Synchrony Contractor Financing vs Alternatives: What Contractors Should Know
Synchrony offers home improvement financing through two card-based products — the retail Synchrony HOME card and the contractor-facing Synchrony Project Card — both revolving credit with promotional 0%/deferred-interest windows. The contractor pays a merchant fee; Synchrony's own tool defaults to 7.00% when a merchant doesn't know their specific negotiated rate. Alternatives differ on two axes: revolving credit vs. installment loans, and per-transaction fees vs. flat subscription.
- Card-based, revolving credit — not fixed installment loans
- Official merchant fee default: 7.00%
- Installment marketplaces reach further: up to $250,000
Synchrony's real program structure
Every claim below is sourced to Synchrony's own materials or a dated, named announcement — not an assumed industry default.
Two card products, not installment loans
Synchrony HOME (retail card, ~20,000+ partner locations) and the Synchrony Project Card (contractor-facing revolving line for larger projects). Both are card-based, reusable credit — not fixed-term installment loans.
Official merchant fee default: 7.00%
Synchrony's own tool tells merchants who don't know their specific rate to use 7.00% as the estimate. Actual negotiated fees vary by promo tier.
Real FSM integrations
Synchrony financing is integrated directly into ServiceTitan and Payzer (a WEX company) — contractors on those platforms can offer it without switching systems.
Synchrony's own reported lift
Synchrony reports cardholders spend $1,665 more on average during major home-improvement journeys vs. non-cardholders — their data, not independently verified.
Published range vs per-applicant underwriting
Confirmed after checking Synchrony's own materials directly, not left as an open question.
Project Card limit is set per-applicant
Every official Synchrony source says the Project Card is "subject to credit approval" with no stated ceiling. Like a standard credit card, the limit is underwritten individually — Synchrony doesn't publish a band the way a loan marketplace does.
No stated minimum score
Third-party card sites report ~640+ approvals on Synchrony's related retail HOME card, but that's a different product, and Synchrony doesn't confirm a specific floor for the Project Card itself.
Card-based promo programs vs installment marketplaces
| Synchrony | Hearth | |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Revolving/promotional credit cards | Fixed installment loans, multi-lender |
| Contractor cost | Merchant fee, official default 7.00% (varies by promo) | Flat $1,499–$4,999/yr, no per-loan fee |
| Amounts | No published max — underwritten per-applicant, like a standard credit card | $1,000–$250,000, published range |
| Promo 0%/deferred interest | Core strength, 6–60 month windows | Standard-APR offers; no deferred-interest cliffs |
| Tooling | Financing program; ServiceTitan/Payzer integration | Quotes, contracts, invoicing, payments, Harper AI |
All lending/credit issued by third-party lenders or issuers; rates and terms vary by lender/issuer and customer credit.
Choose Synchrony if / Choose Hearth if
Fits if you...
- Already run ServiceTitan or Payzer and want financing built into that workflow
- Your customers respond to same-as-cash promos on smaller, recurring purchases
- Tickets fit comfortably on a card line, not a six-figure remodel
Fits if you...
- Tickets run large — installment loans reach $250,000, well past a card line
- You want fee-free predictability at volume, not a per-promo merchant fee
- You'd rather quote a fixed monthly payment than explain deferred interest
Your top questions, answered
What does Synchrony contractor financing cost?
Synchrony's own calculator defaults to a 7.00% merchant fee estimate for contractors who don't know their specific negotiated rate; actual fees vary by promotional plan.
Is Synchrony a card or an installment loan?
Card. Both Synchrony products (HOME and the Project Card) are revolving credit lines, not fixed-term installment loans like a marketplace product.
Can a customer finance a large project on a card program?
Credit lines are underwritten individually with no published maximum — Synchrony sets the Project Card's limit per-applicant, the way a standard credit card issuer would. Installment marketplaces like Hearth publish a range instead: up to $250,000.
What's the main alternative to deferred-interest promos?
Standard-APR fixed installment offers quoted as a monthly payment — no promo window, no retroactive interest, no per-loan fee to the contractor on flat-fee platforms.
Beyond the card line.
Fixed installment offers up to $250,000, no per-loan merchant fee, no deferred-interest cliff.
Request a Demo
