Trek Bike Financing: Your Ultimate Guide
Ready to roll with a new Trek bike? Paying monthly over time can make it easier.
Trek Financing offers 0% interest for six to 12 months, depending on how much you spend. However, you have to buy your bike in person at a participating retailer. Review the pros and cons and use this guide to find the best Trek bike financing for you.
Trek bike financing options side by side
| Financing option | Could be best for… | Typical rates | Typical terms | General credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trek Financing | 0% promotional financing and in-person shopping | 0% – 29.99% | 3 to 36 months | May accept fair credit |
| Personal loans | Shopping anywhere | 6.49% – 35.99% | 12 to 84 months | Bad to excellent, but usually 740+ for best rates |
| Buy now, pay later (BNPL) | Less-than-perfect credit | 0% – 36% | 6 weeks to 60 months | Can qualify with fair (uses a soft credit hit, in most cases) |
| Credit card | 0% intro APR and/or rewards | Varies | Can use as long as the card is open and you have available credit | Typically need good to excellent |
Trek Financing
Trek Financing is a line of credit offered through Citizens Pay, a product of Citizens Bank.
Trek Financing works similarly to a credit card. You can use it over and over again. Unlike a credit card you have to get approval on a purchase-by-purchase basis. You can spend up to $25,000, assuming you qualify.
Trek Financing’s largest draw is its promotional financing. Depending on your credit, you could get six or 12 months of interest-free payments. But there’s a catch — deferred interest.
If you don’t pay off your bike by the end of the promo period, you’ll owe all the interest from the purchase date.
| Financing option | Minimum purchase amount | Annual percentage rate (APR) |
|---|---|---|
| 24-month financing | $199 | 0% for the first six months, 29.99% after |
| 36-month financing (deferred interest) | $499 | 0% for the first 12 months, 29.99% after |
| 36-month financing (standard interest) | $499 | 9.99% |
| 3-month financing (deferred interest)* | $99 | 0% for the entire 3 months |
Trek Financing doesn’t specify what credit score it requires, but you can check your eligibility online. Store-branded financing is generally easier to qualify for than some personal loans and credit cards.
You can only use Trek Financing in person, at participating locations. Use its online store finder to find a partner retailer near you. You must be at least 18 years of age, have a U.S. address and a cell phone that can get texts.
Trek Financing pros and cons
Pros
- 0% interest promotional financing available
- Might still qualify if you have fair credit
- Can check your eligibility without hurting your credit score
Cons
- May get hit with lots of interest if you don’t pay off your bike during your promo period
- Can only use at participating bike shops
- Can’t use on Trek’s website
- No perks like rewards or points like with some store-branded financing
Personal loan
You can use a personal loan to buy a Trek bike, bike racks and just about anything else. Personal loans come as a lump sum of cash, usually by direct deposit. Then, you’ll pay back your loan in equal monthly payments.
Personal loans are usually cheaper than credit cards if you have excellent credit. The average credit card interest rate as of this writing is 24.28%. Compare that to 17.71%, the average APR on personal loans closed on LendingTree in the fourth quarter of 2024.
You could get a bad credit loan if your credit isn’t solid, but expect high rates. Skip loans with APRs above 35.99% — higher than that and you could fall victim to predatory lending.
Personal loan pros and cons
Pros
- Can use for almost anything, anywhere
- No down payments
- Rates are usually lower than credit cards if you have a 720+ score
- Could get your money the same day that you apply
Cons
- No 0% APR financing periods
- High rates for bad credit (if you qualify at all)
- Many personal loans start at $1,000, so might not work for a cheaper bike
- Lender might keep part of your loan for itself as an origination fee
Buy now, pay later
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) lets you break retail purchases into more manageable bundles. One of the most common BNPL payment plans is Pay-in-4.
With this, you’ll put down 25% when you buy your bike. Your next three payments will be due every two weeks. Pay-in-4 is usually interest-free. Generally, BNPL companies only run a soft credit hit for Pay-in-4.
Some BNPL lenders also have longer-term financing. Affirm, for instance, offers financing up to 60 months with a 0.00% to 36.00% APR. Longer-term financing might require a hard credit hit.
BNPL can be a great tool for interest-free Trek financing. But if you don’t have discipline, they can lead to a world of trouble. According to LendingTree’s BNPL tracker, 41% of BNPL users report paying late.
You will probably have to create a one-time use virtual card to use BNPL at Trek. The app will walk you through the process.
Buy now, pay later pros and cons
Pros
- Can get interest-free financing with Pay-in-4
- Typically easier to qualify for
- Usually only a soft credit hit
- Some BNPL lenders have shopping and price comparison tools built into their apps
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not all BNPLs report to the credit bureaus, so might not help you build credit
- Could lead to impulse purchases
- Some BNPL companies charge expensive installment fees each time you pay
- Probably need a down payment
- Autopay typically required, putting you at risk for overdraft (especially if you’re juggling multiple BNPL loans)
Credit card
It might not be a bad idea to put a Trek bike on a credit card, but you should have a strategy. If you can’t pay for your bike in full within 28 to 31 days, a 0% APR card is the best choice. If you can, consider a rewards credit card.
- A 0% APR credit card is interest-free for a certain amount of time (usually six to 21 months). After this, interest kicks in — but usually only on your current balance and for future payments. Interest isn’t backdated like it is with Trek Financing.
- A rewards credit card lets you earn miles or cash back when you use your card. Although you sometimes won’t get promotional financing, you can avoid interest by paying your card in full by your first billing cycle.
Credit card pros and cons
Pros
- Can get true 0% intro APR financing (not deferred interest)
- Typically no down payment required
- Treks can get pricey, so lots of potential for rewards
- Some cards come with welcome offers like extra miles or cash back
- Could get purchase protection, which can pay out if your Trek gets stolen or damaged
Cons
- Takes willpower to avoid charging too much, too often
- If you carry a balance and don’t have 0% intro APR, rates can be high (sometimes nearly 30%)
- Rewards cards sometimes carry an annual fee (0% intro APR cards usually don’t)
- APR can go up and down with the market (personal loan rates stay the same for the life of your loan)
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Trek Financing is the in-house financing option for Trek Bikes. It offers 0% APR promotional financing for six months if you spend at least $199. You can get 12 months as long as you spend $499. After that, APRs are 29.99%.
Be careful, because Trek Financing is deferred interest. If you haven’t finished paying off your bike by the end of your promo period, all of the interest you skipped will then be due.
Yes, Trek accepts Klarna. You have to make a one-time virtual card, but Klarna will walk you through the process.
Yes, there are many Trek financing options that will let you pay monthly on a bike. You can try Trek Financing, Trek’s in-house lender. Personal loans, buy now, pay later and credit cards are also an option.
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