Vivint gives you two ways to pay for a home security system. You can buy the equipment outright, then pay for monitoring month to month, or you can finance the equipment through a third-party partner, with Vivint advertising 0% APR for qualified buyers. Either way, you get professional installation and the same monitoring service.
Two Ways to Pay for a Vivint System
Pay upfront and there’s no financing involved at all.
You pay for the equipment at the start, and month-to-month service agreements are available when you buy this way. Go this route if you’d rather avoid a payment plan and prefer month-to-month flexibility with no long-term commitment.
Financing spreads the equipment cost over time instead. It runs through one of Vivint’s third-party financing partners, not Vivint itself, and the partner’s credit review helps determine your eligibility and rates. The financing partner bills the equipment payments, and Vivint bills monitoring separately.
What the Terms Look Like
Vivint’s financing page advertises 0% APR for qualified buyers, with terms that vary by offer. Still, the financing partner sets the rate, term, and conditions, and the separate financing agreement spells them out.
Financing options with no money down are available, though some plans may require a down payment, and a small refundable payment secures your installation. Your financed equipment total includes any installation charges. According to Vivint, good credit gives buyers the most options, but financing is offered across a wide range of credit scores.
Your financing is a separate agreement between you and the financing partner, and the service agreement covering installation and monitoring is a different contract entirely. Because the two are separate, paying off your equipment early doesn’t mean canceling monitoring, and changing your monitoring doesn’t clear what you still owe on the equipment.
What Happens During Approval?
Approval starts with a credit check, run through a third-party financing partner. The financing partner uses the result to help determine your eligibility and rate. The partner also decides who qualifies for the advertised 0% APR. Vivint lists three steps: choose your package and payment plan, see if you qualify, then set up your system with professional installation.
The credit check comes before installation.
If you’d rather not finance, pay for the equipment upfront. That path carries no separate financing agreement, and month-to-month service agreements are available with it.
Paying Off Equipment Early
Vivint’s financing page states that buyers can pay off financed equipment at any time with no penalties. Payoff terms still sit in the financing agreement.
Paying early only closes out the equipment financing. Your monitoring continues on whatever billing arrangement you already have.
What Happens to Financing If You Move?
For customers who are moving, Vivint’s financing page directs them to call. A representative walks through the options, whether the plan is to move the existing system or upgrade to a new one. If you’re moving partway through a financing term, make that call before you go.
