One note before the numbers, so they read right: everyone we surveyed came from an opt-in online panel (Prolific), answered on August 22, 2026, and the results are not weighted to the US population. They describe the people who answered. The full method, the audits, and every caveat are under "About this study" at the end and on the methods page.
The short version
- Nearly one in four adults surveyed (476 of 2,038, 23.4%) plan to finance part of Christmas with rent-to-own, virtual rent-to-own or buy-now-pay-later; among the 1,758 who plan to shop for the holidays at all it is 27.1%. One in twenty (101, 5.0%) plan rent-to-own or virtual rent-to-own.
- Gaming and TVs are the two things holiday planners most expect to put on a plan, and they are statistically level. The PlayStation 5 is the single most-named product; TVs counted across sizes outnumber it.
- Most rent-to-own planners expect to sign for virtual rent-to-own at a checkout, not at a rental store.
- Rent-A-Center and Aaron's are still the names shoppers search for most. The checkout lessors are smaller in search but peak in December.
- Nearly half expect to spend about what they spent last year. More expect to spend more than less.
- Reviews are what make shoppers trust a store they have not used, by a wide margin over everything else.
- Search engines and the big retail sites are still how people find things. AI assistants are now in the mix, picked by about a third.
What people are putting on a plan
Each of the 476 planners named the one category they were most likely to finance. Gaming (118 people) and TVs and home electronics (99) lead, and the gap between them is within the noise of a sample this size. Phones, tablets, and computers come next (72), then furniture (44) and appliances (39).
| Category | Share of planners |
|---|---|
| Gaming consoles, gaming PCs, or video games | 24.8% |
| TVs or home electronics | 20.8% |
| Phones, tablets, or computers | 15.1% |
| Furniture | 9.2% |
| Appliances | 8.2% |
| Clothing or shoes | 6.7% |
| Jewelry or watches | 5.0% |
| Toys | 4.8% |
Then we asked each planner what, exactly, they would carry out of the store. Category by category:
Gaming: 118 planners
The PlayStation 5 is the single most-named item on any list (39). The Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 is next (24), then a gaming desktop (19). The Xbox Series X or S (12) ties with people who want games or accessories only and no new console (12), and 7 want a gaming laptop.
| Gaming item | Planners (n=118) |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | 39 |
| Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 | 24 |
| Gaming PC (desktop) | 19 |
| Xbox Series X or S | 12 |
| Games or accessories only, no new console | 12 |
| Gaming laptop | 7 |
| Not sure yet | 3 |
| Gaming PC or laptop, undecided | 2 |
TVs and home electronics: 99 planners
Big screens. 58 to 65 inches (31) and 43 to 55 inches (30) are level, 22 want 70 inches or larger, and only 2 want a set under 43 inches. Sound bars and home theater (5) and other electronics (5) are small.
| TV or electronics item | Planners (n=99) |
|---|---|
| TV, 58 to 65 inches | 31 |
| TV, 43 to 55 inches | 30 |
| TV, 70 inches or larger | 22 |
| Sound bar or home theater system | 5 |
| Other home electronics, not a TV | 5 |
| Not sure yet | 4 |
| TV, under 43 inches | 2 |
Phones, tablets and computers: 72 planners
A smartphone (31) and a laptop (23) are most of it; tablets (9) and desktops (7) follow.
| Device | Planners (n=72) |
|---|---|
| Smartphone | 31 |
| Laptop | 23 |
| Tablet | 9 |
| Desktop computer | 7 |
| Not sure yet | 2 |
Furniture: 44 planners
The sofa (15) leads, then a full living-room set (8), a bedroom set (7), a sectional (6), a recliner or lift chair (4), a mattress or bed frame (2) and a dining set (1).
| Furniture item | Planners (n=44) |
|---|---|
| Sofa or couch | 15 |
| Full living-room set | 8 |
| Bedroom set | 7 |
| Sectional | 6 |
| Recliner or lift chair | 4 |
| Mattress or bed frame | 2 |
| Dining set or table | 1 |
| Not sure yet | 1 |
Appliances: 39 planners
The washer-and-dryer set (10) and a small appliance such as a microwave or air fryer (9) lead; then a refrigerator (6), a washer alone (4), a dishwasher (4), a dryer (2) and a range or oven (2).
| Appliance | Planners (n=39) |
|---|---|
| Washer and dryer set | 10 |
| Small appliance (microwave, air fryer and similar) | 9 |
| Refrigerator | 6 |
| Washer | 4 |
| Dishwasher | 4 |
| Dryer | 2 |
| Range or oven | 2 |
| Not sure yet | 2 |
Everything else
Jewelry is a necklace or bracelet (12 of 24) or a watch (4). Tires are a full set of four (4 of 8) or a pair (3). Tools are lawn equipment, power tools and one generator (6). Clothing (32) and toys (23) were typed in each respondent's own words: shoes and purses, and toys for children and grandchildren; typed answers are summarized here and left out of the public row file.
