Klarna Rolls Out Debit-First Card Across Europe

Klarna, the global digital bank and payments provider, is expanding its debit-first card across the EU, following a successful US launch in July this year. The Klarna Card challenges traditional credit card providers by giving consumers the power to pay upfront or flexibly, and 685,000 Americans have already signed up for the card since July. 

The Klarna Card, powered by Visa Flexible Credential, is debit by default, letting users pay instantly with their own money, while also offering flexible options. Within the Klarna app, consumers can choose: Pay in 3, Pay Later, or longer-term financing for larger purchases, subject to approval. It enables consumers to cover everything from everyday essentials to bigger one-off purchases and is accepted at over 150 million Visa merchant locations worldwide, online and in-store. By combining upfront payments with flexible pay later options, the Klarna Card redefines what consumers expect from their everyday bank, putting control back in their hands.

“When I was a teenager working in retail, the checkout terminals gave consumers a simple choice: debit or credit. Over time, that choice was taken away and consumers had less control over when to use debit or credit. Our new Klarna Card brings that choice back, giving consumers control over their money again,” said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Co-founder and CEO of Klarna.

The Klarna Card builds on the company’s growing portfolio of card-based products, which already account for 10% of Klarna’s global payment volume. 

Klarna is currently rolling the card out to customers in: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, with the plan to rollout across more markets, including Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Poland, soon. The card was announced in the U.S. earlier this year.