A new holiday survey from Snap Finance®, a leading fintech platform that drives retailer growth by expanding consumer access to financing, finds that 58% of consumers with credit scores below 670 are concerned about affording holiday purchases this year, even as 81% expect their household to buy gifts.

As part of its ongoing “Credit Gap” research series, Snap Finance surveyed nearly 1,000 U.S. adults about their holiday shopping plans and found that higher prices are the leading reason respondents expect to spend more on gifts. Among consumers planning to spend more on gifts this holiday season, 75% point to higher prices as the reason, compared with 26% who attribute the increase to improved income or finances.

“The holidays are a moment when consumers want to show up for the people they care about, even when there is pressure on the household budget,” said Ted Saunders, CEO of Snap Finance. “Our research shows that affordability remains a real consideration for many shoppers. Retailers that give consumers greater transparency, flexibility and choice at checkout can help them navigate that pressure while still participating in the season.”

Affordability concerns extend beyond credit-challenged consumers: 29% of respondents with credit scores of 670 or higher are concerned about affording the holidays, even as 83% plan to purchase gifts.

Among the key 2026 holiday findings:

  • Fifty-nine percent of credit-challenged respondents had or plan to create a holiday budget, compared with 48% of respondents with higher scores. Among credit-challenged respondents with a budget or plans to create one, 45% were very or extremely confident they would stick to it.

  • Thirty-eight percent of credit-challenged respondents expected to spend less on gifts than last year, compared with 22% of respondents with higher scores. Across the full sample, 61% would consider shopping around more for deals or sales to reduce gift spending.

  • Forty-four percent of credit-challenged respondents said financing availability will be a major factor in where they decide to shop this holiday season, compared with 24% of respondents with higher scores. Among credit-challenged respondents, 40% expect holiday credit card bills to take months to repay, compared with 21% of respondents with higher scores.

Across the full sample, 24% of respondents expect someone in their household to use artificial intelligence to compare prices this holiday season, 20% expect to use it for gift recommendations, and 6% expect to use it to complete a purchase.

For more detailed holiday survey findings or to learn about Snap Finance’s solutions for retailers, visit https://snapfinance.com/info/holiday-spending-under-pressure.

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About Snap Finance

Snap Finance® is a technology-driven provider of flexible financing solutions designed to help consumers and businesses thrive. Since 2012, Snap has used advanced data science and proprietary risk modeling to view each consumer through a more holistic lens, helping more people get the things they need while empowering retailers to grow. Snap’s expanding ecosystem of products and services, including lease-to-own, loan solutions, and the Seen™-branded line of credit cards, promotes transparency, responsible credit use, and long-term financial confidence. For more information, visit snapfinance.com.

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