想卖东西，而且要快？让潜在买家上钩的一个可靠方法是提供分期付款。

以"给予"的方式付款会让买家觉得他或她买到了便宜货。昂贵的东西变得负担得起，你计划以后购买的东西突然变成了你现在可以带回家的东西。

随便逛逛商店，你会发现大多数商品现在都可以通过分期付款来支付。从电器到家具到衣服到鞋子，你可以选择从短至3个月到长达24个月的付款期限。即使是非正式的卖家也知道分期付款是运送货物的方式。当你或你认识的人被告知他们可以支付长达2年的时间，并且卖家每次都会亲自上门收取时，他们很可能会被诱惑购买珠宝。

推迟付款听起来是个好主意，但是不要忘记付款的那一天还是会到来的。那么你什么时候应该说是，什么时候应该说不是呢？

#1 Yes to absolutely zero interest

如果你全额支付你的信用卡余额，你可以自信地对零利息的分期付款计划说是。这是因为你保证绝对零利息，没有机会支付你的未付余额加上你刚刚签署的分期贷款的利息。然而，如果你只支付信用卡的最低还款额，零利息优惠很可能会成为你的一部分

#2 Yes when you need flexible payment terms

If your washing machine breaks down, or the school tuition fees are due, and you do not have enough cash, paying by installment is a welcome option. But don’t say yes to the first offer that comes your way. In the case of the washing machine, check where the interest rates are lower. Scout for promotions that offer lower prices or rebates when availing of installments. With school tuition fees, check if your credit card offers a better deal, or if the school has an installment plan with friendlier terms.

#3 Yes when you will end up paying less

I paid P600 less for a pair of shoes by signing up for an App that automatically splits my purchase cost to 3 months at zero interest. Sounds too good to be true? Turns out the App will charge all 3 payments to my enrolled credit card or virtual wallet. So as long as I pay my card balance in full every month, this is a pretty good deal. Penalties do apply for late payment so make sure not to let that happen.

#4 No for impulse buys

If you feel tempted to buy something you don’t really need because it looks affordable with the price split into 12 or 24 installments, stop right there. That’s a long time to be tied to payments for something that you may regret buying. If it’s not a planned purchase, why not sleep on it for a couple of nights or more. Because the sad truth is if you are paying for something over a year or two, what it really means is that you can’t afford it right now.

#5 No when the payment term is longer than the product life

When borrowing for tuition fees, payment terms should be 12 months or less. Why? Because there will be tuition fees again next year, and you don’t want to be paying for last year’s school fees and the current year’s along with your living expenses. That’s one sure way to end up in debt. Consider the same for computers, even cars. Also, don’t forget that the longer the payment terms, the more interest you are paying.

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Disclaimer: The views in this blog are those of the blogger and do not necessarily reflect the views of ABS-CBN Corp.

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