Cushion Review: Organize Your Bills And Other Payments

Buy now pay later (BNPL) options can make it easier to fit a big purchase into your budget. But keeping track of the subsequent payments might be easier said than done, especially if you use multiple BNPL services to pay for purchases.

Cushion offers a streamlined way to track your bills, including your BNPL obligations. Through the app, you can easily manage your BNPL payments and other bills. Plus, Cushion gives you an opportunity to build credit with these payments along the way.

If you want help tracking your bills, including BNPL payments, then keep reading to see how Cushion works. 

What Is Cushion?

Cushion is a California-based fintech founded in 2016. Originally, Cushion offered an automated service that negotiated bank and credit card fees on your behalf.

But the fee-fighting service is no longer offered. As of writing, Cushion has pivoted to offer a comprehensive bill tracker that encompasses BNPL apps. 

What Does It Offer?

Here's a closer look at the services Cushion has to offer. 

Organize All Of Your Bills 

Cushion offers a way to organize all of your bills. You can choose to include all of your bills, or just connect your BNPL accounts. Through the app, you can see what’s already been paid and what payments will be due soon.

Cushion also analyzes your bills to offer some insights into your spending. In some cases, it even offers recommendations to help you build a better budget.

Organize Your BNPL Payments

While a bill organization app isn’t too novel, the ability to track all of your BNPL payments in a single app could be very helpful. You won’t have to skip from app to app to see what BNPL payments you have coming up. Instead, Cushion offers a straightforward calendar to track your BNPL payments.

The app’s payment dashboard makes it easy to see all of your BNPL obligations in one place. It includes information on due dates, payments, and loan dates. For example, you can see the total amount you’ll have to pay for BNPL services this month, and how much you’ve already paid. Plus, you can see how many payments you have left with each BNPL provider.

Some of the compatible BNPL services include Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay. 

Credit Builder

Cushion offers a way to build credit as you pay for your connected bills and BNPL obligations. It makes this possible by issuing a virtual Cushion card. When you receive the card, you can put this card on file with your bill providers, like BNPL services or subscriptions.

Each time you have a payment due, Cushion will charge your debit card or bank account to cover the cost. At the end of each month, Cushion will report your total payment activity to the credit bureaus.

The goal is to create a history of on-time payments, which can have a positive impact on your credit report. 

Are There Any Fees?

It’s free to organize your bills. But the credit-building features aren’t free. You’ll pay $4.99 per month to build credit with your BNPL payments. If you want to build credit with all of your bills, including BNPL services, then you’ll pay $12.99 per month.

How Do I Contact Cushion?

You can connect with Cushion by emailing support@cushion.ai. Cushion also offers a chat box on its website, which estimates a reply within a business day.

Based on the excellent Trustpilot reviews, you can generally expect a positive experience with the company.

How Does Cushion Compare?

Cushion isn’t the only bill-tracking app, or credit-building opportunity, out there.  

In terms of bill tracking, Simplifi by Quicken offers a way to easily track your bills. The bill tracking interface is relatively straightforward. But you won’t be able to easily monitor your upcoming BNPL payments.

If you are looking for a way to build credit through your existing bills, Grow Credit is an option. It offers a no-fee Mastercard, which you can use to cover your major subscription bills. Each month, Grow Credit pays off the card in full and reports your on-time payment to the credit bureaus.

How Do I Open An Account?

If you want to work with Cushion, you’ll need a valid U.S. bank account and must be at least 18 years old. The process starts by verifying your phone number. You’ll do this by confirming a code sent by Cushion to your smartphone.

From there, you’ll need to provide some personal information, like your email, name, and Social Security Number.

Is It Safe And Secure?

Cushion uses bank-level security to protect your personal and financial information. It also prevents sensitive information, like bank usernames and passwords, from touching Cushion’s servers at all.

Instead, this information is processed by security partners.

Is It Worth It?

If you are a frequent user of BNPL services, the ability to monitor all of these obligations in a single dashboard is undeniably helpful. You can keep track of your BNPL information without checking multiple payment apps. And the best part is that simply tracking your bills and BNPL obligations is free.

In terms of the credit-building feature, that’s less unique. While Cushion is offering a useful credit-building tool, it might not be the right price point for everyone. You’ll need to weigh the costs of this service against the potential to build your credit. 

Cushion Features