Breast Enlargement Finance and Other Options to Pay for Breast Implants

Mr Debashis Ghosh

NHS Consultant
GMC Number: 4657664

Medically reviewed by a licensed NHS consultant

Last updated: 15/08/2019

Financing breast implants is one of the many things you will probably need to consider before deciding to go through with this cosmetic procedure. While boob job cost tends to vary considerably from one cosmetic clinic to another, you will still end up paying several thousands of pounds. The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to pay the full amount immediately. And depending on which reasons you are looking for breast augmentation, you may even be eligible to have it done on the NHS. Read on to find out more about how to finance breast augmentation.

Can You Get Breast Enlargement on the NHS?

Photo credit: Marbury / Shutterstock.com

Before you start looking into financing breast implants and other options to pay for a cosmetic procedure, it may be worth checking if you can get breast enlargement on the NHS. However, don’t get your hopes up, especially if you are looking for NHS-funded breast augmentation for financial reasons. Yes, it possible to get an NHS breast enlargement, but it’s highly important to keep in mind the following:

1. You will be considered eligible only if you meet theNHS criteria. 

You can get boob jobs on the NHS if:

• have severely underdeveloped or asymmetrical breasts, or requiring a reconstructive surgery (most often after mastectomy or removal of the whole breast due to cancer)
• can prove that you are suffering severe psychological distress

2. To get an NHS-funded breast augmentation, being unhappy with size or/and shape of your breasts is not enough.

While it’s not uncommon to have self-esteem problems because of the size or shape of your breasts, you will not automatically be referred for breast enlargement on the NHS just because you are unhappy with your breasts’ appearance. If your GP thinks you may be eligible to have the procedure done on the NHS for psychological reasons, they will refer you to a psychiatrist who will further evaluate your eligibility. However, bear in mind that it’s very difficult to get boob jobs on NHS for psychological reasons if your breasts are “normally” developed but are on a smaller side or breast asymmetry doesn’t exceed two cup sizes.

3. The breast enlargement NHS waiting list is too long for many women.

Even though it’s extremely difficult to get a breast enlargement on the NHS, many women who meet the NHS criteria for the procedure and have even been put on the waiting list decide not to wait and do it privately instead. This is because the list can be several years long. A woman who passed all the criteria for NHS-funded breast enlargement explained the reality on Mumsnet: “I have tubular breasts. Breasts were the same size, ie nothing. First went to my GPaged 20 (10years ago) and they agreed to refer me to a psychologist. I had a couple of meetings with a psychologist and they agreed with GPI was suitable for breast augmentation on the NHS. I was put on a waiting list, I was originally told it would be about 6 months but a year later I still didn't have a date.Luckily for me in the end my parents paid for me to have it done privately.”

Financing breast implants - Turn the Cost into Manageable Monthly Repayments

Just because you can’t pay the full amount of the procedure, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to postpone breast augmentation until you have saved the required amount, you can get so-called boob jobs on finance. Most cosmetic clinics that offer breast enlargement also offer different breast augmentation finance options which enable you to spread the cost of the procedure over the course of 12, 24, 36 or even as much as 60 months (depending on the chosen clinic). But bear in mind that you can get breast augmentation finance only if you meet certain criteria. If you are, for example, unemployed or have a poor credit history, you may not be approved for breast enlargement finance. In this case, you will need to find a different way to pay for the procedure. However, when asking yourself how to finance breast augmentation, it’s a good idea to examine other options to cover the cost, even if you are eligible for finance to make sure that this is really the best option for you or alternatively, find a better solution.

Who Can Get Breast Enlargement Finance?

As mentioned earlier, you need to meet certain criteria when financing breast implants. The criteria tend to vary from one clinic to another but they most commonly include:

• being at least 18 years old (some clinics, however, have a minimum age of 21 years)
• UK residency (usually 2 or 3 years if you were not born in the UK)
• working at least 16 hours a week and possibly also prove 3-year employment history
• earning a minimum amount of money per month (usually around £1,000)
• if you’re self-employed, you may be required to prove ownership of your home
• positive credit ranking and no history of County Court Judgement, bankruptcy or defaults

How to Finance Breast Augmentation: Things to Consider

Photo credit: Roman Samborskyi/ Shutterstock.com 

 So, you meet all the criteria for breast enlargement finance. That’s great but don’t apply just yet. It may be true that this is usually the best option to pay for the procedure if you can’t afford to pay the full amount but it’s highly important to choose the best of the available options. Before agreeing to sign any finance agreements, you are advised to consider:

Your finances.Splitting the cost of the procedure definitely helps a lot but you are highly recommended to evaluate your finances and make sure that you can afford to pay the monthly repayments. Before financing breast implants, ask yourself if you will still be able to cover your existing financial obligations without the need to give up any essentials. If you’re not sure, don’t sign anything until going through your finances or until you manage to find a way to secure the extra money for monthly finance repayments.

