you consider people are falling behind in their payments and 10.5 percent of loans in NZ are in arrears,” Hell Pizza CEO, Ben Cumming said in a statement.

Hell’s take on ‘buy now, pay much later’ comes amid continued economic and cost of living issues, and just one week after the Australian government announced that BNPL products will finally be subject to tighter regulations.

Services such as Afterpay and Zip will, in the future, be treated as credit products under The Credit Act.

While these services don’t have the same limits as credit cards, they have still been linked to financial stress, but with none of the checks and balances of traditional credit products.

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said last week that some Australians have opened multiple BNPL accounts, putting themselves in further debt than they would be if accessing a regulated credit card or payday loan.

A 2022 report from the Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA), revealed there are currently at least 5.9 million active BNPL accounts across Australia.

And it is getting even more popular.

Research from Frollo has also shown a 35% YoY increase in BNPL usage, with customers spending up to $420 each month on repayments and fees.