Microsoft Edge’s new buy now, pay later tool blasts users

Microsoft has worked diligently to make Edge a more viable alternative to Firefox and Chrome, going so far as to completely rewrite it based on Chromium code. The company is also looking to differentiate its official browser by loading it with useful tools for online shoppers, a strategy that could prove to be lucrative as well. While most of these choices have been approved, the latest one is rather looked down upon: a new built-in tool for the Zip finance service.

Zip is part of a new generation of buy-now, pay-after-pay services that break small and medium-sized purchases into more manageable chunks, avoiding conventional interest payments for low fixed fees ($ 1 per payment, $ 4 maximum). It competes with Klarna, Splitit, and various other payout options from more established companies like PayPal. As an alternative to the old lease setups with the option to buy or lay aside, this may make sense for cash-strapped buyers, although that $ 1 fee is proportionately higher for larger purchases. small.

But why Microsoft chose to include a branded fundraising tool in Edge, and why Zip in particular, is unclear. The feature was announced in mid-November – just in time for holiday shopping to ramp up – as an addition to the browser’s existing coupon and price comparison tools. Integration takes place in Zip’s app, registration, and payment system in the browser, linking it to the same Microsoft account you use to sign in to Windows. Microsoft claims that by using the Edge version of the Zip tool, it can be applied to any standard purchase made in the browser (instead of store by store) between $ 35 and $ 1,000. It is only available in the United States at this time.

Like most Edge features, it was first rolled out in the Canary version, but from now on, it should be available to most standard Windows users in the v96 version. The functionality does not seem to appear to everyone; some quick tests in Canary didn’t show it on Amazon or Microsoft’s online store.

Edge users made their dissatisfaction known almost immediately. The announcement post on Microsoft’s site has over 170 responses at the time of writing, almost universally negative. “It sounds like a horrible idea that will only be seen as a shameless cashgrab,” writes Cameron_Bush. “Please, please stop bloating the browser with these revenue gains,” adds BioTurboNick, who claims to have created a comment account specifically to say so. “It should be an extension at best. It’s not a feature I look for in every browser, ”explains bppatton.

User-applied tags to the post include “dirty”, “embarrassment”, “exploiter”, “predator”, “scam”, “bloat” and “usury”, among others. User reactions in other places on the web, including forums, comment sections, and Reddit threads, seem to echo this general sentiment.

A common refrain on the post from Microsoft and others is accusations that the company is adding unnecessary functionality to Edge in the name of revenue. At the moment, it’s not clear exactly how, or if, Microsoft is benefiting from this feature from a financial perspective. According to Edge’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) support page, “Microsoft is not involved in granting the loan and does not charge a fee for connecting users to loan providers. “. But that terse statement leaves many options open for less direct monetization.

We reached out to Microsoft for comment on the company’s relationship with Zip. A representative said, “Microsoft does not provide funding or charge fees as stated in the FAQs. Microsoft has nothing else to share beyond the FAQs at this time.

At the very least, adding such situational, mercantile functionality to a browser that Microsoft has worked so hard to improve over the past two years could be seen as a step backwards. As many users have noted, this could have been an optional extension instead of a mandatory universal feature.