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Patient tool · Payment plans & financing

Elective procedure financing calculator

Compare paying cash, a personal loan and a credit card for an elective procedure.

Editorial review in progress · How we review

Uses 2026 figures
$
Personal loan
%
mo
%
Credit card
%
$

Your results will appear here.
Adjust the numbers, then press Calculate.

Assumptions
  • Loan: fixed payments, origination fee paid upfront (not financed). Card: fixed monthly payment, interest compounding monthly, no new charges.
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Elective procedures, like LASIK, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatment or dental implants, often aren't covered by insurance. If you're not paying cash, the way you finance the cost can change the total by hundreds or thousands of dollars. This calculator compares three common options.

How it works

Enter the procedure cost, then the details for each option:

  • Personal loan: interest rate, term in months and any origination fee. The calculator finds the fixed monthly payment and the total cost, including the fee.
  • Credit card: interest rate and the monthly payment you'd make. The calculator follows the balance month by month until it's paid off. If the payment doesn't cover the monthly interest, the balance would never be paid off.
  • Cash: simply the procedure cost.

The main result names the cheaper way to finance it.

Example

A procedure costs $6,000.

  • A 36-month personal loan at 12% with a 3% fee costs about $199 a month and about $7,354 in total.
  • A credit card at 22% with $250 monthly payments takes 32 months and costs about $7,980.

The loan is cheaper here. If the card had a true 0% intro rate for two years, the card would win, as long as you pay it off in time.

Ask before you borrow

Ask the practice whether it offers an in-office payment plan, a discount for paying in full, or a package price. Saving for a few months first, even partly, can also lower what you need to borrow.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What's an origination fee?

A one-time fee some personal lenders charge, usually 1% to 8% of the loan. It's often taken out of the loan amount, so you receive less than you borrow.

Will checking loan rates hurt my credit?

Many lenders let you check your rate with a soft credit check, which doesn't affect your score. A full application usually involves a hard check.

What about medical credit cards?

Many use deferred interest. Use the deferred-interest financing check to see what happens if the balance isn't paid in time.

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