It’s that time of year again, and retailers are pulling out all the stops to get us spending – from Black Friday to new year’s sales.

The average Briton expects to shell out around £300 on Christmas gifts. But as budgets tighten, more people are turning to buy-now-pay-later schemes to spread the cost over time. Our research has uncovered how these services have become woven into many people’s festive spending.

One shopper told us how a brand’s email about an early Black Friday discount led her to buy items she had been considering for a while, as the reduced prices made the decision feel too good to pass up.

But not everyone can afford this seasonal spending spree. About a third of Britons worry about the financial hit of Christmas. Many turn to credit cards or overdrafts. And that’s now being joined by the fast-growing buy-now-pay-later options to make ends meet.

One man said he had built up about £120 in buy-now-pay-later debt after........

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