Every competing page names CareCredit or Alphaeon without disclosing actual terms. Here are the real numbers.
Deferred interest applies retroactively to the full balance if not paid in full within the promo window.
Deferred interest applies retroactively to the full balance if not paid in full within the promo window.
Approximate — CareCredit's own extended fixed-payment plans run 17.90% APR (24mo) / 18.90% APR (36mo); rate shown here is a blended estimate across CareCredit and alternative lenders (PatientFi, Alphaeon, Sunbit, personal loans, 6–36% APR by credit).
These are illustrative monthly-payment estimates, not loan offers. Actual terms depend on the lender and your credit profile — CareCredit, PatientFi, Alphaeon Credit, and Sunbit are among the financing partners most commonly accepted by cosmetic-surgery practices.
Based on ASPS, CareCredit, GoodRx, and RealSelf data · Last checked August 2026 · Full methodology →
CareCredit offers 0% APR promotional financing for 6, 12, 18, or 24 months if the balance is paid in full within the promo window. If it isn't, deferred interest applies retroactively to the entire original balance — not just the remaining amount. Beyond the promo tiers, CareCredit's extended fixed-payment plans run 17.90% APR (24 months) or 18.90% APR (36 months).
Practices commonly also accept PatientFi, Alphaeon Credit, and Sunbit, or a personal loan — APR on these typically ranges 6–36% depending on your credit profile. Compare the total cost of financing (not just the monthly payment) before committing to whichever option a practice offers you at consultation.
With a standard BBL running $6,500 to $16,000 all-in, financing is less an optional convenience and more how most patients pay for this procedure at all. The trap almost everyone falls into is comparing monthly payment numbers without comparing total cost. A 36-month plan at 15% APR has a smaller monthly bill than the same balance paid off in 12 months at 0%, but you'll pay meaningfully more in total interest for the privilege of the smaller payment. Run both scenarios through the calculator above before picking one based on what feels affordable month to month.
The other trap is specific to 0% promotional plans, and it's the one that actually costs people real money. Deferred-interest financing means the interest was never waived, it was postponed, and if any balance at all remains unpaid when the promo window closes, interest gets charged retroactively on the entire original amount, not just what's left. A single missed or short payment near the end of a 12- or 24-month promo can turn a $9,000 BBL into a bill with a year or two of back-interest attached. If you go this route, treat the payoff date as a hard deadline, not a soft target.
Financing doesn't change what the surgery itself costs, and it isn't a reason to pick a cheaper provider over a safer one. A 2023 study found the majority of South Florida BBL deaths occurred at high-volume, budget-tier clinics, exactly the segment most likely to lean on low monthly payments in their marketing. Qualify a surgeon on board certification and safety protocol first, on our safety page, and use financing to make a surgeon you'd already choose more affordable, not to make an unqualified one seem cheap.
CareCredit's promotional 0% plans typically require a fair-to-good score, generally 640 or above, though approval also weighs income and existing debt, not credit score alone. Alternative lenders like Sunbit and PatientFi are built specifically for applicants with lower or thinner credit files, usually at a higher APR to offset that risk.
It's harder but not impossible. Lenders like Sunbit and PatientFi are marketed toward exactly this situation, approving a wider range of credit profiles than CareCredit's promotional tiers, generally at a higher interest rate. A co-signer with stronger credit can also improve your approval odds and the rate you're offered.
It can cover the full amount if your credit limit is high enough, CareCredit issues a revolving credit line rather than a fixed procedure loan. Some patients split a larger BBL total across CareCredit for part of it and a second lender or savings for the rest, rather than relying on one line to cover everything.
Not really, for elective cosmetic procedures like BBL. Grant and scholarship programs in plastic surgery are almost entirely reserved for reconstructive cases, such as post-mastectomy reconstruction or burn revision, not aesthetic body contouring. Financing through a medical lender is the realistic path for most patients.
Yes, and for some patients it works out cheaper. Personal loan APRs, roughly 6 to 36% depending on credit, can beat a medical lender's non-promotional rate, and a personal loan doesn't carry the deferred-interest trap that comes with missing a 0% promo deadline. Compare the actual APR and total repayment, not just which option is easier to apply for.
Beyond a late fee, a missed payment on a 0% promotional plan can trigger the exact deferred-interest penalty worth avoiding: interest applied retroactively to your entire original balance, not just the missed amount. Set up autopay if your lender offers it, specifically to avoid this on promotional plans.
No. Elective cosmetic surgery, and the interest on financing it, isn't tax deductible under IRS rules, which generally limit medical expense deductions to procedures addressing a diagnosed medical condition. Reconstructive surgery following an accident or mastectomy is treated differently; a purely cosmetic BBL isn't.
Generally no. HSA and FSA funds are restricted to procedures the IRS considers medically necessary, and elective cosmetic surgery like a standard BBL doesn't qualify. There are rare exceptions tied to a documented medical condition, which your specific plan administrator would need to confirm, not something to assume applies.
Both are medical-specific credit lines with similar promotional structures, but Alphaeon is more heavily used by high-end aesthetic and dermatology practices, while CareCredit has broader acceptance across general medical and dental providers too. Terms and rates vary less by brand than by the specific promotional tier a given practice offers, so compare the actual APR and promo length each one presents you, not just the lender's name.
It varies by practice and lender, some require nothing down if you're approved for the full amount, others ask for a deposit, commonly 10 to 20%, at the time of booking regardless of how you're financing the rest. Confirm this directly with the practice; it's a scheduling policy on their end, not something the lender dictates.
PlasticSurgeryCostCalc