Every prospective customer must meet the minimum lending criteria:

• Minimum age at time of application – 18
• A permanent UK resident for at least 3 years

The choice is yours, but typically our patients use it for cosmetic, aesthetic, restorative, orthodontic and implant treatments.

Our plans cover treatments ranging from £350 to £25,000. You also have the option to apply for finance for as many courses of treatment needed. Subject to an online credit check.

With an interest free credit option, we promise that there are no hidden costs – you will only pay for the cost of your treatment. If you choose an interest bearing option, any interest that you are required to pay will be made clear to you before you take out the agreement.

You will decide your repayment terms and period with a member of the practice team, prior to starting your application. Together you will decide what works best for you and your circumstances.

Your repayments will be collected by Direct Debit. The payments will start one month after you have signed the finance agreement.

Once you have agreed to apply for finance for your treatment with your dentist, they will create the opportunity online and you will receive a link* to follow. You will have to complete the relevant sections and submit your application. You will be provided with an instant answer; if you are accepted you will be sent an email with a link to complete the e-signature processes. You can also complete the application in practice with a member of the team if this is more convenient.
(*please note, the email link may appear in your junk box.)

No a deposit is not compulsory, some practices may require a deposit and this is at their discretion. However, a practice can only request up to 50% of the treatment cost as the deposit. Please speak to your treatment co-ordinator, to find out more.

The application process is quick and easy and if you are successful, you will receive an answer instantly upon completion of the online application. Your treatment can start as agreed with the practice.

Yes, prior to starting you treatment there is a 14-day cooling off period, after signing the finance agreement.

Yes, speak to an advisor from Hitachi on 0344 375 5515 to find out what your individual options are.

Missed payments can have a severe consequences, speak to an advisor from Hitachi on 0344 375 5515 to find out more.

We are not given the reason why a customer is declined for credit. The authorisation process is carried out by the finance company and Patient Finance has no part in the decision. One of the most common reasons for a decline is often incorrect information being entered in the credit application form. Please ensure you carefully enter all required information. If you wish to find out more about your credit status please click below for a free copy of your credit report. experian.co.uk, equifax.co.uk, callcredit.co.uk alternatively you can contact Hitachi on 0344 375 5515 to find out more.

In the first instance, it would be best to speak with your dentist to see if anything can be done to resolve the matter.

Hitachi will have full access to your credit file, as this is needed to provide a decision on your application. The practice will not have any access to your credit file, but will be notified on the status of your application (accepted, declined or referred).

Once all of the paperwork has been sent to Hitachi and you have become an approved Treatment Finance provider, you will receive an email directly from Hitachi with your log in details.

When you are logged into the portal you can view all of your applications by clicking on the applications link on the left panel.

This is dependent on where in the process the application is; if the patient has not yet signed the e-sign documents, yes. This simply requires the practice to go into the application and change the amount to finance. However, if the patient has already signed the documents, then a secondary application will have to be made. (There is a third option, which we would advise against, which would a loan reversal and the process being started again from the beginning).

Yes, applicants who are students also need to be working at least 16 hours per week in order to qualify for finance

Yes, applicants must have lived within the UK for a minimum of three years and be a registered British Citizen in order to be able to apply for finance.

You can resend the link directly from the Hitachi Platform as a new application.

This completely varies and depends on the speed of the patient; deals can go through within 15 minutes and be paid out the following day, or can take weeks if the patient is not progressing onto the following stages of the process.

There are some email signatures within the training pack that can be sent to the patient to remind them about going on to the next stage of the process. Calling the patient just to check where they are in the process and if they have received the emails may also help speed up the application process.

Once the application goes to ‘Paid Out’ status, you will receive the money within 3 working days. You will then be sent the remittance advice for that deal the following day. Please keep a copy of this for Gabriel reporting.

Yes, once the patient starts their repayments, they are more than entitled to make additional payments to the loan each month.

You can call the Hitachi Help Desk on: 0344 375 5515 or alternatively you can call Dion at Snowbird on 01932 874 674 who will be happy to assist you. You can also email Dion at dion@snowbirdfinance.co.uk for more information.

Unfortunately a joint applicant cannot be added to the application.

Credit for finance is provided by Hitachi.

Unfortunately if a patient cancels their arrangement with the bank and the practice has been paid in full for the total treatment value, all funds will have to be paid back to the Hitachi. They will then make all the necessary arrangements to cancel all agreement. This will only apply if the patient is within the 14 day cooling off period.

A soft search is a credit search made on your credit file that won’t affect your credit score.  Although it’s recorded on your credit file like every other search, lenders can’t see it, so it won’t affect their lending decision. However, if you decide to pay to access your credit file or use a free service, you’ll be able to see that you made the search. You can perform soft searches as frequently as you like – it still won’t affect credit scores that are held on you.
Read more at http://www.gocompare.com/money/soft-search/#kbZCrGwmAXtYuoZL.99