3yoshu Posted December 4, 2014 Posted December 4, 2014 I'm really curious about this. If you go to a foreign country like S. Korea, do most clinics expect you to pay in cash? Or do they accept other forms of payment as well? Do most of the reputable/respectable clinics expect you to pay prior to your surgery or do some allow you to pay later/after your surgery?
tuneup Posted December 4, 2014 Posted December 4, 2014 This question seems to get asked a lot on here. I would say just make your life easier and pay by card. That's what I've always done and I've still been able to get good discounts at clinics etc.
koreasaurus Posted December 4, 2014 Posted December 4, 2014 The link below is really informational. Post #4 talks about bringing cash to Korea if you plan to pay that way:#
zapp332 Posted December 5, 2014 Posted December 5, 2014 Bring cash will get you lower price & more barganing power but you know the hassle of bringing a stack of cash with you & the danger...
rinda10 Posted December 5, 2014 Posted December 5, 2014 One thing, I learned from S.Korea is.. many clinics and hospital tried to overcharged me Not only me but also you girls has to be careful when you visit clinics. Of course, some clinic had reasonable price and good service but there are more bad clinics than good clinics
k-couture Posted December 5, 2014 Posted December 5, 2014 I should have written a section on this in my guide lol.....Ok basically here is what you do with regards to payment methods for surgery. You call up the clinics which you have shortlisted. You ask them if it would be cheaper paying by cash. SOME not all clinics will give you a better price if paying by cash. This is due to the 10% tax they incur. However, others will not provide this option for you as technically it is not allowed. So what do they do to negate the higher price from this tax? They subsidize the tax in the total so if you are having surgery at clinics that subsidize, it makes no difference paying by credit or cash. In fact, through this option credit would be more beneficial. Just make sure there is no credit surcharge involved.
let-me-out Posted December 5, 2014 Posted December 5, 2014 Some clinics will also allow you to do a telegraphic transfer from your bank, however this is usually subject to the 10% VAT or whatever tax it's called. Basically any form of payment that can be traced electronically (i.e. credit card or bank transfer) is supposed to be taxed according to Korean law. As K already mentioned, try to get them to subsidize the tax charges.
avene Posted December 6, 2014 Posted December 6, 2014 Hello, let me out Thank you for sharing information !!
3yoshu Posted December 6, 2014 Author Posted December 6, 2014 I've been wondering about this for a while.
3yoshu Posted December 7, 2014 Author Posted December 7, 2014 Also, assuming you decide to bring cash, is it really hard to get through airport security? If you say it's for surgery, will they generally let you through easily?
k-couture Posted December 7, 2014 Posted December 7, 2014 yup very easily. When i had my surgery in LA a few years ago i passed through customs within 10-20mins and explained why I was carrying so much cash. They will merely keep a record of you leaving the money with said cash and cite the reason why. Then they let you through.
yukina89 Posted December 7, 2014 Posted December 7, 2014 I passed through Korean customs with 13000 usd without declaring whatsoever. Lol The upside with paying in cash is that I didn't have to pay the 10% tax.
noitsyou Posted December 8, 2014 Posted December 8, 2014 Did you just walk into the bank and ask the teller for $13k and walk out? What if someone overheard you and you got mugged outside? I'm considering paying in cash and this is a concern for me.
yukina89 Posted December 8, 2014 Posted December 8, 2014 Nah, more like I saved up in cash at the first place. I too didn't want my teller to ask me about where my money is going.
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