Plenty of med spas let you pay over time. Some do it through a lender, some through a membership, a deposit or a payment plan of their own. The terms vary a lot, and the paperwork is easy to skim.
This guide explains what each option is and what to check before you sign. It won't tell you whether to borrow, and it isn't financial advice.
Ways to pay over time
When a clinic says you can pay over time, it means one of three things.
**Financing from a lender.** The clinic sends you to a company that decides whether to approve you. If it does, you pay that company in monthly instalments, and its agreement, not the clinic's, sets the interest, the fees and what happens if a payment is late.245
**A clinic's own plan or deposit.** Some clinics split a price into payments themselves, or take a deposit and the rest on the day. We don't describe any clinic's own plan here. Ask the clinic, and read what you are given.
**A membership.** Some clinics sell a monthly membership. What it includes, what it costs and how you cancel are up to each clinic. We count which clinics say they have one, but we have no outside source on how memberships are usually priced.7 Get the terms in writing.
What three common lenders say about themselves
Three lenders come up most often on Arizona clinic websites: Cherry, CareCredit and PatientFi.7 The table sets out what each says on its own pages, which we read on 23 October 2026.
Read it for what it is. These are the lenders' own words, written to win over patients and clinics, and we haven't tested them. The terms you are offered depend on the lender's decision about you and on the offer your clinic has chosen, and the details change, so check the current terms before you apply. Figures in the table, such as Cherry's 15-day window before a late fee, are the lenders' own.4
What each lender says on its own pages
| What it says about | CareCredit | Cherry | PatientFi |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it calls itself | CareCredit: A health and wellness credit card | Cherry: A financial technology platform, not a bank or a lender | PatientFi: Not a bank. Loans are made by several partners, including partner banks |
| Applying | CareCredit: Says you can see if you prequalify with no impact on your credit bureau score. Offers are subject to credit approval | Cherry: Says applying involves a soft credit check, which does not affect your credit score | PatientFi: Says applying has no impact on your credit score. Loans are subject to credit approval |
| If you pay in full in the promotional period | CareCredit: Says no interest is charged on qualifying purchases on its shorter-term options (it states a minimum purchase) | Cherry: Says a 0% APR offer stays in place for the full plan as long as payments are on time | PatientFi: Says zero-interest plans are offered to those approved and that interest is zero when paid in full in the promotional period |
| If you do not | CareCredit: Says that on its shorter-term options interest is charged from the original purchase date | Cherry: Says that if the account becomes delinquent, interest may apply from then on, not back to earlier payments | PatientFi: Refers to its full program terms. We did not read them |
| Down payment | CareCredit: Says it does not require one from cardholders | Cherry: Says one is due at checkout, usually equal to a monthly payment, and does not count toward the plan | PatientFi: Not stated on the pages we read |
| Fees and early payoff | CareCredit: Says there is no annual fee. Points to its Rates and Fees page for details | Cherry: Says a late fee may be charged if a payment is not received in full within 15 days. Says early payoff has no fees or penalties | PatientFi: Not stated on the pages we read |
The same two words, "no interest", can mean quite different things. CareCredit says that on its shorter-term options, interest is charged from the original purchase date if the full amount is not paid by the end of the promotional period.2 Cherry says its offers do not work that way, and that late interest applies from then on.4 PatientFi sends you to its terms.56
Deferred interest
This is the part that catches people out, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a US government agency, has spelled it out for credit cards.1
A deferred interest plan charges no interest on a purchase if you pay it off within the stated period. Miss that, either by leaving a balance at the end or by being more than 60 days late with a minimum payment before the period ends, and you are charged interest, usually worked out on what you owed in each month since the purchase.1 In plain terms: you can owe all the interest back to the day of the charge.1
A few practical consequences follow. Your minimum payments probably won't clear the balance in time. You need to know when the period ends, and the front page of the bill shows it. A single late payment can bring other costs, such as late fees. And if the card carries other balances at a higher rate, payments above the minimum go to the higher rate first, except in the last two billing cycles of the period.1
Whether an offer you are given works this way depends on its terms. That is the first thing the checklist below asks.
Before you sign
The cost
The process
If plans change
What the Arizona clinic websites say
We read the websites of 779 of the 826 Arizona clinics we list, and counted what each says about paying. A clinic that says nothing on the pages we read is counted as not saying, which is not the same as not offering.7 A clinic might offer financing and not mention it online.
Of the 779, 446 (57%) say they offer financing. 416 of those name at least one lender, and 30 say they offer financing without naming one. 224 (29%) mention a membership. 242 mention a consultation, and 201 of them say it is free.7
Arizona, 779 clinic websites read
Among the 416 clinics that name a lender, Cherry is named by 352 and CareCredit by 158, PatientFi by 43, Affirm and Alphaeon by 13 each, Klarna by 12, Afterpay by 11, Sunbit by 3 and United Medical Credit by 1. Some clinics name more than one, so these do not add up to 416.7
These counts are what clinics write on their websites, nothing more. We don't know why a clinic chose a lender, and a clinic naming a lender says nothing about that lender's terms.
Common questions
Does applying for financing affect my credit score?
The three lenders we read say their first step does not. CareCredit says you can see if you prequalify with no impact on your credit bureau score. Cherry says applying involves a soft credit check that does not affect your score, and that it reports payment activity to the credit bureaus once a plan is confirmed. PatientFi says applying has no impact on your credit score. Ask which check applies to you before you start.
What is deferred interest?
A plan where you owe no interest if you pay the whole balance in the stated period, but could owe the interest back to the date of purchase if you do not. Being more than 60 days late with a minimum payment can also end the period.
Is a 0% offer always interest-free?
Not always. The lenders we read describe 0% or no-interest offers that depend on paying in full in the period, or on paying on time. What happens if you miss differs by lender: see the table above and read the terms you are given.
Do all med spas offer financing?
No. Of 779 Arizona clinic websites we read, 446 say they offer it. A clinic that does not mention it online may still offer it, so ask.
Is the lender the same as the clinic?
No, the lenders we read are separate companies. Cherry says it is a platform, not a bank or a lender. PatientFi says its loans are made by partners, including partner banks. Check who your agreement is with.
Can I use a health savings account or flexible spending account?
We have no source on whether a cosmetic treatment qualifies, so we don't say. Cherry says it does not accept direct payments from either account, but that you can pay with a debit card and ask your account provider about reimbursement, which is up to them. Ask your account provider.
Not sure where to start?
Look at clinics in Arizona, or read what to ask first.
Where to go next
Sources
- CFPB, I got a credit card promising no interest for a purchase if I pay in full within 12 months. How does this work? · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a US government agency (page last reviewed Jan 22, 2024 per the page) · read 23 Oct 2026↩
- CareCredit, FAQs for Healthcare Providers · CareCredit. The lender's own page, written for providers who accept the card. · read 23 Oct 2026↩
- CareCredit, home page · CareCredit. The lender's own page. · read 23 Oct 2026
- Cherry, Help Center · Cherry. The lender's own page, including its disclosures at the foot. · read 23 Oct 2026↩
- PatientFi, home page · PatientFi. The lender's own page. · read 23 Oct 2026↩
- PatientFi, How it works · PatientFi. The lender's own page. · read 23 Oct 2026↩
- Arizona med spa websites, count of what clinics say about financing, memberships and consultations · read 23 Oct 2026↩