SearchFrom Consult to Checkout: CareCredit FAQs for Cosmetic Practices
Get quick answers on how CareCredit works for aesthetic and wellness practices, including how it can help patients and clients move forward with care and what to expect operationally.
By Synchrony Health & Wellness
Jul 03, 2026 - 10 min read
Key Takeaways
- Many aesthetic services are elective and paid out of pocket, so patients and clients often look for easy ways to manage costs.
- Sticker shock can lead to delayed treatments, downgrades or skipped series, especially when patients are making decisions during consults.
- The CareCredit credit card offers flexible financing options for cosmetic practices, helping patients move forward with cosmetic care by making out-of-pocket payments more manageable.
CareCredit Frequently Asked Questions for Cosmetic and Aesthetic Practices
Many aesthetic and med spa services are elective and paid out of pocket. As a result, patients and clients often prefer flexible financing options, whether they’re selecting a single service or series-based plans, packages and ongoing maintenance.
This FAQ gives your team simple, consistent answers to the most common cosmetic patient financing questions that can come up, from consult to checkout.
Aesthetic Patient Financing FAQs
CareCredit offers patient financing for aesthetic and wellness practices that helps address common cost-related behaviors such as delaying treatment, choosing less expensive options, skipping recommended series or scheduling appointments too far apart. In fact, more than $157+ billion in care has been financed with the CareCredit credit card since it was launched.
Cardholders who qualify and are approved for the CareCredit credit card can take advantage of special financing options within 6, 12, 18 or 24 months on qualifying purchases of $200 or more.* CareCredit also offers longer-term reduced-APR financing for 24, 36 or 48 months on purchases of $1,000 or more, or 60 months on purchases of $2,500 or more.** These options can help patients and clients fit payments into their budget so they can move forward with recommended plans and maintenance visits.
How does CareCredit work at a med spa or aesthetic clinic?
- Patients and clients check see if they prequalify (with no impact on their credit) via your custom link or QR code.
- They apply and receive an instant credit decision.
- If approved, they can use their account immediately to pay for eligible individual or series-based services and products.
- Individuals can manage payments over time with flexible cosmetic patient financing options.
What can CareCredit be used for in cosmetic and aesthetic care?
CareCredit is accepted at 290,000 locations nationwide. It can be used for many cosmetic and aesthetic services and eligible retail purchases at enrolled locations, including a wide variety of non-cosmetic health and wellness locations and retailers.
Examples of eligible services cosmetic patients or clients may use CareCredit for:
- Acne or scar treatments and skin rejuvenation plans
- Body contouring and skin tightening
- Cosmetic surgery consults and procedures (if applicable to your practice)
- Injectables (neuromodulators, e.g., Botox and fillers)
- Laser treatments (hair removal or resurfacing)
- Microneedling, chemical peels, facials and skin programs
- Packages and eligible skincare and retail products (where offered)
Cardholders can use their CareCredit credit card at enrolled practices or online, including for out-of-pocket costs like deposits, consults, series upgrades and add-ons.
How can we improve the patient financial journey in aesthetics practices?
Synchrony’s Healthcare Journey Research Consumers and Providers report found that 76% of patients surveyed would seek more services for health and wellness care if they had ways to pay for them.1 Having flexible patient financing for cosmetic practices at consult can help reduce cost concerns and support plan acceptance — without discounting. In the meantime, your team can benefit from a simpler payment process.
| Benefits for cosmetic patients and clients | Benefits for cosmetic providers and practices |
|---|---|
| Flexible cosmetic patient financing to help fit med spa and aesthetics costs into budgets | Payment to you within two business days |
| Immediate decision and usage for aesthetic products and services, if approved | Helps reduce billing workload, simplify consult-to-checkout discussions and improve the flow of payments |
| Ability to pay for individual treatments, packages, deposits, add-ons and eligible skincare products | Can help improve patient satisfaction and client loyalty |
| Can be used for a broad range of health and wellness care | Dedicated support including free tools and digital assets |
| Convenient payment options, online and in-person | Helps improves payment predictability and cash flow |
Cosmetic-Related CareCredit FAQs
Find quick answers to common questions about using CareCredit in cosmetic, aesthetic and med spa settings to help patients and clients can learn about their options, apply easily and pay for packages or treatment plans with confidence.