Those items cost more than they did last Christmas. Sony (NYSE: SONY) raised the PlayStation 5 to $649.99 in April, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) raised the Xbox Series X to $799.99 in August, and Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) raised the Switch 2 to $499.99 in September. When you pay over time, a higher cash price means a higher total cost to own, which is why the five questions at the end matter more this year.
These item counts come from small groups, so read them as "what is on the list," not as precise shares. One honest footnote: 94 of the 476 named a primary category outside the categories they had ticked a question earlier (36 had picked "Not sure yet"); we kept them.
The 101 planners who expect to use rent-to-own or virtual rent-to-own, rather than buy-now-pay-later alone, order things differently: TVs first (25), then gaming (22), furniture (15) and phones and computers (15), then appliances (11). Among them the PlayStation 5 is still the top gaming item (11 of 22), and the TV sizes split evenly between 43 to 55 inches (9) and 70 inches or larger (9).
Where they plan to pay
This surprised us. Among the 101 rent-to-own and virtual rent-to-own planners, 52 expect to set up the plan through virtual rent-to-own at an online or in-store checkout, 39 expect to go to a rental store, and 10 are not sure. The rental store, the original home of rent-to-own, is now the second answer. For a group of 101 the simple-random-sample-equivalent range is about 9.8 points either way, for scale only, so treat the split as "checkout leads" rather than a precise ratio.
| Where they plan to pay | Planners (n=101) |
|---|---|
| A lease option at checkout, online or in a store | 52 |
| A store that rents items | 39 |
| Not sure yet | 10 |
What that means for you: the terms of virtual rent-to-own at a checkout and the terms at a rental store can differ a lot for the same item, and the company you sign with at a checkout is the leasing company, not the store. The five questions at the end apply to both.
What they expect to pay
We asked the two groups different questions, because they shop differently. Rent-to-own and virtual rent-to-own planners think in payments, so we asked for the weekly payment they expect. Buy-now-pay-later planners think in price, so we asked for the total cost of the item. The two tables measure different things; do not add them together.
| Expected weekly payment, rent-to-own and virtual rent-to-own planners | Planners (n=101) |
|---|---|
| Under $10 a week (about $40 a month) | 9 |
| $10 to $19 a week (about $40 to $79 a month) | 21 |
| $20 to $29 a week (about $80 to $129 a month) | 34 |
| $30 to $49 a week (about $130 to $209 a month) | 28 |
| $50 or more a week ($210 or more a month) | 6 |
| Not sure | 3 |
Most rent-to-own planners expect $20 to $49 a week (62 of 101), which is $80 to $209 a month. Over a 52-week agreement, $25 a week is $1,300. That is why the total cost to own, not the weekly number, is the figure to ask for; the calculator from VRTO (Virtual Rent To Own) does the arithmetic.
| Expected total item cost, buy-now-pay-later planners | Planners (n=375) |
|---|---|
| Under $100 | 17 |
| $100 to $249 | 50 |
| $250 to $499 | 82 |
| $500 to $999 | 125 |
| $1,000 to $1,999 | 72 |
| $2,000 or more | 23 |
| Not sure | 6 |
The buy-now-pay-later purchase most often sits in the $500 to $999 band (125 of 375), and 95 planners expect to put $1,000 or more on the one item.
The companies behind the plans
We asked each of the 476 planners which companies they are considering for the purchase, from a fixed list, and which one is their first choice. Because most planners expect to use buy-now-pay-later, those names lead: Affirm is being considered by 234 of the 476, PayPal Pay in 4 by 218, Klarna by 216 and Afterpay by 190, and the first choices run PayPal Pay in 4 (114), Affirm (106), Klarna (66) and Afterpay (46).
