Visa Flexible Credential, which allows customers to pay from different accounts or pay flexibly using Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), is being launched in the US and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The service will be rolled out through the Affirm debit card in the US. The Affirm Card is currently used by over 1.4 million consumers in the US.

Visa said customers can pay in full anywhere Visa is accepted or request to pay over time via the Affirm app.

Visa Flexible Credential is also being launched in the UAE though the Liv, which is the first digital bank in the Middle East and North Africa region to debut the service.

The service gives customers in the UAE access to multiple currency accounts through one card which Visa claims will make cross-border payments simpler and easier.

It works by automatically routing the transaction to the account with the appropriate transaction currency. Using a mobile app, Visa said cardholders can easily move money between local and foreign currency accounts, making sure they have the funds to make a purchase.

The move comes after Visa launched the Olive card in Japan in partnership with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited (SMCC) a year ago.

Visa said around three million Olive are already using Visa Flexible Credential to switch between debit, credit and prepaid accounts.

Visa and SMCC have now introduced a feature designed specifically to help small businesses access credit and unlock cash flow, allowing them to switch between business and personal accounts from the same Olive card.

Visa said it will continue to test the small business feature in Japan with SMCC and roll it out to other markets around the world.

“The Visa Flexible Credential all started with a simple idea that consumers should easily be able to choose how they want to pay,” said Jack Forestell, chief product and strategy officer at Visa. “Working with innovative partners like Affirm, Liv and SMCC helps us turn that idea into a reality.

“Together we’re enabling more ways to pay and adapting to the unique needs of consumers – wherever they are in the world, or in their financial journey.”

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