How do patients or clients learn more about CareCredit?
Build CareCredit seamlessly into your aesthetic practice workflow: share your custom link or display your QR code during the treatment plan presentation, at checkout and in follow-up communications post-consult. Patients and clients who are approved can use CareCredit the same day.
How can patients or clients apply for CareCredit?
Aesthetic and med spa providers who accept the CareCredit credit card receive a custom link that delivers a digital, self-guided payment experience. Patients and clients click on your custom link or scan your custom QR code to see if they prequalify (with no impact to their credit score) and apply. They receive an instant credit decision and, if approved, can use their account to pay the same day.
Can patients or clients use CareCredit for packages or treatment plans over time?
Many aesthetic plans, such as laser series, body contouring packages, multi-session rejuvenation plans (e.g., microneedling and peels) and memberships with bundled services (where offered), may be paid for using CareCredit when structured as a single purchase.
Your patients or clients can make one transaction, rather than three separate transactions, with the CareCredit credit card to finance packages, bundled services and treatment plans that can be rendered within 90 days of the initial purchase.
Payments, Processing and Revenue Cycle Workflow FAQs
In addition to helping support treatment acceptance, CareCredit can also help streamline how your cosmetic practice handles payments, reconciliation and financial reporting.
How are CareCredit transactions processed?
CareCredit has a secure online system that allows aesthetic and med spa practices to process transactions online in the CareCredit Provider Center. With the CareCredit custom link, cardholders can also use their card to pay online, and your practice can receive payment in two business days. Practices can also access daily funding and other key reports, aiding with financial reconciliation.
Can I choose which cosmetic patient financing options I want to offer?
Aesthetic and wellness providers can choose which options to offer, but six months of promotional financing is always available on purchases of $200 or more. Selected options must be consistently communicated to all patients or clients, without exception.
What are the CareCredit processing fees for providers?
Provider processing fees depend on the special option, if any, a purchase is processed with. They are transparent and will not change based on the patient's or client's credit score. CareCredit does not charge providers annual or monthly fees.
How does CareCredit help manage my practice’s payment flow?
Your practice can receive payment within two business days when a patient or client uses their CareCredit health and wellness credit card to pay for out-of-pocket expenses. Patients or clients can use CareCredit to pay for costs like deposits, same-day add-ons and post-care balances. Your payment flow is predictable and your staff spends less time collecting outstanding receivables.
Aesthetic Provider Education, Marketing Tools and Support FAQs
When you become a CareCredit provider, you gain access to our Practice Development Team, a team of experts who are committed to your success. You’ll also have access to free tools and resources on flexible financing, including custom links and QR codes, ready-to-use digital assets, a social media calendar, Payment Calculator and tips and scripts for cosmetic surgery and day spas and salons.
Your practice also receives a free listing in the Provider Locator on carecredit.com, which receives more than 2.9 million total average unique visitors per month.2
Patient Demand and Promotional Financing Option FAQs
Patients and clients are often eager to learn about available financing solutions for aesthetic practices before they commit to treatment. Here’s how your team can explain those options clearly.
Are patients interested in promotional financing?
Yes. In elective cosmetic and med spa care, a wide range of patients and clients look for ways to make treatments more affordable from injectables and laser series to body contouring and skin programs. In fact, more than 22,000+ patients and clients across all income levels apply for the CareCredit credit card every day — an average of over 900 applications per hour.†
CareCredit cardholders collectively have access to an estimated $40 billion in available credit. For medical aesthetics specifically, the average initial purchase amount is $2,100.1
What financing options are available to patients?
CareCredit offers special financing options to help patients and clients pay for care:
- Our No Interest If Paid in Full within 6-, 12-, 18- or 24-month options allow promotional financing on qualifying purchases of $200 or more. Interest will be charged from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full by the end of the promotional period.**
- Reduced APR with fixed monthly payment offers are:***
- 24 months with a 17.90% APR on purchases of $1,000 or more
- 36 months with an 18.90% APR on purchases of $1,000 or more
- 48 months with a 19.90% APR on purchases of $1,000 or more
- 60 months with a 20.90% APR on purchases of $2,500 or more
Standard account terms apply to purchases that don’t qualify for promotional financing options.
