Case Study: Cushion (consumer bill-pay app) achieves BNPL bill‑pay transformation and streamlined payments with Plaid

Redefining BNPL bill pay with Cushion

Cushion began as an AI-powered service to negotiate overdraft refunds but pivoted when it saw buy now, pay later (BNPL) becoming a routine part of consumers’ monthly expenses. To tackle the new reality of recurring BNPL obligations and simplify bill pay, Cushion integrated Plaid—using Link for account connectivity, Auth for bank data access, Identity Verification for KYC, and Transfer for moving money.

By leveraging Plaid’s suite and connectivity to thousands of institutions, Cushion has processed nearly a billion transactions through Plaid and rebuilt its product into a personal finance app that cancels unwanted subscriptions, organizes traditional and BNPL bills with AI, automates payments, and helps users build credit. Plaid’s trusted brand and integrated tooling sped onboarding, reduced cost and friction around KYC and payments, and helped Cushion scale with greater user trust and operational efficiency.

Cushion

Paul Kesserwani

CEO and Founder