How to Pay for a Private Hip or Knee Replacement: Finance, Loans and Deposits (UK, 2026)

1. Savings, in one payment. No interest and no credit check. Hospitals usually ask for payment before admission.
2. Hospital finance. A fixed-term loan arranged at the hospital, repaid monthly by Direct Debit. Interest-free for a short term, interest-bearing for a longer one.
3. A personal loan or credit card from your own bank. Not tied to one hospital, so it also works for treatment abroad.
4. Family help. Common in practice; Practice Plus Group's own guide defines self-pay as using "your own money or that of a friend or family member".

Private medical insurance is a fifth route, but only if the joint problem began after your policy did — see our guide to insurance and joint replacement.

At the large groups, finance is arranged through the same lender, Chrysalis Finance, which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. The hospitals act as credit brokers. Terms published on each group's website, checked 7 October 2026:

Spire Healthcare and Ramsay Health Care also offer payment plans through Chrysalis Finance; ask the hospital for the current terms.

All of this credit is "subject to status": the lender runs a credit check and can decline. And it applies only to treatment at that hospital group.

The monthly figure is the one advertised. The total is the one to read. These are the hospitals' own representative examples:

So "£200 a month for a knee replacement" means £5,200 up front, 60 payments, and £3,397 in interest on top of the price.

The interest-free plans cost nothing extra, but the payments are large. A £13,799 knee replacement over 12 months is about £1,150 a month.

Before you sign, ask:

• What is the total amount repayable, in pounds?
• Is there a deposit, and how much?
• Can I repay early without a charge?
• What happens to the loan if my operation is postponed or cancelled?

A personal loan or a credit card is not tied to one hospital, which matters if you are comparing providers or looking abroad. Rates depend on your credit record, so compare the APR and the total repayable against the hospital's offer rather than the monthly figure.

Paying by credit card can add protection. MoneyHelper, the government-backed guidance service, explains that under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act a purchase costing more than £100 and up to £30,000 is covered, that "the protection still applies even if you only partly paid using your credit card", and that "it doesn't matter whether you use your card to buy something in the UK or overseas".

Section 75 depends on a direct contract between you and the business you paid, and card providers assess each claim. Ask your card provider how it would treat a hospital payment before you rely on it.

UK hospital finance cannot be used abroad, so surgery overseas is paid from savings or your own borrowing. The amount to fund is smaller.

At OrthoVoyage's partner hospital — an EU-regulated private hospital in Poland — prices and payment terms are:

• The deposit is paid directly to the hospital, by bank transfer or through its secure payment link — not to OrthoVoyage.
• The balance is due at least 2 working days before surgery, or by card or cash on admission.
• If you have to cancel for an important reason at least 72 hours before the operation, the deposit is refunded within 14 days.
• Quotes are valid for 90 days.

The price includes the implant, three days in hospital and up to seven outpatient physiotherapy sessions. Flights, hotel and a private room are extra, so add them to the amount you need to fund. Pound figures use €1 = £0.86 and will move with the exchange rate.

Take a knee replacement and compare the total you would hand over, not the monthly payment:

• UK, paid outright: £13,020 to £16,914 on published group prices (checked 22 September 2026), plus the consultation.
• UK, Practice Plus five-year plan: £17,196.40 including the £5,200 deposit.
• Poland, paid outright: about £7,420 at our partner hospital, plus flights and hotel.

Cost is one factor. Travelling for surgery also means time away, a journey home after an operation, and follow-up arranged across two countries — our guides on safety and on flying after joint replacement cover those in detail.

This guide is general information, not financial advice. OrthoVoyage is not a lender or a credit broker, does not arrange finance and earns nothing from any finance product mentioned here. For free, impartial money guidance, see MoneyHelper.