Hello!!! I'm new to this forum...No I haven't went through with the procedure YET...I'd love to. I've been going over and over with my husband trying to figure out what our options are with regards to financing this procedure. Just wondering how some of you went about doing it?

I took money out of my home equity and had it done in Mexico. So glad I did it!

Actually our insurance company covered 90% of the cost. The rest we put on the old credit card and paid it off with my husbands next bonus.

Ohh, I never thought of a home equity loan. Not only is the loan tax deductable, but the price of the surgery may also be tax deductable. Great idea!

we got financing through one of the companies that the dr. works with. i hate to do it that way, because end up paying more in the long run. but with my bonuses throughout the year i am hoping to have it paid off in less than 1/2 the time that we originally signed for. our insurace wouldnt cover it, it was like i needed to be suffering from everything i'm trying to avoid before they would cover it.

I figured that I at LEAST spent $7 a day on my addiction.

For me this gave me $7 times 7 days a week ($49) and $49 times 4 weeks for around $200.

I figured I had $200 to pay on a loan each month.

edie

My insurance covered all but about $78... two copays ($30 each) and $18 for one of the post-op meds.

If my insurance would not have covered it, I definitely WOULD have self-payed! I love my band :cheers2:

And, if I would have had to self pay, I would have charged it on one of those credit cards that gives you airline miles for every dollar you spend... so I could treat myself to a wonderful Caribbean vacation when I got skinny.... all compliments of the band (both physically and financially).

If you are wanting to pay it off immediately, I would suggest opening an account (just a regular checking) at Citibank.com. Make sure you get the AA Advantage Card, not the Thank You Card that comes with the account automatically (You have to pay $65 for the year for the Premium AA card, but it is WELL worth it! Get the Premium card, not the Basic... it will give you double the points)

You do not even have to go into a branch to do this. You can do it all online if you want to. Apply online, even make the initial deposit, and all other deposits.

You use the card like a regular credit card, but it is really a debit card so the funds come out immediately. Just make sure when you use it that you select CREDIT and not DEBIT on those little checkout machines in the stores. They have to be signature based transactions. Otherwise you do will get any points for that transaction.

I opened this type of account about 10 months ago because of their Reward Debit Card (no interest like a credit card). I use this account for everything (I never pay cash for anything). I even pay my bills with it. I figure I have to pay them anyway, might as well get something back. I am getting AA miles for EVERY dollar I spend. Going to Alaska this summer as a reward to myself for losing weight. And, I still have enough miles sitting there for another trip at a later date :ohmy:

One more thing, after you get the card, make sure you check out AA.com. They have lots of other ways to earn extra miles. I switched to Reliant Energy because they were offering 40,000 bonus miles just for switching. You can also shop at hundreds of retailers directly from the AA.com website and get bonus miles for purchases you would be making anyway. Sometimes as much as 10 per $. I have even seen a few 25 per $. And these bonuses are on top of the miles you will already be getting for paying with this card.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask... I have become an expert on racking up AA miles... lol My daughter wants to go to the Olympics in London in a few years, and I want to get free flights!

Another option:

I met a girl who had been turned down for the band three times by her insurance company, and she had no financial means of paying for it herself, so she and some friends did a fundraiser to raise the money she needed for the surgery.

She raised enough to pay for the entire surgery by selling candy bars. We laughed about how candy bars had prevented her weight loss in the past, but now it was paying for it... lol