Technology

More Than Half of Americans Fear Covering Unexpected Expenses in 2025

Published

1 year ago

March 31, 2025

Rising Cost of Goods and Economic Uncertainty Create Financial Strain and Shift Payment Preferences, According to New Splitit and PYMNTS Consumer Study

ATLANTA, March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — New research from Splitit and PYMNTS finds that more than 53% of consumers are concerned about affording unexpected expenses in 2025 amid rising anxiety over economic uncertainty. “Managing Unplanned Expenses: How The Pay Later Economy Fits Consumer Needs,” which surveyed more than 7,000 consumers, highlights the financial strain unplanned purchases create—especially among parents and younger consumers—and how credit accessibility sways spending and payment behaviors. These report findings are especially crucial as leading indicators point to a broad decline in consumer confidence, driven by worries over the impact of tariffs on household finances.

“From trade turbulence to market volatility, Americans are navigating a growing list of financial challenges,” said Nandan Sheth, CEO of Splitit. “Consumers are feeling very anxious at the moment, which is why we see consumers becoming more strategic in managing unplanned expenses, balancing financial stability with flexible payment options. Credit card-linked installments provide a smart way to handle life’s surprises, allowing shoppers to leverage their existing credit lines while maintaining financial flexibility. With many consumers already accustomed to using their credit cards for these types of purchases, this approach offers a seamless and responsible way to stay in control in today’s uncertain economy.”

Unplanned expenses, such as emergency car repairs (42.9%) and home repair costs (34.3%), often come with a hefty price tag. Home repairs, the most expensive category, carry a median spend of $2,112. Despite the growing popularity of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), only 9% of consumers used it for emergency purchases—showing that many still default to credit cards, with 38% of Baby Boomers relying on them for emergency costs. As consumers look for more budget-friendly payment options, there’s a clear opportunity for flexible pay-later solutions that prioritize transparency and control.

The report highlights a broader trend: Consumers are relying on credit cards and alternative financing solutions to manage both emergency and impulse spending. Among key findings:

$605 is the median cost of emergency purchases over $250.50% of consumers cite the rising cost of goods as the top reason why they expect to make fewer impulse purchases this year.Gen Z is the most concerned about their ability to cover unexpected expenses at 63%.36% of consumers made an impulse purchase of at least $250 in the last three months, with a median spend of $497.33% of consumers used a credit card as their primary form of payment for their most recent emergency purchase.45% of BNPL users say knowing their purchase would be approved was a key factor in their decision to use it.48% of consumers who made their latest impulse purchase with a credit card paid it off in full at the next statement, while 30% opted for installment plans.Gen Z leads the shift toward credit card-linked installment payments, with 24% choosing merchant-offered installment plans—double the rate of older generations.

Credit accessibility continues to shape purchasing behavior. Consumers with strong credit are more likely to finance unexpected expenses, while those with below-average credit hesitate to make unplanned purchases due to limited financing options. Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, are leaning into flexible payment options—26% of millennials expect to increase their impulse purchases in the next year.

With installment plans resonating across generations—36% of non-Boomer consumers who paid by credit card for an impulse purchase chose an installment plan—it’s clear that consumers are seeking more control over how they pay. As economic uncertainty continues, flexible payment solutions will play a critical role in helping shoppers manage their financial well-being.

Yet, even as consumers navigate emergency expenses, half of shoppers made an unplanned purchase last year, highlighting the tension between financial caution and spontaneous spending. This paradox suggests that while consumers are mindful of budgets and economic uncertainty, they are still drawn to impulse buys, whether driven by emotional triggers, limited-time deals or social influence. For brands, this means balancing affordability, value-driven messaging and flexible payment options with strategies that tap into the spontaneity of consumer spending.

Methodology

The survey for the “Managing Unplanned Expenses: How The Pay Later Economy Fits Consumer Needs” report was conducted with 7,078 consumers across all demographics from January 29 to February 7, 2025.

Download the full report here.

