Dear Clever Credit.
I want to pay a dental bill with a credit card, but I don’t know which one. The cost will be around $1,000 to $2,000, and health care doesn’t need to be a top-spending category. My credit score is in the high 700s, and I already have the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, so I prefer cash back. I’m looking for 0% APR for at least a year and any additional benefits for my situation.
Signed,
Tragic and Toothsome
Dear Toothsome,
My first instinct was to recommend a medical credit card like CareCredit. But since you only plan to use this new credit card for one medical purchase and no other in the near future, I think you’re better off with a general credit card with a long 0% introductory annual percentage rate period. This is especially true since CareCredit is a deferred-interest product, not an interest-free one. This means at the end of your promotional period, if you still have a balance left over, you don’t pay interest on just the remaining balance; you have to pay interest on the initial balance.
[Read: 0% Introductory APR Credit Cards]
Instead, I recommend you get a rewards credit card with a 0% introductory APR and take advantage of the sign-up bonus. One such option is the Discover it® Cash Back. This card offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then 17.49% to 26.49% variable APR. And instead of a traditional sign-up bonus, Discover will match all the cash back you earn at the end of your first year.
Since the Discover it Cash Back has rotating categories, you can earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter when you activate. Keep in mind that you have to activate these categories every quarter. There’s also a quarterly cap of $1,500; after that, you earn 1% cash back.
The card has no annual fee, and its rewards categories could pair well with your Capital One Savor card. Here’s hoping your new credit card doesn’t come with a root canal!
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Dear Clever Credit: I Need to Pay for a Dental Procedure. What Credit Card Do I Use? originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 04/06/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
