CareCredit FAQs for Vision Practices: A Quick Guide for Clinical and Optical Teams

Vision patients often have out-of-pocket expenses, even with vision or medical insurance. Copays, deductibles and costs for premium frames and lenses, diagnostic testing (such as OCT and visual field exams), and ophthalmic procedures (including cataract surgery lens upgrades) can add up quickly, prompting many patients to delay purchases, choose lower-tier options or postpone recommended follow-ups and procedures.

This vision-focused FAQ is designed to help your clinical and optical teams explain how CareCredit works in your practice, from patient conversations to workflow and payment processing, so patients have a convenient way to move forward with the eye care solutions you recommend while managing their budget.

What is CareCredit?

CareCredit is a health and wellness credit card that helps patients cover out-of-pocket costs across 50+ industries, including vision, dental, cosmetic, hearing and even pet care. For practices, it can support patient access to recommended care by offering a convenient pay-over-time option when cost is a concern.

For vision care, CareCredit is a financing option that can help optometrists and ophthalmologists address common cost-related patient behaviors, such as delaying optical purchases, choosing a lower-tier lens option or postponing recommended procedures or follow ups.

With CareCredit, enrolled vision providers can offer patients a pay-over-time solution for out-of-pocket expenses for premium frames, designer sunglasses, treatment for myopia management, dry eye therapy and more. Since its inception, more than $157 billion in care has been financed with the CareCredit credit card.

How can a patient apply for CareCredit in my office?

• Vision patients can see if they prequalify — with no impact to their credit score — using your practice’s custom QR code or link.
• If they choose to apply, most patients receive a credit decision in about six seconds!
• Once approved, you can look up their account in the CareCredit Provider Center within minutes, and they can begin using CareCredit the same day to pay for eligible eye care services and purchases.
• Patients can pay over time using available flexible financing options.

What can CareCredit be used for in eye care?

CareCredit is accepted at over 290,000 health and wellness locations. In vision, patients can use CareCredit to pay eligible out-of-pocket costs for care and purchases, whether that’s their share after insurance (copays, deductibles, and coinsurance) or services and products not covered.

Common vision uses include:

• Comprehensive eye exams and medical eye care visits (including copays/deductibles)
• Eyeglasses: Frames, prescription lenses and premium lens upgrades (e.g., progressives, anti-reflective coatings, specialty lenses)
• Contact lenses and lens supplies
• Prescription sunglasses
• Refractive surgery (e.g., LASIK/PRK) and related patient costs
• Cataract surgery out-of-pocket expenses, including premium IOL/lens upgrades)
• Out-of-pocket diagnostics testing when patient responsibility applies (e.g., OCT/retinal imaging, visual field testing)

What can help improve the eye care client financial journey?

Offering patient financing for eye care can help patients fit recommended treatment and eyewear purchases into their budget. Flexible financing also benefits vision practices by delivering reliable payments and reducing billing workload.

Vision-Related CareCredit FAQs

Learn how CareCredit can support your vision practice by helping patients understand financing options, complete the application process and proceed with planned treatments or bundled services. See how CareCredit can support.

How is the best time to bring up CareCredit?

• Early and often. The goal is to make payment options visible before, during and after the visit, so patients know they have a way to move forward.
• Before the appointment. Let patients know you accept CareCredit on your website and in appointment communications. You can add a custom CareCredit link or QR code so patients can see if they prequalification — with no impact to their credit score. They can also apply before they walk in the door; you can create this gateway using the website generator tool.
• After the visit. Include the link/QR code in follow-up communications about any balances not covered by insurance.

Can patients use CareCredit for a purchase or plan that spans multiple visits?

Your patients can use a single transaction with the CareCredit credit card to finance eyewear, follow-up eyewear fittings and multi-visit elective procedures rendered within 90 days of the initial purchase. They can purchase the service in one transaction versus making three separate transactions over the 90 days.

Payments, Processing and Revenue Cycle Workflow FAQs

You may have questions about logistics, like how CareCredit payments are processed, what type of reporting or reconciliation you can access and when your practice can expect to receive payments. Below are some answers to these questions, as well as information on promotional financing.

How are CareCredit transactions processed for vision providers?

CareCredit has a secure online system that provides vision practices with a way to process transactions online in the CareCredit Provider Center. By using the CareCredit custom link, cardholders can pay online and your practice can receive payment in two business days. Your practice can also get access to daily funding information and other key reports, helping make financial reconciliation easier.

Can we choose which vision financing options we offer?

