BNPL Decisioning

Approve more BNPL transactions in under 500ms.

AltFiScore underwrites every BNPL transaction in real time using live bank data and tiered KYC — from $25 coffee subscriptions to $5,500 e-bikes. Same API, same compliance, every basket size.

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POST /v1/decisions/bnpl

287ms

Outcome

Approved

KYC

Soft

Grade

Approved amount

0% APR

$850.00

4 biweekly payments of $212.50

Decisioning signals used

Plaid: $4.5K balancePlaid: stable incomeNo overdrafts 90dPersona DB match

✓ TILA disclosure attached · ✓ FCRA adverse action codes ready

The problem

BNPL companies decline qualified buyers because bureau data wasn't built for installment risk.

Bureau-based scoring was designed for 30-year mortgages, not 6-week installment plans. Thin-file consumers — the exact population BNPL serves — get auto-declined despite stable cash flow. Manual review queues blow past your 200ms checkout SLA.

70M+

Americans the bureaus call "credit invisible" or "unscoreable" — many with steady jobs, healthy bank balances, and rent paid on time.

Modern alt data decisioning

Alternative data, calibrated for short-tenure BNPL risk.

AltFiScore scores BNPL applicants using the data signals that actually predict 6-week repayment risk: net cash flow, overdraft frequency, income stability, and verified identity. Configurable per merchant, per basket size, per geography.

Plaid

Net cash flow stability

Steady positive cash flow over 90 days is a stronger predictor of $200 installment repayment than a bureau score from 6 years ago.

Plaid

Overdraft frequency

Zero overdrafts in 90 days strongly correlates with on-time BNPL repayment. A consumer who covers their checking account covers their installment.

Plaid

Income consistency

Recurring deposits from the same employer signal reliable repayment capacity even when bureaus show no credit history.

Persona

Identity confidence

Tiered identity verification: name-match for soft KYC, database lookup for enhanced, document + biometric for hard. Triggered automatically by basket size.

Argyle

Employment tenure

12+ months at current employer dramatically reduces 90-day BNPL default risk. Surfaced for $500+ baskets only.

AltFiScore

Velocity check

Real-time check across all merchants on the AltFiScore network. Prevents same-day stacking even when individual merchants can't see other transactions.

Decisioning details

Rate bands and policy thresholds

Configurable rate bands per tenant. Federal compliance caps applied automatically. All policy decisions are versioned, reproducible, and audit-logged.

Grade	Score range	APR	Amount cap
A+	880–1000	0%	100%
A	820–879	0%	100%
B	740–819	5%	90%
C	660–739	10%	75%
D	300–659	15%	60%

Federal compliance caps

Reg Z (TILA) disclosures attached to every approval
MLA 36% APR cap for active-duty military
State-specific finance charge limits applied automatically

KYC orchestration tiers

Soft · <$500 · Plaid name-match only
Enhanced · $500–$5,000 · Plaid + Persona database lookup
Hard · >$5,000 · full document + biometric verification

Integration

One endpoint. JSON in, JSON out.

Idempotent. Versioned. TILA disclosures and FCRA codes built in. Sandbox tenant for testing, production tenant when you're ready.

1Sign up for a sandbox tenant — provisioned in seconds with test consumers
2Generate API key in the lender portal
3POST to /v1/decisions/bnpl with consumer + transaction details
4Handle status: needs_consumer_action (poll or webhook) or complete
5Display approved schedule to consumer with TILA disclosure attached

POST /v1/decisions/bnpl

curl -X POST 'https://api.altfiscore.com/v1/decisions/bnpl' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer altfi_live_YOUR_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)' \
  -d '{
    "consumer": {
      "first_name": "Marcus",
      "last_name": "Chen",
      "email": "marcus@example.com",
      "phone": "+15551234567",
      "dob": "1988-11-08",
      "ssn_last4": "4521",
      "address": {
        "line1": "127 Tremont St",
        "city": "Cambridge", "state": "MA", "zip": "02138"
      }
    },
    "transaction": {
      "amount": 850.00,
      "currency": "USD",
      "merchant_name": "Sunset Furniture",
      "merchant_category": "furniture",
      "product_description": "Mid-century sofa"
    },
    "plan_preference": "pay_in_4"
  }'

← Response · 200 OK

{
  "decision_id": "8496f4b6-5514-4e0b-a6bf-6da6fb987448",
  "application_id": "8496f4b6-5514-4e0b-a6bf-6da6fb987448",
  "status": "complete",
  "kyc_tier": "soft",
  "kyc_status": "matched",
  "outcome": "approved",
  "approved_amount": "850.00",
  "currency": "USD",
  "apr": "0.0",
  "term_months": 2,
  "payment_schedule": [
    { "num": 1, "due_date": "2026-05-14", "amount": "212.50" },
    { "num": 2, "due_date": "2026-05-28", "amount": "212.50" },
    { "num": 3, "due_date": "2026-06-11", "amount": "212.50" },
    { "num": 4, "due_date": "2026-06-25", "amount": "212.50" }
  ],
  "tila_disclosure": {
    "amount_financed": "850.00",
    "finance_charge": "0.00",
    "total_of_payments": "850.00",
    "apr": "0.0",
    "payment_frequency": "biweekly"
  }
}

Compliance

Built for compliance teams.

Every decision is versioned, reproducible, and audit-logged. Adverse action codes follow ECOA Regulation B. Disclosures meet TILA Reg Z.

Reg Z (TILA)

Truth in Lending disclosures generated automatically: amount financed, finance charge, total of payments, APR.

Reg B (ECOA)

Adverse action codes returned in every declined or referred decision. FCRA-compliant reason codes for consumer reports.

Reg E

Pre-authorized electronic transfer disclosures for biweekly auto-debit installment plans.

MLA

Automatic 36% APR cap detection for active-duty service members and dependents.

BSA / AML

OFAC screening + sanctions list checking integrated into every transaction.

State usury

State-specific finance charge ceilings applied per consumer address.

Start scoring BNPL transactions in 15 minutes.

Sandbox tenant with test consumers in 3 baskets ($25 / $850 / $5,500). Real engine. Real responses. No credit card required.

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