Charge prefix guide
What is AFFIRM * on your bank statement?
AFFIRM * on your statement is Affirm — a payment processor. Here's what it means and how to check it.
Affirm is buy-now-pay-later: it pays the store in full and you repay Affirm in instalments. That is why the descriptor is the confusing part — the line on your statement names the LENDER, not the shop. The $63.50 hitting your account monthly is not a new purchase; it is a scheduled repayment for something bought weeks or months ago at a store that never appears on the statement again. Affirm sits behind checkouts at Amazon, Walmart, Shein, airlines, furniture and electronics stores, and thousands of others.
Important: a processor prefix identifies who processed the payment — not necessarily who you bought from.
Real examples of how it appears
- AFFIRM *PAYMENT 855-423-3729 CA
- AFFIRM PAYMENT SAN FRANCISCO CA
- ACH AFFIRM PAYMENT
- AFFIRM INC PAYMNT
Formats vary by bank — reference fragments, cities and codes come and go, but the prefix shape stays recognisable.
Descriptor formats to look for
- AFFIRM * …
How to verify the charge
See your Affirm loans and payments ↗- Sign in at affirm.com or open the Affirm app — every active loan is listed with the store's name, the purchase date, the schedule, and what remains. The payment amount on your statement matches one loan's instalment exactly.
- Match the amount, not the date: instalments repeat monthly (or fortnightly for Pay-in-4), so the same figure recurring is one loan amortising, not multiple charges.
- If you split a big purchase across Affirm and a card, only the deposit shows the store's name — every later line is AFFIRM. The order confirmation email from the store is the missing link.
- No Affirm account under your email? Try other emails and phone numbers you use — accounts are keyed to phone numbers, and an old number can hold the loan.
Is it fraud?
Genuine Affirm fraud is usually identity theft rather than card theft: someone opened a loan in your name, which shows up as instalment debits you never agreed to. If affirm.com shows no account or no matching loan under your identity, treat it as identity fraud — dispute with your bank AND report it through Affirm's support so the loan itself is investigated, not just the payment. A forgotten Pay-in-4 from a real purchase is the far more common explanation.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Affirm charging me every month?
You (or someone with access to your account) financed a purchase through Affirm at a store's checkout, and the monthly line is that loan repaying on schedule. The store's name does not appear — sign in to affirm.com to see which purchase each loan belongs to.
Can I pay an Affirm loan off early?
Yes, at any time, with no prepayment penalty — and on interest-bearing loans early payoff reduces the total interest. It is done from the loan's page in the app or on affirm.com.
Why did Affirm charge a different amount this month?
Multiple overlapping loans is the usual reason — two purchases financed at different times produce two different instalments in the same month. A final instalment can also be smaller than the regular one.
I returned the item — why is Affirm still charging me?
The loan keeps billing until the STORE processes the refund to Affirm; returns do not pause the schedule automatically. Chase the merchant for the refund, and check the loan on affirm.com — once the refund lands, Affirm rebalances or closes the loan and returns what you overpaid.
Common misunderstandings
- The city or state shown is often the company's registered address, not where you made the purchase.
- Charges can post days or weeks after the purchase.
- Small businesses may bill under a legal or holding-company name.
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