Among the rent-to-own names, store and virtual, Rent-A-Center leads on both counts: 37 planners are considering it and 29 call it their first choice, ahead of Katapult (15), Aaron's (9), American First Finance (9), Acima (7), Progressive Leasing (6) and FlexShopper (5). These are small groups, so read them as an order, not as market shares.
| Company | Considering it (of 476) | First choice (of 476) |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Pay in 4 | 218 | 114 |
| Affirm | 234 | 106 |
| Klarna | 216 | 66 |
| Afterpay | 190 | 46 |
| Rent-A-Center | 37 | 29 |
| Zip | 56 | 16 |
| Katapult | 25 | 15 |
| Sezzle | 57 | 12 |
| Aaron's | 24 | 9 |
| American First Finance | 13 | 9 |
| Acima | 21 | 7 |
| Progressive Leasing | 24 | 6 |
| FlexShopper | 18 | 5 |
| Snap Finance | 11 | 5 |
| An independent rent-to-own store | 16 | 3 |
| Buddy's Home Furnishings | 9 | 2 |
| Uown Leasing | 4 | 0 |
| Not sure yet | 47 | 26 |
Every option the survey offered is listed; the same counts are in the aggregates file on the data page. Considering is multi-select, so that column adds to more than 476.
Planners are a small group, so for the wider public we also looked at what Americans type into Google. The table shows the average number of US searches a month for each company's name over the past year, from Google's Keyword Planner, read November 2, 2026. Search volume measures attention, not customers or dollars, and it points the same way as the planners' answers.
| Company | How you meet them | US searches a month | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent-A-Center | Rental store | 1,220,000 | Upbound Group (NASDAQ: UPBD) |
| Aaron's | Rental store | 673,000 | Katapult Holdings (NASDAQ: KPLT), since August 2026 |
| Progressive Leasing | Virtual, at a checkout | 246,000 | PROG Holdings (NYSE: PRG) |
| Snap Finance | Virtual, at a checkout | 135,000 | Private |
| Acima | Virtual, at a checkout | 90,500 | Upbound Group (NASDAQ: UPBD) |
| American First Finance | Virtual, at a checkout | 90,500 | FirstCash (NASDAQ: FCFS) |
| Rent One | Rental store | 40,500 | Private |
| Buddy's Home Furnishings | Rental store | 33,100 | Private, franchised |
| Katapult | Virtual, online checkout | 27,100 | Katapult Holdings (NASDAQ: KPLT) |
| FlexShopper | Virtual, online checkout | 18,100 | Snap Finance |
| Rent-2-Own | Rental store | 18,100 | Private |
| Bestway Rent To Own | Rental store | 12,100 | Private |
Two things stand out. The rental-store names still carry the most attention: Rent-A-Center alone is searched more than all six checkout lessors in the table combined. And the checkout names peak at Christmas: searches for Progressive Leasing, Katapult and Afterpay were each roughly 20 to 50 percent higher in December 2025 than in their average month, which fits where our planners say they will sign. For scale, the buy-now-pay-later names are searched far more often than any rent-to-own name: Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM) about 1,220,000 times a month, Klarna (NYSE: KLAR) 823,000 and Afterpay 550,000.
Where VRTO lists a company's stores, its name above links to that page. At a checkout, the agreement is with the leasing company, not the store, so get that company's name before you sign; the five questions at the end apply to all of them.
VRTO is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any company named on this page, including the rent-to-own and virtual rent-to-own companies and the buy-now-pay-later providers (PayPal, Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, Zip and Sezzle). Company names and marks belong to their respective owners.
How much, compared with last year
Of the 1,669 holiday shoppers who answered the spending question, 47.7% expect to spend about the same as last year, 26.3% expect to spend more (21.7% somewhat more, 4.6% much more), and 25.3% expect to spend less (18.2% somewhat less, 7.1% much less). The rest did not know. Flat is the most common answer; "more" edges "less."