Yes. Your practice can choose which CareCredit financing options to offer to patient. Six months of special financing is always available on purchases of $200 or more (when offered, this is deferred interest). That means, if the patient pays the purchase balance in full within six months, they will not be charged interest. Any options you select must be communicated and applied consistently for all patients, without exception.

What are the CareCredit processing fees for providers?

CareCredit does not charge providers annual or monthly fees. Provider processing fees depend on the special option, if any, a purchase is processed with. These fees are transparent and will not change based on the patient’s credit score.

How can CareCredit help our vision practice manage flow of payments?

When a patient uses their CareCredit credit card to pay for out-of-pocket optical expenses not covered by insurance, such as premium frames, your vision practice can receive payment within two business days. Your patients can also use CareCredit to pay for post-care bills after insurance adjustments, allowing your staff to spend less time collecting outstanding balances.

Vision Provider Education, Marketing Tools and Support

When your optometry or ophthalmology practice becomes a CareCredit provider, your team receives access to tools to assist your optical and front desk teams during cost discussions. Resources include:

• In-office signage for optical
• Scripts that can be used during the exam-to-optical handoff
• Ready-to-use digital assets
• Payment Calculator
• Social media calendars for optometry and ophthalmology
• Training videos

Additionally, your practice can receive dedicated support and a free listing in the Provider Locator on carecredit.com, which receives more than 2.9 million total average unique visitors per month.¹

Patient Demand and Promotional Financing Options FAQs

When it comes to vision financing, patients can’t always see what their options are. The 2025 CareCredit Vision IQ Study found that:²

• 8 out of 10 consumers say they’d seriously consider financing once out-of-pocket costs hit a certain point (on average, $761)
• 64% of consumers say cost strongly or somewhat impacts how often they visit an optometrist (rising to 78% for Gen Z)
• 43% of consumers are comfortable using a healthcare credit card to finance vision care expenses
• 55% are more likely to choose a vision care provider that offers a variety of payment options

Are patients interested in promotional financing?

Every day, more than 22,000 patients across all income levels apply for the CareCredit credit card — that's an average of over 900 applications per hour.^† CareCredit cardholders collectively have access to an estimated $40 billion in available credit, helping them manage costs like eyewear upgrades and elective vision procedures over time. The average initial purchase amount for patients opening a CareCredit credit card is approximately $3,100 for ophthalmology visits and $700 for optometry costs.

What financing options are available to patients?

CareCredit has special financing offers to help give patients a convenient way to pay:

• Our No Interest If Paid in Full option allows for 6, 12, 18 or 24 months of 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:

• 32.99% APR applies to new accounts on purchases of less than $200 at certain retailers and from the purchase date on a No Interest if Paid in Full Within Promotional Period financing option if the promotional balance is not paid in full by the end of the promotional period. Existing cardholders should see their credit card agreement for their applicable terms. Purchases are subject to credit approval and minimum monthly payments are required. See carecredit.com for more details.

How do vision clients pay deposits and post-care balances outside the practice?

Patients can pay for scheduled eye care procedures or optical purchases online using your custom link up to 30 days before the procedure or order completion date. This enables your practice to accept secure payments 24/7 and your patients won’t have to make an additional trip to your office. Your practice will be paid within two business days.

For post-care balances, like the patient’s remaining balance after insurance processing, CareCredit provides a contactless, self-guided way for cardholders to pay by scanning your personalized QR code or clicking your custom link.

What if my vision patients don’t pay their CareCredit balance?

If a patient doesn’t pay their CareCredit balance, they are responsible for payment under their Cardholder Agreement. For deferred interest promotions, patients who do not pay the full promotional balance by the end of the promotional period will be charged interest in accordance with their terms.

For providers, CareCredit is non-recourse, meaning your practice is not responsible if a patient doesn’t pay.^†† You still receive payment within two business days because the financial relationship is between CareCredit and the cardholder.

A Flexible Financing Solution for Optometry and Ophthalmology Practices

If you want to help your patients or clients manage the cost of the vision care solutions they want or need, you may want to consider offering the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution. CareCredit allows cardholders to pay for their eye exams, LASIK, surgeries and other treatments or products such as premium frames and contact lenses, while helping to 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 can be paid directly within two business days.

Learn more about the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution for your optometry or ophthalmology practice or start the provider enrollment process by filling out this form.^¬

Author Bio

Gina LaGuardia is the Managing Editor of Provider Insights, where she helps shape and deliver content strategy that highlights the benefits of being a CareCredit provider. Her work focuses on creating educational, engaging content that helps health and wellness providers grow their practices and strengthen their patient financing efforts. She brings extensive experience in content marketing and social media across health and wellness, personal finance, banking, education and careers, and small business sectors.