About Splitit

Splitit is a global payment solution provider that lets shoppers use the credit they’ve earned by breaking up purchases into monthly installments using their existing credit card. Splitit enables merchants to improve conversion rates and increase average order value by giving customers an easy and fast way to pay for purchases over time without originating new credit. Splitit serves many of Internet Retailer’s top 500 merchants and is accepted by more than 1,500 eCommerce merchants in over 30 countries and shoppers in over 100 countries.

Splitit Media Contact
Danielle Poggi
Berns Communications Group
dpoggi@bcg-pr.com

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SOURCE Splitit USA, Inc.

Technology

Pillsbury Notice of Data Breach

Published

2 hours ago

July 18, 2026

NEW YORK, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (“Pillsbury”) was among many law firms targeted by sophisticated social engineering attempts in an incident last year. While the firm quickly detected and blocked the activity, an unauthorized actor was able to access some of the firm’s documents during a short window of time. Pillsbury notified any impacted clients last year and undertook a detailed process to review the accessed documents for personal information. Pillsbury then began notifying individuals whose personal information was affected. That process is now complete, and today, Pillsbury is publishing substitute notice as a final step.

For more information, please visit the substitute notice on our website at https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/breach-notice.html.

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SOURCE Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Technology

From Remote Racing to Embodied AI: Fibocom and Intedigo Bring 5G Bidirectional Data Transmission into Real-World Applications

Published

3 hours ago

July 18, 2026

SHANGHAI, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From July 17 to 20, Fibocom and Intedigo will jointly present a cross-regional, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) teleoperation demonstration at Booth H3-C408 during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026. Visitors will be able to enter a remote driving cockpit and control a real race car located at HURA PARK in Jiading, Shanghai, steering, accelerating, and braking in real time while experiencing how 5G connectivity enables remote operation.

More than an immersive driving experience, the demonstration provides a live validation of 5G bidirectional data transmission for embodied AI teleoperation. The vehicle continuously sends live track video, vehicle status, and operating data to the remote cockpit, while control commands are transmitted back to the vehicle, creating a closed-loop teleoperation system. Stable, low-latency, and highly reliable connectivity is essential for high-dynamic maneuvers such as high-speed cornering, precision braking, and continuous lane changes.

Developed by Intedigo, the remote driving system connects a real race car with an immersive remote driving cockpit. It supports 1080p@60Hz video transmission, glass-to-glass (G2G) video latency of less than 80 ms, and control latency of less than 10 ms. The demanding racing environment magnifies differences in video continuity and control responsiveness, making communications performance directly perceptible, measurable, and verifiable.

At the joint demonstration, Fibocom’s FM160 5G module provides cellular connectivity for the system. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ X62 5G Modem-RF System, the FM160 supports SA and NSA network architectures as well as 3GPP Release 16. On the downlink, it supports NR Carrier Aggregation (NR CA) with bandwidth of up to 120 MHz, delivering peak speeds of up to 3.5 Gbps in NSA mode and 2.5 Gbps in SA mode. On the uplink, it supports UL MIMO and delivers peak speeds of up to 900 Mbps in SA mode. These capabilities support the continuous transmission of HD video and vehicle status data, along with reliable delivery of control commands.

As embodied AI moves into factories, data centers, logistics operations, and industrial parks, robots are becoming increasingly capable of performing tasks autonomously. Yet complex environments, unexpected events, and edge cases still require Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) remote intervention to help ensure safe and reliable operation.

Daniel Liu, CEO of Intedigo, said:

“5G represents the pinnacle of human communications and the starting point of machine communications. In the past, communications connected people to people; in the future, they will connect people to robots and robots to robots. Remote racing is simply the easiest entry point for people to understand this concept. What we are truly validating is a communications system capable of supporting remote collaboration for embodied AI. HURA makes low-latency remote driving a tangible experience, while RoBOX extends this capability to robots and a broader range of intelligent terminals. Together with Fibocom, we hope to enable more machines to receive remote assistance whenever needed while remaining continuously connected and operating reliably.”

Simon Tao, VP of Wireless Solutions Business Group and General Manager of MBB BU at Fibocom, said:

“As embodied AI enters real-world industrial environments, reliable connectivity will become the foundation for telemetry feedback, remote control and operational management. Fibocom’s 5G solutions, represented by FM160, provide the cellular connectivity required for continuous on-site data transmission and reliable control command delivery. Fibocom will continue collaborating with ecosystem partners such as Intedigo to bring cellular connectivity to more robots, autonomous machines and mobile intelligent terminals, enabling embodied AI systems to stay continuously connected and respond reliably in real-world applications.”

