Credit Cards Are Bad — But This Alarming Trend Reveals Something Even Worse
Last fall I was driving through southern Arkansas when I noticed one of the molars on the top of my mouth was unusually sharp. The last thing I needed was a dental emergency while moving halfway across the country.
As soon as I got settled into my new apartment I made an appointment to see the dentist. Sure enough, my tooth was broken. The doc didn’t think it was worth saving so a month later, I had it pulled.
I can’t say I was surprised. Thanks to COVID and being self-employed, I was well overdue for a checkup. It was only a matter of time before something like this was bound to happen. After all was said and done, I had $4,000 worth of dental work that needed to be done.
My insurance covered some of it, but there was still a sizable chunk I still had to pay out of pocket. My dentist gave me an option. I could space things out and finance the rest to break the bill up into more manageable payments. Cautious not to burn through my cash reserves on dental services, I opted to finance my most recent treatment — a crown — and repay it over the next six months.
I thought my dentist was offering me an in-house payment plan that they would bill me for and manage. Instead, they offered me Affirm.
