ZIPAIR Tokyo Selects Flex Pay to Bring Flexible Payment Options to Travelers

We're excited to announce our partnership with ZIPAIR Tokyo, Japan's leading long-haul low-cost carrier and a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines (JAL). The partnership brings Flex Pay, Upgrade's Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solution, to ZIPAIR's customers, empowering travelers to spread the cost of their flights over simple, affordable monthly installments. 

ZIPAIR operates a fleet of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft from its Tokyo-Narita hub, serving destinations across Asia and North America, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Vancouver, Honolulu, and Houston. Flex Pay is integrated into ZIPAIR's online booking platform, offering a frictionless checkout experience for customers booking directly with the airline. 

"The Flex Pay service is introducing many new customers to ZIPAIR, and we see double the users that was projected, with a significantly higher percentage of full flat seat bookings than we see from other forms of payment" said Takuya Matsuo, CMO and Executive Officer at ZIPAIR Tokyo. "We look forward to continuing to grow this partnership and bringing even more travelers to our network and will continue to pursue greater convenience for customers by diversifying our payment options." 

Since launching in late April 2026, the partnership has exceeded early performance expectations, with Flex Pay driving meaningful revenue and passenger growth for ZIPAIR. The result reflects growing demand among North American travelers for flexible, transparent payment options on international routes. 

This partnership marks Flex Pay's first Asia-Pacific airline launch, expanding its growing network of travel partners across North America, Canada, and now Japan. Flex Pay is available at thousands of the world's top travel brands, helping more consumers access the travel they deserve. 

"We're proud to partner with ZIPAIR Tokyo to bring payment flexibility to travelers booking transpacific routes," said Tom Botts, President, Flex Pay. "ZIPAIR's commitment to making long-haul travel more accessible aligns closely with what Flex Pay was built to do, and we look forward to helping even more customers experience Japan and beyond." 

For more information, see ZIPAIR's announcement here. 

About Flex Pay 

Flex Pay is a Buy Now, Pay Later solution offered by Upgrade, Inc. Upgrade is a financial technology company that offers affordable and responsible credit, mobile banking, and payment products to mainstream consumers. Since its inception in 2017, Upgrade has delivered over $50 billion in credit to over 8 million customers. Upgrade's core products include: BNPL, Home Improvement Financing, Personal Loans, Mobile Banking, Cards, and Auto Financing.  Upgrade is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with an operations center in Phoenix, Arizona, a technology center in Montreal, Canada, and regional offices in Atlanta, Georgia, New York City, New York, and Irvine, California. More information is available at: https://www.upgrade.com and https://www.upgrade.com/en-ca/flex-pay/ 

Loans made through Flex Pay by Upgrade are offered by these lending partners: upgrade.com/flex-pay/lenders | upgrade.com/flex-pay/privacy | upgrade.com/flex-pay/terms About ZIPAIR Tokyo 

ZIPAIR Tokyo is a Japanese long-haul low-cost carrier established in 2018 and commencing passenger services in 2020. Under the “NEW BASIC AIRLINE” concept, ZIPAIR aims to deliver a never‑before flight experience by constantly challenging industry conventions and refusing to be bound by fixed ideas. Even as an LCC, ZIPAIR continues to break norms—for example, by offering business-class style lie-flat seats "ZIP Full-Flat" and providing free high‑speed inflight internet “Starlink” across all routes.

The airline serves destinations including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Vancouver, Honolulu, Houston, Seoul, Bangkok and Singapore, with further expansion planned. For more information, visit www.zipair.net/en.

Down payment may be required. Actual terms are based on your credit score and other factors and may vary. APRs range from 0% to 36%. Minimum purchase may be required. Not everyone is eligible. Loans made through Flex Pay by Upgrade are offered by these lending partners: Flex Pay Lenders. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use. Upgrade, Inc. (NMLS #1548935) holds the following state licenses and does business under the following DBAs. 275 Battery St 23rd floor, San Francisco, CA 94111