Among the rent-to-own-only planners who answered, 18 of 31 expect to spend more and 4 expect to spend less. A group of 31 is too small to turn into a percentage with a straight face, so we give the counts.
| Expected holiday spend vs last year | Share (n=1,669) |
|---|---|
| About the same | 47.7% |
| Somewhat more | 21.7% |
| Much more | 4.6% |
| Somewhat less | 18.2% |
| Much less | 7.1% |
| Did not shop last year | 0.7% |
What makes shoppers trust a store they have not used
We asked everyone what most makes them trust "a store or company you haven't used before." Customer reviews win, picked by 63.7% of all 2,038 respondents. Everything else trails. Among the 101 rent-to-own and virtual rent-to-own planners, 64 picked reviews, 12 picked an AI assistant's recommendation, and 5 picked clear prices.
| Primary trust factor | Share |
|---|---|
| Reviews and ratings from other customers | 63.7% |
| Recommendations from friends or family | 10.6% |
| Clear prices and terms shown up front | 9.6% |
| Already knowing the brand name | 7.0% |
| A recommendation from an AI assistant | 5.0% |
| The look and feel of the website | 3.0% |
| Social media | 0.6% |
That last number cuts against something we believe in. VRTO publishes prices and terms openly because we think clarity should matter more than it does. The shoppers we surveyed say reviews matter most. We print the finding as it came out.
How shoppers find stores and products
Respondents could pick more than one. Search engines and the big retail sites still lead by a wide margin. AI assistants were picked by 34.5% of all respondents, and friends and family by 32.7%; those two were picked at similar rates, and the AI option was listed second in a fixed order while friends and family was eighth, which can nudge the result.
| Discovery source | Share |
|---|---|
| Google or another search engine | 82.5% |
| Amazon or store websites and apps | 74.6% |
| Browsing in stores | 56.0% |
| An AI assistant | 34.5% |
| Friends and family | 32.7% |
| YouTube | 17.7% |
| Facebook or Instagram | 16.7% |
| TikTok | 13.5% |
Five questions before you sign anything
Paying over time is not expensive by nature. It is expensive when you do not know the total. Ask every store or leasing company the same five questions and write the answers down:
- What is the total cost to own? Compare that figure to the cash price, not the weekly payment.
- How many payments, and how often? Weekly, every two weeks, monthly, and how many of them.
- Is there an early purchase option or a same-as-cash window? What exactly must be paid inside it, including any fees, and by when.
- What happens after a missed payment? Fees, pickup, and whether you can catch up.
- Who am I signing with? With virtual rent-to-own at a checkout it is usually a separate leasing company, and the agreement is theirs.
If a store cannot answer all five in plain numbers, that is your answer. VRTO's calculator turns a payment and a count into a total cost before you sign. This is information for shoppers, not legal advice; each company sets its own terms under its state's law.
About this study
Open this if you want to know exactly how we got these numbers
- Who paid for it and why. VRTO, which commissioned and paid for the survey, publishes a directory of rent-to-own stores and sells listings and services to the companies it lists.
- Sample. 2,038 US adults from an opt-in online panel (Prolific), surveyed August 22, 2026, in three data waves (102, 159, and 1,777 after removing duplicates). A separate 50-place soft launch of an earlier draft questionnaire was paused after 18 responses and is excluded. The first wave lacked the year-over-year question.
- Not weighted. The results describe the people who answered, not the US population. Do not read any figure here as "of Americans."
- Precision. Where we give a range it is a simple-random-sample equivalent, for scale only; an opt-in panel has no true margin of error.
- Small groups. Any group under 101 people is reported as counts, not percentages.
- Checks. The figures passed an internal recount and two AI-assisted audits we commissioned. A human methodology review is pending; this page will be updated when it lands.
- Data. Aggregates, crosstabs and an anonymized file with one row per respondent are on the data page. The row file leaves out every identifier, every timestamp and every answer typed in a respondent's own words. An earlier anonymized row file was posted briefly on August 23, 2026 and withdrawn the same day; that, and this file's publication on November 2, 2026, are in the corrections log.
How this compares in size
| Survey | Sample (n) |
|---|---|
| NRF and Prosper, 2025 | 8,247 |
| Deloitte, 2025 | 4,270 |
| Bankrate, 2025 | 2,567 |
| NerdWallet and Harris, 2025 | 2,083 |
| VRTO, 2026 (opt-in Prolific panel, unweighted) | 2,038 |
| LendingTree, 2025 | 2,032 |
| FTC, 2000, rent-to-own customers | 532 |
| VRTO, 2026, respondents with rent-to-own or virtual rent-to-own history | 949 |
2,038 adults is the same order of size as the Bankrate, NerdWallet and LendingTree holiday surveys; the 949 with rent-to-own history are about 1.8 times the sample in the federal government's only survey of rent-to-own customers.
The full method, the audit records, the codebook, and the corrections log are on the methods page.