Like most fast-food chains in Southeast Asia, Jollibee in the Philippines is not something people plan for weeks in advance. It is the type of meal that almost everyone thinks of when they want something that is fast and (used to be) cheap.

We can see that families stop by after school, workers grab a quick meal between shifts, and parents bring their children there without much thought. But the rising cost of food now seems to make this “tradition” fade away.

Which is why the idea of paying for that meal later feels worth paying attention to, especially at times when your pocket is thinning.

And it couldn’t be at a better time, as through a recent partnership with Atome, Jollibee customers can now use the Atome Card across more than 1,300 Jollibee outlets nationwide, with the option to split payments into instalments.

Nothing really changes at the counter, where you can just simply tap and pay for your food, as you’d normally do in any fast food chain, with not a single moment where it feels like you’re in debt (at that point of time).

But that is precisely the point.

For many, buy now, pay later (BNPL) started out as a way to afford things that felt out of reach. Electronics, furniture, travel, you know, those purchases that require planning, or at least a bit of hesitation.

Food for most part, was never sort of part of that conversation. I mean, it is something you do need in order to survive, so most of the time, when you pay for food, it is almost immediate, more of a routine. Something that you do without thinking twice.

So when instalments enter something as ordinary and as crucial as a meal, it raises a different kind of question.

A question that does not revolves around affordability in the traditional sense, but about what kind of financial behaviour is quietly being normalised.

Why BNPL Might Actually Work in the Philippines

But in the Philippines, this is something that could work wonders for the everyday John and Jane Doe.

So, in order to understand why and how this works, you have to look at who it is reaching.

For most parts in the country, credit access has never been evenly distributed where data in 2024, stated that there are 40.86 million adult Filipinos without any form of a bank account.

Plus, it seems like credit cards are still far from common for the Filipinos, with only about 1 in 20 consumers holding one.

For many people, their first real interaction with financial services has come through digital wallets or products like this.

Atome has even confirmed this by stating out that a large share of its users in the country are first-time cardholders. And they are not using it for luxury purchases. These people are using some sort of credit that is given to them for survival buy spending them for groceries, fuel, utility bills. You know, everyday expenses.

Now that context matters why?

Data already shows that borrowing is moving in the same direction. What used to be occasional borrowing for larger purchases has increasingly moved into basic goods as more than half of borrowing households now take on loans for essentials like groceries.

So when a meal at Jollibee becomes something you can split into instalments, it does not feel like a stretch. It fits into a pattern that is already forming within the country.

Is It Flexibility, or Something Else?

Now, Atome and Jollibee frame this around flexibility. What do they mean by that sits around the basis of how the card works.

Users can just use the Atome Card like any other card or payment method. At the end, you’d be given the “flexibility” that Atome and Jollibee gloat about, where you can either choose to pay them in full or spread those transactions into months.

That sounds reasonable. And for many people, it is.

If your income is uneven, or if expenses tend to cluster within the same month, the ability to shift payments around can make a difference. It creates a bit of room to manage cash flow.

But do note, there are some fees that needs to be paid, depending on the length you split those bills. And also, there is another side to this.

When that option sits quietly in the background of everyday spending, it becomes easy to use without really noticing. I’m not saying that people are reckless, but what I mean by this is that the decision no longer feels like borrowing.

A meal today. Groceries tomorrow. Fuel at the end of the week. Individually, none of these feel significant.

But some people might not notice or even forget that they do not exist in isolation. They stack, and over time, they start to compete for the same portion of income.

This is where the conversation moves beyond access, and more towards habits.

Are We Expanding Access, or Changing Habits?

For years, financial inclusion has been measured by access. More accounts equals to more users which then resulted to more credit flowing into the system.

By that definition, developments like this are progress. But not all credit serves the same purpose.

Borrowing to invest in a business, education, or even durable goods can improve long-term stability. Look at how GCash is doing it with the Study Now Pay Later loan programme. Such assistance is needed especially when it helps parents, guardians, and self-supporting students who need financial aid.

But borrowing repeatedly for consumption is different. It depends heavily on a consistent income and most importantly, a disciplined repayment.

The right question to ask now is not whether people should have access to credit. That part is evidently clear.

What people should be asking now is what happens when credit becomes part of routine consumption because the shift we are seeing is not dramatic, it is gradual.

Instalments start appearing in places where people once paid in full. First for larger purchases, then smaller ones, and eventually everyday essentials.

And once that becomes part of the routine, it stops feeling like a decision.

Access That Comes With Trade-Offs

But before we condemn them, there is a strong case for what Atome and Jollibee are doing.

For someone who has never had access to formal credit, this can be an entry point, a way I would say, to manage short-term gaps without turning to informal lenders.

Even a small transaction, paid back on time, can help build a financial track record.

And when you look it that way, it now somewhat matters. But access without awareness can just as easily create new risks.

Lets say, if the same tools that help people manage cash flow also make it easier to defer everyday expenses, then the line between flexibility and dependency becomes harder to see.

And this is not unique to just food. It could be anything.

We are already seeing instalment options appear across transport, groceries, and utilities so, the pattern is quite clear that credit now is being embedded into the most frequent parts of everyone’s daily life.

A Simple Meal But A Larger Question

Financial tools are supposed to serve people and in the Philippines, they are increasingly showing up where people already are. Right down to something as ordinary as a fast food counter.

But I would like to remind you of what Benjamin Franklin used to say.

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”

Featured image: Generated by Fintech News Philippines via Pikaso AI Image Generator on Freepik.