Have you went to the same pharmacy your whole life and just payed what they asked? That’s what I did for a long time, until I learned about two super awesome ways to get deep discounts on medicine, legally. Prepare to have your mind blown.
Costco:
So, perhaps you’ve heard of a place called Costco pharmacy? All kidding aside, they have excellent prices on many of their medicines. But, what if you don’t have a Costco membership? No worries, federal law prohibits companies from requiring people to have memberships in order to buy their prescriptions. Now, you’re probably concerned that you won’t make it in the door without a card, since they are so concerned about everybody having one when they walk in… But, when you go in, if they ask for your card, just tell them you’re only there to get your prescriptions. If they cause any additional problems for you, just head over to customer service and they will help you out. They don’t always have the best prices on medicines, or other products for that matter, but it’s worth checking out.
GoodRX
Guess what? There’s a super easy, free tool that will tell you who has the best prices in your area. Even better, this same website usually has discount cards that you can print out and bring to the pharmacy for an even lower price than retail. The website is called GoodRX, and they also have an app. In addition to that, you can set email alerts to know when a price is lowered or a new coupon is available. Did I mention it’s free?
Here is a basic example of actual prices, as of September 15, 2018.
Retail:
Omeprazole (30 capsules, 20 mg each)
- Walmart: $28
- Target $64
- Walgreens: $67
- Costco: $14
Same medicines, same quantities, drastically different prices. The comparison tool offered here has already payed itself off by giving you the ability to save $53 between Walgreens and Costco. But, it gets better.
With the free card you can print from the GoodRX website, the prices drop down to:
- Walmart: $14
- Target $22.08
- Walgreens: $24.30
- Costco: $5.25
With this knowledge, you’ll be unstoppable.