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Key takeaways
Pharmacy discount cards, also known as prescription savings cards, allow users to save on medication costs by offering lower prices through partnerships with pharmacies.
These cards can be used by individuals with or without insurance (but cannot be combined with insurance) to purchase medications.
Users are encouraged to compare the discount card prices with their insurance copays or the cash price of medications to ensure they are getting the best deal.
SingleCare and other pharmacy discount cards are accepted at over 35,000 pharmacies nationwide, and users can easily access savings by obtaining a physical or digital card.
When you purchase a new vacuum cleaner or laptop, you wouldn’t make a purchase based on the first price you see—you’d shop around and compare prices to get the best possible offer. So why wouldn’t you do that with your prescription medications?
The reality is many people don’t know they can. You may know that you can ask your doctor to prescribe a generic medication instead of the higher priced brand-name drug. You can also ask for smaller dosage for certain short-term ailments. And while those are certainly great steps to start with, you can get even bigger savings from a pharmacy discount card.
What is a pharmacy discount card?
Pharmacy discount cards have many names. They’re referred to as prescription discount cards, prescription savings cards, and pharmacy savings cards. And they’re offered by several companies including SingleCare, GoodRx, WellRx, and more.
A pharmacy discount card—or whatever you want to call it—is a simple tool you should be utilizing every time you pick up prescriptions. Simply put, it’s a free card that allows you to save on certain medications.
How does a pharmacy discount card work?
Some pharmacy discount cards work by partnering with pharmacy benefit managers, also known as PBMs. At SingleCare, we cut out the middleman (so to speak) and partner directly with pharmacies—which allows us to offer lower prices. We are able to be a free service to consumers because we receive a small fee from our pharmacy partners.
Can you use a pharmacy discount card with insurance?
A pharmacy discount card can either be used if you don’t have insurance or it can be used instead of your insurance. However, it cannot be used in conjunction with your insurance. So let’s say you have a $15 copay for a medication—but the SingleCare discount price is only $9. In this case, the pharmacist would run the SingleCare card instead of your insurance.
Or maybe you have a high-deductible health plan and you are required to spend $2,000 before your insurance will begin to help cover prescription costs. Again, your pharmacist can use the SingleCare card so you can get the lower cost. Now when you do this, the drug cost will not be counted toward your deductible. But if you’re not going to hit your deductible throughout the year, it could be a good cost-saving measure for you. Or if you will hit the deductible regardless, it might be beneficial to receive the savings up front.
Prescription prices vary by prescription, dosage, quantity, and pharmacy, when using the SingleCare card. There will be times when your insurance will offer a lower price, while there will be times SingleCare offers the lowest price on the market. We encourage users to compare all options and choose the one that saves the most. Our price transparency charts show the average cash price compared to the average SingleCare coupon price for the past year, across several pharmacies.
You can compare prices by checking singlecare.com or in the SingleCare app before you head to the pharmacy, or by asking your pharmacist to run both options.
Where can I use the SingleCare pharmacy savings card?
You can use SingleCare at over 35,000 major pharmacies nationwide, including CVS, Target, Longs Drugs, Walmart, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Walgreens, Albertsons, Kroger, and Harris Teeter—among others.
You can see which pharmacies near you offer discounts if you search for your prescription at singlecare.com.
How do I get started?
To get going with savings on SingleCare, you can request a physical card or print, text, or email yourself a digital card. When you use the app, you can add savings to your digital wallet. If you have any additional questions or concerns, we’re here to help. Give us a call 24/7 at 844-234-3057.