How do clients pay deposits and post-care balances outside the practice?
Patients and clients can use their CareCredit credit card to pay their presurgical or pre-treatment deposit online using your custom link up to 30 days before the procedure date. This allows you to accept payment 24/7 without asking the patient or client to come back into the office. Payment is fast, easy and secure, and you can be paid within two business days.
Post-care, CareCredit provides a contactless, self-guided way for cardholders to pay their bills by scanning your personalized QR code or clicking on your custom link.
What if my aesthetic and cosmetic patients don’t pay their CareCredit balance?
Regardless of whether a patient or client defaults, you receive payment in just two business days. CareCredit is non-recourse, which means that if a patient or client does not pay, it’s not your responsibility.†† The financial relationship is between CareCredit and the cardholder.
A Flexible Financing Solution for Your Cosmetic Practice
Want to make it easy for patients and clients to manage the cost of treatment at your cosmetic practice or business? Consider offering the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution. CareCredit offers individuals a way to pay for surgical and non-surgical treatments and procedures over time while helping enhance the payments process for your practice or business.
When you accept CareCredit, patients or clients can see if they prequalify with no impact to their credit score, and those who apply, if approved, can take advantage of special financing on qualifying purchases.† Additionally, providers will be paid directly within two business days.
Learn more about the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution for your cosmetic care practice and business or start the provider enrollment process by filling out this form.
Healthcare payment and financing solution
The CareCredit health and wellness credit card helps improve the payment experience for patients and clients, and your financial performance.
Get StartedReady to help more patients and clients get the care they want and need?
Get Started
Related Content
View All
Guides
Articles
Ready to help more patients and clients get the care they want and need?
Get Started* Subject to credit approval.
** No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date. The required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off the promo balance before the end of the promo period, depending on purchase amount, promo length and payment allocation. Regular account terms apply to non-promo purchases and, after promo period ends, to the promo balance. For New Accounts as of 5/30/2024: Purchase APR 32.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2. CareCredit Rewards Mastercard: Cash APR 32.99% and 4% Fee ($10 min). Bal Trans APR 32.99% and 5% Fee ($5 min). Foreign Trans Fee 3%.Existing cardholders: See your credit card agreement terms. Subject to credit approval.
***Interest will be charged on promo purchases at a reduced APR from the purchase date. Fixed monthly payments are required until paid in full and will be calculated as follows: on 24-month promotions 4.9876% of initial promo purchase amount; on 36-month promotions 3.6605% of initial promo purchase amount; on 48-month promotions 3.0377% of initial promo purchase amount or on 60-month promotion 2.6997% of initial promo purchase amount. The fixed monthly payment will be rounded up to the next highest whole dollar and may be higher than the minimum payment that would be required if the purchase was a non-promo purchase. During the last month(s) of the promo period the required monthly payment may be reduced due to the prior months’ rounding. Regular account terms apply to non-promo purchases. For New Accounts as of 5/30/2024: Purchase APR 32.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2. CareCredit Rewards Mastercard: Cash APR 32.99% and 4% Fee ($10 min). Bal Trans APR 32.99% and 5% Fee ($5 min). Foreign Trans Fee 3%. Existing cardholders: See your credit card agreement terms. Subject to credit approval.
†Includes all prequalified offers of credit.
††Subject to the representations and warranties in your Agreement with Synchrony.
The information, opinions and recommendations expressed in the article are for informational purposes only. Information has been obtained from sources generally believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, or any other, Synchrony and any of its affiliates, including CareCredit, (collectively, “Synchrony”) does not provide any warranty as to the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information for its intended purpose or any results obtained from the use of such information. The data presented in the article was current as of the time of writing. Please consult with your individual advisors with respect to any information presented.
All product, service, and company names are the trademarks of their original owners. The use of any trade name or trademark is for identification and reference only and does not imply any endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation by or with the trademark holder of their brand.
© 2026 Synchrony Bank
Sources:
1 Healthcare Journey Research Consumers and Providers report, Synchrony, 2023. (CareCredit is a Synchrony solution.)
2 January-December 2023 Airship Report