FlexPayments Adds Buy Now, Pay Later + Surcharging

Most dental payment software solves half a problem. FlexPayments just solved the other half too.

FlexPayments now includes two new features: Buy Now, Pay Later (powered by Affirm and Klarna), which lets patients pay for treatment from $50,000 to $30,000 in installments, and Surcharging, which automatically recovers the credit card processing fees your practice has been absorbing. Both live inside the FlexPayments checkout already connected to Open Dental — no new login required.

Two Problems, One Platform

Every dental practice runs into the same two leaks, and most payment software only patches one of them.

The first leak: treatment that never gets scheduled because the cost conversation stalls at the front desk. According to Affirm's healthcare research, roughly 40% of adults delay or forgo treatment due to cost — meaning a meaningful share of the patients hearing a treatment plan are quietly deciding not to act on it. The second, quieter leak: margin that disappears into credit card processing fees on the treatment that does get paid for, a cost most practices absorb without ever tracking it. FlexPayments just launched two features, together, that patch both.

Buy Now, Pay Later: More Patients Say Yes

Buy Now, Pay Later gives patients a flexible way to pay for treatment, and it removes the single biggest reason patients delay care.

It shows up automatically inside the FlexPayments checkout your team already uses — no new portal, no applications for your staff to manage. Affirm and Klarna each give patients a slightly different way to spread out a payment:

Whichever option a patient picks, practices offering flexible payment at the point of care see case acceptance lift up to 15% — turning “let me think about it” into a scheduled appointment.

Surcharging: Keep More of What You Collect

Surcharging solves the problem BNPL doesn't touch: the processing fee your practice pays on every credit card payment, whether or not that treatment plan involves financing at all.

With Surcharging, eligible credit card transactions automatically add a disclosed fee, up to 3%, that covers your cost of acceptance — while patients who pay by debit, ACH, or cash never see an extra charge. On a $500 credit card transaction, for example, a 3% surcharge means the patient pays $515, the processing fee on that $515 runs close to $15, and the surcharge collected is $15 — netting out to roughly $0 in processing cost for your practice. State and card network rules are enforced automatically on every transaction.

What Changes for Your Front Desk

Short answer: almost nothing.

Patients see Affirm and Klarna as payment options at checkout automatically, and they see a surcharge line only if they choose a credit card. Your team doesn't explain financing terms, manage a compliance checklist, or reconcile a separate report — both features run inside the FlexPayments checkout already connected to Open Dental.

Why Launch Them Together

Convert more treatment into revenue. Keep more of what you collect. That's the logic behind pairing these two features in one release.

Together, they're the difference between a practice that collects payments and a practice that actually keeps what it earns.

Getting paid and keeping paid aren't the same thing — and most dental software only solves one of them.

Ready to learn more about FlexPayments? Schedule a demo today!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What's the difference between Buy Now, Pay Later and Surcharging?

Buy Now, Pay Later helps patients afford treatment by splitting the cost into payments through Affirm or Klarna, while you get paid right away. Surcharging helps your practice recover the processing fees on the credit card payments you already collect. One grows the top of your revenue funnel; the other protects the bottom of it.

Do I have to turn on both features?

No. Buy Now, Pay Later and Surcharging can each be enabled independently inside FlexPayments, on whatever timeline makes sense for your practice.

Does adding either feature cost extra?

The Buy Now, Pay Later feature is included in FlexPayments at no additional cost. A transaction fee applies only if the service is used, which is 5.79% + $0.30 per purchase. Surcharging is designed to offset a cost you're already paying, not add a new one.

Do these features require a new system?

No. Both live inside the FlexPayments checkout that's already connected to Open Dental — there's no separate login, portal, or app for your team to learn.

How much does a typical practice lose to case acceptance delays?

Affirm's healthcare research puts the number at roughly 40% of adults delaying or forgoing treatment due to cost — meaning a meaningful share of diagnosed treatment never gets scheduled purely over affordability, not necessity.

Can patients use both Affirm and Klarna, or do I have to pick one?

Both appear automatically as options at checkout, and patients choose whichever plan fits their situation. Your practice doesn't have to choose one provider over the other.