William Lipovsky
Fine jewelry is a popular and meaningful gift, but it often comes with a hefty price tag.
If the sticker price gives you pause, know that there are a multitude of jewelry stores that finance people with bad credit, including options that don’t require a down payment.
Below, we detail a variety of financing options available at major jewelry chains in-store and online, so you can find an option that’s right for your credit history and budget.
Before signing up for financing, it’s best to review your financial situation and determine if you’ll be able to properly budget for your purchase.
Financing your purchase will cost more in the long run than if you were able to save up and pay for it outright; if you’re able to plan ahead, you may want to save up for a few months and pay the retail price in full.
Should you choose to finance, it’s a good idea to check several different financing options to be sure you’ve found the most affordable down payment, lowest APR, and lowest total purchase amount.
Be aware that late or missed payments can incur fees and may be reported to the credit bureaus, reflecting negatively on your credit score.
What We Recommend
If you prefer traditional jewelry stores with physical locations across the country, both Kay and Zales have a vast selection of jewelry, and both also offer financing through store credit cards for customers with credit that at least falls within the fair range.
If you prefer to shop online, Blue Nile also offers financing through its store credit card, and it also comes with notably low prices and a price match guarantee.
If you don’t want to open a store credit card, consider the online-only retailer SuperJeweler. It offers an in-house financing program and approves most buyers, even those with poor credit.
In-Store Options
Many chain jewelry stores have low approval requirements for financing.
Whether you have poor, fair, or excellent credit, one of the following jewelry stores will likely have a financing plan that fits your budget.
Below is the list of major chain jewelry stores that offer financing options, ordered starting with the best overall options in terms of financing, selection, and store reputation.
Kay Jewelers
- Financing options: Store credit card with a 12-month financing plan
- Credit check required? Yes
- Minimum credit requirement: Fair
- Minimum purchase requirement: $500
- Down payment: 20%
- Deferred interest? Yes
- Find out more or apply
Zales
- Financing options: Store credit card with special financing plans
- Credit check required? Yes
- Minimum credit requirement: None disclosed, but most buyers approved. We reached out to Zales and found that the credit card used for financing is provided by Comenity Capital Bank.
- Minimum purchase requirement: $150 (6-month plan); $750 (12-month plan); $3,000 (18-month plan); $1,500 (36-month plan)
- Down payment: 0%
- Deferred interest? Yes
- Find out more or apply
Helzberg Diamonds
- Financing options: Store credit card or line of credit (with special financing plans);
- Credit check required? Yes
- Minimum credit requirement: Fair
- Minimum purchase requirement: Any purchase for 6-month plan; $749 for 12-month plan; $4,999 for 18-month plan; $799 for 36-month plan
- Down payment: Varies
- Deferred interest? Yes
- Find out more or apply
Jared the Galleria of Jewelry
- Financing options: Store credit card with special financing plans
- Credit check required? Yes
- Minimum credit requirement: Fair
- Minimum purchase requirement: $1,000 (12-month Diamond Plan); $5,000 (18-month Platinum Plan)
- Down payment: 20% for both plans
- Deferred interest? Yes
- Find out more or apply
Fred Meyer Jewelers
- Financing options: Store credit card with special financing plans
- Credit check required? Yes
- Minimum credit requirement: Fair
- Minimum purchase requirement: $299 for 6-month plan; $999 for 18-month plan; $1,499 for 60-month plan
- Down payment: None
- Deferred interest? Yes
- Find out more or apply
Online Options
Although there are numerous online-only jewelry stores, the following stores are the most reputable.
Just like chain jewelry stores, online jewelry stores have many financing options available for customers.
As above, the following are ordered starting with the best overall option.
Blue Nile
- Financing options: Store credit card with special financing plans
- Credit check required? Yes
- Minimum credit requirement: Fair
- Minimum purchase requirement: $500 for 6-month plan; $1,500 for 12-month plan; $2,000 for 24-month plan; $3,000 for 36-month plan; $4,000 for 48-month plan; $6,000 for 60-month plan
- Down payment: Varies based on the purchase amount and the customer’s creditworthiness.
- Deferred interest? Yes
- Find out more or apply
SuperJeweler
- Financing options: SuperJeweler in-house financing plans
- Credit check required? Yes
- Minimum credit requirement: Poor; most buyers are approved
- Down payment: None
- Minimum purchase requirement: Varies
- Deferred interest? Yes
- Find out more or apply
Online Jewelry Stores With Buy Now, Pay Later Options
In addition to traditional financing plans, “buy now, pay later” jewelry options are also worth considering if you’re planning to make a major jewelry purchase.
Each of the following companies uses a buy now, pay later option through a financing company called Affirm, which allows them to approve customers with poor credit.
At the payment screen during checkout, select “Affirm monthly payments.” After providing the required information, Affirm will let you know how much your monthly payments will be.
To qualify for Affirm, you must:
- Provide your full name, email address, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number to help Affirm verify your identity.
- Be 18 years or older (19 years or older in Alabama, or if you are a ward of the state in Nebraska).
- Provide a valid U.S. or APO/FPO/DPO home address. (Affirm is not currently available to residents of West Virginia.)
- Provide a valid U.S. mobile or VoIP number, and agree to receive texts. The phone account must be registered in your name.
Ice Trends Jewelry
- Financing options: Buy now, pay later through Affirm (three, six, or 12 months)
- Credit check required? Yes, Affirm will perform a “soft” credit check.
- Minimum credit requirement: Poor; most buyers are approved
- Down payment: Sometimes Affirm is not able to approve financing for the full amount of the purchase. When this happens, a down payment with a debit card will be required.
- Minimum purchase requirement: $50 for 3-month or 6-month plan; $100 for 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month plan; some merchants may offer a 30-day payment option for purchases under $50
- Find out more or apply
Szul
- Financing options: Buy now, pay later through Affirm (three, six, or 12 months)
- Credit check required? Yes, Affirm will perform a “soft” credit check.
- Minimum credit requirement: Poor; most buyers are approved
- Down payment: Sometimes Affirm is not able to approve financing for the full amount of the purchase. When this happens, a down payment with a debit card will be required.
- Minimum purchase requirement: $50 for 3-month or 6-month plan; $100 for 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month plan; some merchants may offer a 30-day payment option for purchases under $50.
- Find out more or apply
For more information on buying jewelry, see our articles about jewelry stores with layaway plans and jewelry stores with buy now, pay later options.
