Paying for surgery in Seoul

[Sandy1925]

Do clinics in Seoul give you the option to pay by credit card or is it best to exchange money once in Seoul and pay in Korean won? 

[Livflorence]

You can pay by card too. I paid by card because it’s quite a hassle to bring a huge chunk of cash around and you also need to declare at the airport if you change in your own country. 

I was not required to pay any additional charges

However i do heard that some clinics will charge additional if you pay by card. You will need to check with your clinic.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Livflorence

[Anyeli]

Some clinics will charge you an extra fee for credit cards. Then sometimes your credit card will charge an extra fee then 10% tax which for some procedures you get back. 

So if your surgery is $5000 k usd and add 10% tax, 3% fee, 10% interest that’s 23% extra. (Just throwing out numbers) . Could be more or less . 

$1150. That’s significant. Cash is the cleanest way to pay. Convert in a bank so the clinic does not rip you with the exchange rate. I prefer to bring cash. Street crime is very low. I used a money belt.  Most people spend it on surgery within the first few days anyway. 

[Jabba]

Clinics have different preferences in how they handle their payments. It would be good to ask them about their payment policies up front, so you know what to expect. Some clinics have taxes built into their prices and offer a tax refund with no difference in credit card or cash prices. These clinics tend to eat the fees and taxes. Other clinics may not like to absorb these fees and taxes and will have a preference for cash or pass fees like credit card or taxes (3% to 10%) onto you if you request credit card payment and or tax refund documents. Cash is very easy to hide, label and move around for accountants. Credit card transactions on the other hand are instantly logged and files to central tax offices.

Cash

You can bring up to $10,000 USD without declaring it to customs. You can bring more than $10,000 USD but you just have to fill out a form and let customs know when you arrive to Korea. You just tell them it's for a medical treatment.

Exchange Rates

If 1 USD is greater than 1,100 KRW then that's a pretty good rate, you want to be at least above this threshold.

Asking Clinic to Exchange

You can ask the clinic to convert the USD for you, and sometimes they will simply just do an online search for the exchange rate.

Using Currency Exchange

• Airport Exchange Counter - Conveinent, but usually not the most competitive rates. Good for small amounts to get you by from the airport to your hotel.
• Banks - the safest and most convient banks close at 4PM in Korea Monday to Friday. You need your passport.
• Myeongdong Exchange Vendors - These are smaller independent money exchange shops located in the shopping district called Myeongdong, near the Chinese embassy. The rates are better than banks, no fuss or paperwork, but be careful walking around with a lot of cash.

https://beautyhacker.com/topic/997599-best-places-to-exchange-cash/

Edited November 17, 2018 by Jabba

[Bun]

most medium to large sized clinics can take cards. however if you pay by cash they will typically give you a larger discount!