Concern of Ribit in Cash Payment

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Question

He has a dental treatment that costs 13,000 shekels, and if he pays in cash, it will cost less than if he pays by credit card. He cannot pay in cash, and he still has the option to borrow money from the bank and pay the dentist, and in doing so, he will still save a few hundred shekels.

Answer

Borrowing money from the bank is not permitted, even with a heter iska, because dental treatment is not a business transaction. He can pay the dentist by credit card, provided there is no interest charged by the credit company. The fact that the dentist charges more does not constitute ribit, as the dentist is an employee who takes the main part of his salary for the procedure, not for the materials, provided he pays him between the first and last treatment.

Source

Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, Siman 176 and 177

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