Program fees - is installment plan a good idea?

[Anonymous]

I keep hearing people say it gives you more leverage if things don’t work out and you leave the program but I’m not seeing how that could really be the case, based on how front loaded the payments are. Am i missing something? (I’m looking at Au Pair Care if it makes a difference, which charges $425 more for this option.)

[Anonymous]

Absolutely.
Why give them the ability to hold all the cards? By doing the installment plan, you hold a bit of insurance, in case something goes wrong. If something goes wrong early, and you need to rematch and leave, it’s less out of your pocket because of the refund policies (which are horrible!)

I always do the payment plan, despite the minor added fees.