Finance duration. Most clinics that offer breast enlargement finance offer different finance duration options. These tend to vary from clinic to clinic, but you usually have the ability to choose from a duration of 12 months to up to 60 months. Finance duration will obviously have a major influence on your monthly repayments, because the shorter the duration the higher the monthly repayment and vice versa. But it will also have a major influence on interest rates. Typically, the longer the duration the higher the interest rates, so in the end you end up paying back more.

Interest rates. These above all depend on finance duration, but interest rates may also be influenced by some other factors including the chosen clinic. While finance options with lower interest rates may seem tempting, they are a good choice only if you can still get through the month without any major financial difficulties. If not, it’s a much better idea to opt for breast enlargement finance with higher interest rates, even if it will increase the overall cost of the procedure.

Deposit. If you want your application for finance to be approved, you are usually required to pay a certain deposit upfront. The height of this deposit is usually around £500 to £1,000 which, while negligible compared to the overall cost of breast enlargement, mustn’t present a risk to your existing monthly financial obligations.

Other. You are also recommended to consider other costs such as things included in the price of the procedure (e.g. pre-operative consultation, aftercare, costs occurred due to eventual complications), financial consequences for missing a monthly repayment and other things that are typically found in small print. To avoid any unpleasant and potentially very costly surprises, it’s of utmost importance to read the terms and conditions very carefully before signing the agreement. If you have any doubts or questions, be sure to ask for additional information or an explanation.

Financing Breast Implants with Bad Credit

Photo credit: Pormezz / Shutterstock.com 

Have a poor credit history? Then you are likely to run into one of the greatest obstacles to getting your cosmetic procedure - financing breast implants with bad credit. Although having poor credit history doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not possible to get finance. But it does mean that you will probably have to look for finance elsewhere such as those offered by companies that specialise in providing finance to individuals with bad credit rating. Unfortunately, these companies also charge considerably higher interest rates. If you choose to go down this route, keep in mind that you will pay back much more than the actual cost of the surgery.

Another option is to work on improving your credit score. However, this usually takes time which means that you would have to postpone breast enlargement for an undetermined period of time.

Breast Enlargement Finance for Unemployed is not Impossible

Just like bad credit, being unemployed automatically disqualifies you from getting breast enlargement finance. But just like there is a solution for poor credit history, there is a way to get breast enlargement finance if you are unemployed. However, it’s important to bear in mind that you will probably be rejected for “mainstream” finance and that you will highly likely have to take out a loan for the procedure from a lender specialising on cosmetic surgery finance for unemployed. Just like bad credit, being unemployed automatically translates into higher interest rates but the actual amount of the rates will depend greatly on whether you decide on secured or unsecured finance.

Other Options to Pay for Breast Enlargement

Photo credit: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com 

Besides breast enlargement finance that is offered by the clinics that perform the procedure, it may also be worth considering other options to pay for the surgery such as:

Bank loan.Instead of taking a loan from the clinic, you can take out a loan from your bank, pay the full amount of the procedure and pay back to your bank in manageable monthly repayments. Whether or not this is a better option depends on several factors including repayment duration, interest rates of the bank, etc. but it’s worth asking because it can potentially save you quite a lot of money.

Credit card. It may sound strange, but it’s also possible to pay cosmetic procedures including breast enlargement with a credit card. What is more, 12-month repayment period typically involve zero interest rates which means that the total cost equals to the cost of the procedure. But as the repayment period increases, the interest rates increase as well. How much depends on the repayment duration as well as on the credit card issuer.

Borrow from family or friends. This is usually used as a last resort but it’s not that uncommon to borrow from parents and good friends. Besides directly borrowing from family or friends, these often also “lend” their name to take out finance, while the monthly repayments are made by the borrower. This is usually resorted to when the person can easily pay the monthly repayments but can’t get finance on their own name due to bad credit or no credit history.