Korean plastic surgery is a cash-before-surgery market for international patients. No clinic offers payment plans to foreign patients, and the payment sequence — deposit, then balance on surgery day — is consistent across Gangnam regardless of the procedure or the price point. Here is how to navigate it.
How Korean Clinic Payment Actually Works
The payment model at Korean plastic surgery clinics is straightforward: a deposit secures your surgical date, and the remaining balance is collected on or before surgery day. No instalment plans, no post-procedure payment arrangements, no credit-based financing from the clinic.
This is the model across all clinic tiers — from the smaller Gangnam-area clinics at the economy end to the large hospital-affiliated facilities at the premium end. The reason is structural: Korean clinics have no mechanism to collect from an international patient who has returned home, and Korean law does not support cross-border credit recovery for non-residents. The full-payment model is not a red flag — it is the universal standard.
What this means practically: your financing needs to be fully arranged before you travel. You cannot arrive in Seoul and negotiate a payment plan. The total amount — surgical fee plus any separately billed anaesthesia, medications, or facility fees — must be available and accessible before surgery day.
Deposit Amounts and Refund Policies
Booking deposits fall into two categories:
Minor procedure deposits (upper blepharoplasty, lip augmentation, fat grafting to a single area) typically run ₩200,000–500,000 (approximately USD $145–360). These amounts are accessible by bank wire for most international patients and are sized to cover the clinic’s administrative cost of reserving a date.
Major procedure deposits (rhinoplasty, facelift, V-line surgery, breast augmentation) are typically 10–20% of the total surgical fee. For a ₩7M facelift, that represents a deposit of ₩700,000–1,400,000 (USD $507–1,014). These are paid by international wire transfer — confirm the exact bank details, including the account name, bank name, SWIFT code, and account number, via email directly from the clinic before sending any funds.
Refund policies must be obtained in writing before transferring any deposit. Common structures:
- Full refund if cancelled more than 14–30 days before surgery
- 50% refund if cancelled 7–14 days before
- No refund within 7 days (clinic has already reserved theatre and staff)
Medical cancellation (documented illness preventing surgery) is typically handled differently — most clinics will apply the deposit to a rescheduled date or refund in full with a doctor’s letter. Document any such agreement in writing at the time of booking.
Medical Loans in Your Home Country: US, AU, CA
Since Korean clinics do not offer financing, home-country medical loans are the most common financing tool for international patients who need to spread the cost.
United States: CareCredit (carecredit.com) and Alphaeon Credit both cover overseas medical procedures. CareCredit offers promotional 0% APR periods (typically 6–24 months for qualifying amounts) followed by deferred interest if not paid in full. Alphaeon Credit is specifically designed for aesthetic procedures. Both require a US credit check and social security number.
Australia: Medipay and TLC Finance offer medical loans from AUD$5,000–50,000 for cosmetic procedures, including those performed overseas. Interest rates run approximately 6–15% per annum on secured products. MyMedicalLoans.com.au is a broker aggregating several lenders.
Canada: GreenSky (available through some Canadian providers) and Medicard Finance offer medical purpose loans. Rates are typically 9–19% APR. Confirm that the loan can be used for an overseas procedure before applying.
United Kingdom: Medical financing providers including Chrysalis Finance and Mediloans offer personal loans for cosmetic procedures. Most UK medical loans are unsecured personal loans at 6–29% APR. None require the procedure to be performed in the UK.
In all cases, these are personal loans marketed for medical use — compare interest rates, total cost of credit, and early repayment penalties carefully before committing.
Full Korea Surgery Trip Budget Template
Build your budget in two layers: in-clinic costs and travel costs. Both are fully out-of-pocket.
In-clinic costs: Surgical fee + anaesthesia (if not included) + post-op medications + follow-up visits. For most Gangnam clinics, the surgical fee is all-inclusive of anaesthesia and standard follow-up. Confirm what is included in writing.
Travel costs: Return flights (varies widely by origin and class — budget USD $800–2,500 or equivalent), 12 nights accommodation in Gangnam (₩70,000–150,000 per night for budget to mid-range options), airport transfers (₩40,000–80,000 per journey to/from Incheon), post-op supplies and pharmacy (₩100,000–300,000), and meals during recovery (budget more than usual — post-op dietary requirements may increase food costs during the soft-diet or liquid-diet phase for jaw procedures).
Contingency of 10–15% on the total budget is recommended for any procedure requiring general anaesthesia. Unexpected expenses — an extra night of monitoring, a prescription that was not anticipated, a follow-up visit added because of slower-than-expected healing — are not uncommon and should be planned for.
Can I pay for surgery in Korea with a credit card from my home country?
Most major Korean plastic surgery clinics accept Visa and Mastercard from foreign-issued cards. However, large transactions (above USD $3,000–5,000 equivalent) are sometimes flagged or declined by the issuing bank as unusual overseas activity. Before travelling, notify your bank of the upcoming transaction, and carry a backup card from a different bank. Some patients use a multi-currency travel card (Wise, Revolut) loaded with Korean won to avoid foreign transaction fees and card decline risk. Confirm payment methods in writing with your clinic before you travel.
What happens to my deposit if I cancel the surgery?
Refund policies vary by clinic and must be obtained in writing before any funds are transferred. Common policies: full refund if cancelled more than 14–30 days before surgery; partial refund (50%) within 7–14 days; no refund within 7 days. If you cancel due to a documented medical reason, most clinics will either fully refund or apply the deposit to a rescheduled date. Travel insurance that includes medical cancellation cover is advisable for significant deposits.
Is it safe to send a wire transfer to a Korean clinic before meeting them in person?
Wire transferring a deposit to a Korean clinic before your visit carries some risk, as with any international payment to an unfamiliar organisation. Mitigate this by: verifying the clinic's physical address and registration number (request their Korean business registration certificate — 사업자등록증); confirming they have an established international patient history via verifiable patient reviews; using the exact bank details provided directly by the clinic via official clinic email. Limit the wire deposit to the minimum required (₩200,000–500,000) and pay the balance in person.