How should cash, check, and credit card discounts be structured in a dental practice fee presentation?
By offering tiered discounts that reflect the practice’s actual cost of accepting each payment method, framed as patient savings rather than as practice expense recovery. A typical structure: five percent discount for cash or check payment at the start of treatment, three percent discount for credit card payment. The cash-or-check discount reflects the merchant-processing cost the practice avoids by collecting funds outside the card network. The credit-card discount is smaller because the practice still pays card fees but at a level it has built into base pricing. The financial coordinator presents these naturally during the fee discussion: “If you can pay at the beginning of treatment with cash or check, we offer an additional five percent discount. If you pay with credit card, we offer three percent.” Patients hear real savings tied to specific behaviors they control. The structure is honest, the math works, and the patient’s choice of payment method aligns with the practice’s net economics. Both sides win.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.
