BillFloat Survey Finds 40% of Americans Would Abstain from Sex to Avoid Paying Bills

SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- If giving up sex for a month got their bills paid, four in ten Americans would skip time between the sheets, a new national consumer survey shows. This year more than twice as many consumers (45 percent of women; 36 percent of men) would abstain from sex compared with last year (21 percent women; 16 percent of men). Both surveys were conducted by independent market research firm Toluna, on behalf of BillFloat, Inc., a leading provider of consumer credit delivery options.

"The survey uncovered real issues around Americans needing a financial break and the lengths they would go for some breathing room," said Ryan Gilbert, BillFloat CEO and co-founder. "BillFloat is looking to help provide mainstream consumers more time when they need it and when they want it, along with flexibility and payment options that fit their lifestyles."

Consumers' Financial Priorities

The BillFloat/Toluna survey results show that a majority (80 percent) of the 1,207 Americans surveyed wished they had more time as it relates to finances with 45 percent specifically wanting more time to earn extra income. Other items topping the wish-list for consumers, if they had more time to pay, would be: buying a vacation (51 percent), saving for retirement (40 percent) and making an expensive purchase
(20 percent).

In addition, most Americans (65 percent) would consider making a creative tradeoff to escape the bills all together. One example is the extreme lengths survey responders would go to have bills paid by someone else for the month:

• Watch pennies over watch TV: More than a third of consumers (37 percent) would turn off the TV for a month in exchange for their bills being paid.
• Stay slim, rather fatten a wallet: A mere 7 percent of consumers said they would add 25 pound to their body weights in exchange for peace mind that bills are paid (only 6 percent of women compared to 9 percent of men).
• Talk isn't cheap, but it's fun: One in four people would give up digital devices and cellphone for a month.
• Sunshine is priceless: Only 16 percent of adults said they would go without sunlight for a month.

The survey also found that more than 40 percent of consumers said they would definitely or somewhat be more likely to buy a smartphone if they had more time to pay. This confirms the need for BillFloat's flexible payment options that are available through MetroPCS, CSpire Wireless and Virgin Mobile. These wireless companies are providing their customers with access to BillFloat's SmartPay, which gives consumer instant financing and more time to pay at the time of purchase.  SmartPay is part of BillFloat's secure More-Time-to-Pay (MTP) platform, which delivers real-time payment flexibility to consumers who seek more time to pay for purchases and services. BillFloat's MTP platform delivers consumer financing solutions online, in-store and through mobile devices.  For more information about BillFloat, visit www.moretime2pay.com.

About BillFloat, Inc.

BillFloat's More-Time-To-Pay (MTP) platform (www.moretime2pay.com) connects lenders with retailers and service providers to provide instant financing solutions for consumers and small businesses. The MTP platform delivers these instant financing solutions online, in-store and via mobile. BillFloat, based in San Francisco, was founded in 2009 by a team of experienced financial services entrepreneurs with backing from leading venture capital firms.

*Toluna, Inc. fielded the study on behalf of BillFloat from Feb. 27 to March 2, 2013 via its online omnibus service, interviewing a nationwide sample of 1,207 adults aged 18 years and older.  Data were weighted using propensity score weighting to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online.  Data for questions related to online use or behaviors were weighted specifically to the respective "online" populations.  No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

SOURCE BillFloat, Inc.