Is Klarna safe to use?
Klarna is a regulated financial service trusted by millions of people and used safely at thousands of retailers across the US. Here's how Klarna protects your information, keeps you in control of what you spend, and what you can do to use it responsibly.
Security, fees, and credit checks explained
Your payment details, protected
Clear terms upfront
Credit transparency
Buyer protection
On eligible purchases, you can dispute orders that do not arrive or match what was described, exclusions apply. ²
Klarna and your credit score
At checkout
If you miss a payment
Continued missed payments
Is Klarna legitimate?
Klarna is a legitimate, regulated, and licensed financial services company. Here’s what that means in practice.
This matters because it means Klarna is held to consumer protection standards and regulatory oversight — the same protections you'd expect from any regulated financial institution. Klarna's Financing term loans, One Time Card loans, the Klarna Credit Card, Klarna Card, and Klarna Card pay later plans are issued by WebBank. This means these loans are backed by a chartered, federally regulated bank.³
Scammers sometimes impersonate financial institutions to steal personal information, so it's worth knowing how to spot the difference. You'll only encounter Klarna through the Klarna app, klarna.com and authorized merchant checkouts.
If you're contacted by someone claiming to be Klarna outside of these channels, or receive an unexpected email or text asking for your password, PIN, or card details, don't click any links. Open the app or go directly to klarna.com instead.
Read more about Klarna security measures at klarna.com/us/security.
Every payment option comes with its own terms, and you see them all before you confirm a purchase — including what you owe, when it is due, and any costs that may apply.
Interest and late fees are different charges, and both are shown separately so nothing is added silently after checkout. Late fees only apply if a payment is not collected after multiple attempts — not on the due date itself. If collection still fails, a late fee may be added to your next payment, subject to the caps in your order terms, and we send reminders before any fee applies.
Approval is also decided per purchase, so seeing terms upfront does not mean every future order will be approved.
The takeaway
Klarna's payment terms are shown upfront before you buy, we have strong measures to protect your payment details from fraud, and a credit check at checkout is not the same as a missed payment. These protections are built into how Klarna works, keeping your money and your data secure.