Prescription Discount Services/Cards — What They Offer and a Demo of a Few Free Services
Prescription drug prices aren't regulated in the United States. For this reason, prices can differ from pharmacy to pharmacy. Prescription discount services help you get lower prices on your prescriptions by negotiating special pricing with participating pharmacies.
Prescription Discount Cards
The easiest way to get discounts on your medications is to use a prescription discount card. Most services offer discount cards for free. They are savings cards, not insurance cards. You present the card to your pharmacist to receive lower prices.
Prescription Discount Coupons
These services also help you find the lowest price at participating pharmacies. Each medication has a unique coupon which you show to the pharmacist to get a discount. Price differences between pharmacies can be significant, so this approach usually yields the best savings.
✅ Discounts change over time so it's best to check for coupons each time you fill your prescription.
✅ You can also check across multiple services to find the best savings.
Restrictions
Be sure to read the restrictions for each service you use. Typical restrictions are:
✅ You have to be 18 years old or older.
✅ You need a valid prescription from a U.S.-based doctor.
✅ You can't combine a discount card/coupon with insurance (Medicare and Medicaid included). However, you can ask your pharmacist to compare your out-of-pocket cost with a service's discounted price and use whichever is the lowest. If you decide to go with the discount service, please note that what you pay will not count toward your insurance deductible.
Cost
Most discount cards are free, but some require an enrollment fee or subscription. Most don't require personal information to use but offer convenient ways to obtain cards that disclose personal data (like emailing or texting you a card/coupon).
Fraud
There is fraud everywhere these days. Be sure to research a service before using it. Don't let anyone coerce you into using one.
Examples
Here are a few free prescription discount services that, as of March 2021, don't require personal info to use and have a good Better Business Bureau rating. This is not an endorsement of these services, just a sampling of the most popular at this time.
🎥 See a demo of services listed below (YouTube).
✅ GoodRx
Website: https://www.goodrx.com
BBB: Better Business Bureau Rating: A+
• Show this prescription drug card to your pharmacist (you might need to scroll down to see it). You don't have to fill in the form next to it.
• For more savings, go to https://www.goodrx.com and type in the medication name. It will show you a list of free coupons for different pharmacies. Change the prescription settings to match your prescription (also make sure location in the "Set your location" field is correct) to see prices and coupons for your specific prescription.
• They even have discounts on pet medications.
✅ America's Pharmacy
Website: https://www.americaspharmacy.com
BBB: Better Business Bureau Rating: A+
• Go to https://www.americaspharmacy.com/card to get their prescription discount card. If you don't want to share personal info, choose the 'Print' option. Show the card to your pharmacist to get a discount.
• For more savings, go to https://www.americaspharmacy.com and type in the medication name and your zip code. It will show you a list of free coupons for different pharmacies. Change the prescription settings to match your prescription to see prices and coupons for your specific prescription.
• They also have savings on some pet medications.
✅ ScriptSave WellRx
Website: https://www.wellrx.com
BBB: Better Business Bureau Rating: A+
• Go to https://www.wellrx.com/rx-discount-card/enroll. If you don't want to share personal info, choose the 'Download' option and print the card. Show the card to your pharmacist to get a discount.
• For more savings, search for the best prices near you. Go to https://www.wellrx.com and type in the prescription name and your zip code. It will show you a list of free coupons for different pharmacies. Change the prescription settings to match your prescription to see the actual price.
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