Refurbished Financing: When Paying in Installments Actually Pays Off
4 min read
You picked the refurbished device because it's cheaper. Then checkout offers you "from €76.50 a month". Sounds harmless.
With refurbished financing, though, everything hangs on one question. Do you stay inside the interest-free window or not? Because "installments" at the four big German retailers isn't one product. It's three different ones.
Refurbished financing: who offers what, and through whom?
Before the numbers: on marketplaces like Refurbed or Back Market, who your contract partner actually is matters too. It often shapes how the financing works.
| Retailer | Installments? | Through whom | Terms (as of 02.09.2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| asgoodasnew | yes, own programme | Klarna | 0% on 6 months, 9.99% nominal rate on 12 or 24 months |
| Refurbed | yes, at checkout | Klarna | 3 interest-free part-payments, longer terms at the standard rate |
| Back Market | yes, at checkout | Klarna, sometimes PayPal | same as Refurbed |
| Rebuy | yes, per independent sources | Klarna | incl. a 3-payment split, check at checkout |
asgoodasnew financing stands apart: it's the only one of the four running its own zero-percent programme. Per asgoodasnew's own financing page, the 0% applies to the six-month term only, and at 12 or 24 months the stated nominal rate is 9.99%. Careful there: a nominal rate isn't an APR. That gap is exactly why refurbished financing needs a second look before you sign.
Refurbed installments and Back Market installments both route through Klarna's checkout widget: three interest-free part-payments, or a longer plan at the standard rate. That standard rate sits at 13.27% APR per Klarna's own installments page, and PayPal itself quotes 11.49% to 12.49% depending on term. See our Back Market review for more on that one. Several independent sources say Rebuy installments run through Klarna too via its checkout, 3-payment split included. More in our Rebuy review.
The math nobody actually runs
Take Apple iPhone 15 128GB blau at €459, condition "very good" at asgoodasnew. Six months at 0% works out to €76.50 a month, €459 in total.
The same amount over 24 months at 13.27% APR? Roughly €521, so about €62 in interest. Doesn't sound like much. But on a device you bought precisely because it was cheaper than new, that quietly hands back a noticeable slice of the discount. This is exactly the math that decides whether refurbished financing actually pays off.
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When it still makes sense
Refurbished financing makes sense whenever you stay inside the interest-free part, honestly. Three part-payments, or six months at 0%, cost you nothing extra. They just move the timing. If you'd rather buy a phone in installments than have Samsung Galaxy S24 128GB onyx black at €429 leave your account in one go, nothing wrong with that.
The moment real interest starts, you're financing away your own discount. Unless the alternative was an overdraft, in which case Klarna is probably the lesser evil. And passing the credit check tells you nothing about the rate. Two separate questions. If you change your mind afterward, most retailers still give you a 14-day right of withdrawal.
Refurbished financing only pays off if you compare first. So before you hit buy, check the base price across retailers.
Samsung Galaxy S24 128GB onyx black
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All products from this post
The ones we named above are marked; the rest are alternatives in the same category.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Refurbed offer installment payments?
Yes, through Klarna at checkout: three interest-free part-payments, payment within 30 days, or a longer plan at Klarna's standard rate (as of 02.09.2026). Only the short options are interest-free, you pay for the rest.
Can you pay in installments at Rebuy?
Per several independent sources, yes, through Klarna including a 3-payment split. Rebuy's own payment page couldn't be read cleanly. Just double-check the terms at checkout, takes a minute.
Who offers 0% financing on refurbished phones?
Of the four retailers compared, only asgoodasnew, and per its own financing page only on the six-month term (as of 02.09.2026). At 12 or 24 months it states a 9.99% nominal rate, not to be confused with the APR.
Is financing a refurbished device worth it at all?
Inside the interest-free window it costs nothing extra. Full stop. Once real interest applies, you give part of the discount back: €459 over 24 months at 13.27% APR works out to about €62 in interest.
