Millions of shoppers will enjoy more rights and protections from Wednesday as new rules for “buy now, pay later” take effect in the UK.

The government said it was delivering on its commitment to end the buy now, pay later “wild west”.

It is rare to go shopping online without being confronted with a flood of BNPL offers at the checkout. The Treasury said the new regime would deliver a “fairer deal” for shoppers. But some campaigners say that despite the new safeguards, consumers should still think carefully before succumbing to the temptation to click on the BNPL button.