Survey Finds 38% Still Paying Off Last Year's Holiday Gifts

Thirty-eight percent of Americans are still paying for last holiday season's gifts, a new survey found, and a fifth plan to borrow again. [Holiday Debt Survey 2026: 38% still paying off last year's gifts — The College Investor]

The College Investor's survey, run through Pollfish on November 8, found 28% still carry last year's purchases on a credit card and 21% on a buy-now-pay-later plan. Twenty-one percent plan to use BNPL for this year's gifts. [Holiday Debt Survey 2026: 38% still paying off last year's gifts — The College Investor]

The overlap is the story. Fifty-four percent of the people who plan to use BNPL this year still owe on last year's purchases, and among people still paying off a BNPL plan from last year, 40% plan to use one again. The 38% breaks down as 17% paying on a card, 10% on a plan and 11% paying both. [Holiday Debt Survey 2026: 38% still paying off last year's gifts — The College Investor]

The rest of the payment picture: 57% plan to pay for gifts with cash or side-hustle earnings, 41% with credit cards and 34% with debit. Sixty-one percent said they're stressed about paying for gifts, down from 70% in the firm's 2022 survey, and groceries are the top source of money stress at 47%. [Holiday Debt Survey 2026: 38% still paying off last year's gifts — The College Investor]

The borrowing is growing at the register too. Adobe forecasts $21.3 billion in BNPL spending this November and December, up 6.6% from last year. The survey's margin of error is about plus or minus 4 percentage points. [Holiday Debt Survey 2026: 38% still paying off last year's gifts — The College Investor] [Buy now pay later holiday spending is set to hit a record in 2026 — Debt Discipline]