How Offering a Health and Wellness Credit Card Option Can Help Patients Get Care

Healthcare and wellness providers recognize that no two patients are alike when it comes to clinical needs. The same is true financially. When payment options are limited, even highly motivated patients may hesitate.

Expanding how patients and clients can pay for care, including offering a health and wellness credit card, can help remove that barrier. In turn, it may support stronger treatment acceptance and help your practice grow and operate more smoothly.

What Is a Health and Wellness Credit Card?

A health and wellness credit card is a form of healthcare financing designed specifically for out-of-pocket healthcare and wellness expenses. Options like CareCredit provide a revolving line of credit that patients and clients can use to pay for care over time versus in full up front.

For practices, the process is straightforward: Payment is received in full up front, while patients manage repaying under the terms of their account. This structure can help align financial flexibility with clinical recommendations, without adding complexity to front-office workflows.

4 Ways a Health and Wellness Credit Card Helps Patients Say Yes

Patients and clients rarely decline care because they don’t value it — they hesitate because the timing or cost doesn’t fit within their current budget. Even with insurance, out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles, coinsurance and noncovered services can make it harder for patients to say yes to care in the moment, especially if patients are trying to balance treatment decisions with other financial priorities.

That tension shows up in everyday interactions:

• A patient agrees to treatment, then pauses when they see the estimate.
• They ask to “think about it” or “wait until next month.”
• They opt for a scaled-back version of care or partial plan instead of the recommended treatment.
• They delay follow-ups, which can lead to more complex needs later.

In fact, 53% of respondents in Synchrony’s Healthcare Journey Research Consumer and Providers study report delaying care due to out-of-pocket costs.¹

Offering a health and wellness credit card option (such as the CareCredit credit card) can give patients and clients a more accessible, practical path forward. In Synchrony’s study, 76% of patients surveyed said they’d seek more services for health and wellness care if they had ways to pay for them.¹

Here’s how that can make a difference in practice:

1. Enables patients and clients to start care sooner
   Healthcare and wellness patient financing helps bridge the gap between when care is recommended and when it feels financially feasible.
2. Breaks large costs into manageable monthly payments
   Footing one big bill can be tougher than fitting smaller payments into a household’s monthly expenses. The predictability of monthly payments can be less stressful than a large up-front cost. Monthly payments can also function as a regular reminder to patients and clients to stay committed to a long-term treatment plan.
3. Supports acceptance of complete treatment plans
   When cost is a barrier, it can be more challenging for providers to offer holistic care. Instead, patients and clients may opt for partial or “patchwork” care, especially when it comes to higher-cost treatments. Financing can make it easier to commit to the full recommended plan without scaling back due to cost.
4. Creates a practical path for elective and noncovered services
   Procedures like cosmetic treatments, specialty vision products, advanced restorations or other elective or noncovered care can feel out of reach for patients on a limited budget. Financing helps reposition them as attainable rather than optional luxuries, especially when they are necessary.

Learn More: See how to get started with CareCredit and what to expect — from enrollment to payment — with this step-by-step overview.

How Promotional Financing (Including Deferred Interest) Can Help Patients Afford Care

Health and wellness credit cards often offer promotional financing for qualifying purchases. These promotions and their terms vary based on program eligibility and patient approval, but many include deferred interest promotional financing.

With deferred interest promotional financing, the patient or client may be able to avoid interest charges on a purchase if it’s paid off in full within the promotional period (per terms). If the balance isn’t paid off by the end date, interest may be added to their balance based on their account terms — often calculated from the original purchase date.

For patients who can commit to a clear repayment timeline, this type of financing can be a cost-effective alternative to options where interest begins accruing immediately.

Practice Benefits That Support Better Patient Care

Offering financing does more than just support patients and clients. It can also strengthen your practice operations by making day-to-day workflows more efficient for your team.

Practices may experience:

• Fewer delayed or canceled appointments tied to cost concerns
• More consistent payment collection compared to in-house arrangements
• Reduced administrative workload, including fewer reminders and payment tracking tasks

With collections being outsourced to a third party, practices may even see overall improved patient satisfaction. When financial conversations between the patient and provider focus on solutions rather than limitations, interactions tend to feel more supportive and less transactional.

Learn More: Want to learn how else patient financing can support your practice? Explore seven key benefits.

How to Offer CareCredit Patient Financing as a Provider

Getting started with CareCredit is simple and fits into your existing workflows. Providers can reference the Quick Start Guide to understand how it works and how to integrate it smoothly into existing workflows.

Once enrolled, providers should introduce patient financing options early and consistently, not just at checkout. This helps normalize the conversation and gives patients time to consider their options.

Here are several example scripts you can use and modify as needed:

• “We offer several ways to pay, including a health and wellness credit card that may have promotional financing options for qualifying purchases.”
• “If you’d like, we can walk through an estimated monthly payment and promotional payoff time frame so you can see what fits your budget.”
• “Many patients prefer to spread out the cost of care. Would you like to see what that could look like for this treatment?”

Learn More: Find additional industry-specific patient financing scripts in CareCredit’s free provider resources.

CareCredit Health and Wellness Credit Card vs. Alternatives

Here’s how some common healthcare financing options compare:

FAQs About Health and Wellness Credit Cards

Providers often have questions about how health and wellness cards work in practice. Here are a few of the most common:

What’s the difference between a health and wellness credit card and general credit cards?

Health and wellness credit cards, like CareCredit, are designed specifically for healthcare and wellness expenses. They allow patients to manage those costs separately from everyday spending, which can make budgeting more manageable.

What credit card is best for healthcare?

CareCredit may be the best credit card for healthcare for many patients because it’s built specifically for health and wellness expenses. It may include promotional financing for qualifying purchases and is accepted at more than 290,000 locations. Once approved, patients and clients can use their available credit at any participating provider, making it an easy, flexible way to pay for care.

How can financing reduce treatment plan drop-off?

Financing helps disconnect care decisions from short-term financial constraints. Monthly payments can also reinforce commitment, making patients more likely to follow through on recommended treatment plans.

Flexible Financing Removes the Cost Barrier

Patients and clients increasingly expect flexibility in paying for care, yet 59% say available options from their health and wellness providers are limited when it comes to paying out-of-pocket costs.¹

By offering solutions like the CareCredit credit card and Synchrony Pay Monthly, practices can broaden those options, helping patients and clients find a payment approach that works best for them and their budget while supporting more consistent follow-through with recommended care.

Offer Flexible Financing at Your Practice

If you are looking for a way to connect your patients or clients with flexible financing that empowers them to pay for the care they want and need, consider offering the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution. CareCredit allows cardholders to pay for out-of-pocket health and wellness expenses 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, you will be paid directly within two business days.

Learn more about the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution or start the provider enrollment process by filling out this form.

Author Bio

Natalie Burg is a writer, editor and editorial project manager with 20 years of experience. She uses her expertise from a range of industries, including economic development, business, sustainability and more, to create content that educates and engages readers.

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