From remote race cars to robots, unmanned equipment, and mobile intelligent terminals, 5G is evolving from connecting people to connecting machines. This joint demonstration makes the capabilities of 5G bidirectional data transmission directly perceptible, experiential, and verifiable, helping pave the way for embodied AI to scale across real-world applications.

About Fibocom

Fibocom, founded in 1999, is China’s first wireless communication module company listed on both the A-share and H-share markets (300638.SZ, 0638.HK). As a global leading provider of wireless communication modules and AI solutions, Fibocom leverages wireless communication and artificial intelligence as its core technologies to provide integrated hardware and software solutions that empower industry applications. These solutions accelerate the transformation from “Connect Everything” to “Intelligent Connectivity” across diverse industries.

Fibocom’s one-stop solutions encompass cellular communication, AI, automotive, and GNSS modules, as well as AI toolchains, supporting industry-side and mainstream large model integration, and providing AI Agent, global connectivity, and cloud services, driving the digital intelligence upgrades in industries such as robotics, consumer electronics, low-altitude economy, intelligent transportation, smart retail, and smart energy.

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SOURCE Fibocom Wireless Inc.

Technology

DR. PHONE FIX ANNOUNCES SECOND TRANCHE CLOSING OF NON-BROKERED CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURE UNIT FINANCING

Published

3 hours ago

July 18, 2026

/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

EDMONTON, AB, July 18, 2026 /CNW/ — Dr. Phone Fix Canada Corporation (“Dr. Phone Fix” or the “Company”) (TSXV: DPF) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated May 19, 2026 and June 24, 2026 (the “Prior News Releases”), it has closed the second tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the “Offering”) of convertible debenture units of the Company (each, a “Unit”). The Company issued 726 Units, at a price of $1,000 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $726,000. Each Unit is comprised of (i) one $1,000 principal amount unsecured convertible debenture of the Company (a “Convertible Debenture”) and (ii) 3,125 common share (“Common Share”) purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Warrant”). Additional detail on the Offering, including terms of the Convertible Debentures and Warrants, is set out in the Prior News Releases.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid a finder’s fee consisting of an aggregate cash fee of $50,820 and issued an aggregate of 317,625 common share purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Finder’s Warrant”) to certain qualified arm’s length parties. Each Finder’s Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Common Share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.22 prior to the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering, including any Common Shares issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Debentures or exercise of the Warrants and Finder’s Warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the closing of the Offering, in accordance with applicable securities laws and TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) policies.

The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSXV.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release in the United States. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or “U.S. Persons”, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

About Dr. Phone Fix

Dr. Phone Fix is a national, award-winning, eco-friendly, and customer-centric leader in Canada’s cell phone and electronics repair and certified pre-owned device industry. Founded in 2019, the Company now operates 44 retail locations nationwide through a standardized and scalable operating platform designed to support consistent execution across multiple markets, delivering fast, reliable, and environmentally conscious repair services alongside a curated selection of certified pre-owned devices and premium accessories. Dr. Phone Fix maintains strong partnerships with OEMs and certified suppliers, ensuring consistently high-quality standards across its national footprint. With a focus on responsible device lifecycle management, customer service, and operational discipline, Dr. Phone Fix continues to set the benchmark for device care and resale in Canada.

www.docphonefix.com

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “potential”, “believe”, “intend” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the final acceptance of the Offering by the TSXV; and the expected use of proceeds following the closing of the Offering. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company’s financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events; the TSXV will provide its final acceptance of the Offering; and the Company will be able to obtain the financing required in order to develop and continue its business and operations. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company’s inability to obtain TSXV final acceptance for the Offering; the potential failure to complete the balance of the Offering or to raise the full anticipated gross proceeds; market conditions and investor demand for the Company’s securities; the Company’s inability to deploy the proceeds as currently intended; and general economic and market conditions. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Dr. Phone Fix