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Free prescription discount cards that you may receive in the mail, see in displays at the doctor’s office, or see facebook ads for, like the SingleCare pharmacy discount card, seem to have a aura of mystery about them, but is there anything to be concerned about? Are prescription discount cards like SingleCare a scam? Are the companies behind prescription discount cards legitimate?
Nobody seems to know how prescription discount cards work, if they can legitimately save you money on your medications, or if they are an outright scam. We as Americans have become increasingly skeptical of offers that seem to be too good to be true, rightfully so, as many of them are.
I’m going to set the record straight and discuss my experience, as a pharmacist, processing and filling prescriptions using these prescription discount cards on a daily basis and answer all the questions posed above and more.
So, are prescription discount cards like SingleCare a scam?
The short answer is Absolutely Not! I have multiple patients a day bring free prescription discount cards or rx discount apps to my pharmacy and save considerable money on their prescription medications without any catch.
Many of my patients have insurance and use these services to get prices that are even lower than their insurance copays. If you are paying over $4 for 30 tablets of lisinopril 10mg you are being ripped off!!!
Others save money on medications that aren’t covered by their insurance such as OTC medications, vitamins, or medications that have insurance limitations.
The best part about SingleCare is the transparent, no-haggle pricing. You know how much you are going to pay before even going to the pharmacy using their pricing tool or mobile app.
How do you determine if the prescription discount card you have is legitimate?
The first place to go are my articles on how prescription discount cards work and how to choose the best one for your situation.
The next helpful resource is your local pharmacy. You can go ask the technician or pharmacist if they have any experience with the discount card you have. We see these cards every day and can verify the good ones and the bad ones.
Other resources to consult are the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) verification websites.
The BBB will show if the discount card’s sponsoring company is legitimate and will show customer comments, complaints, and the company’s response. The company will be given a rating similar to a school grade, an A+ like SingleCare’s being the best and F being the worst.
Keep in mind when reading customer comments and ratings that statistically speaking, unsatisfied customers are more likely to leave a comment or speak out than people that had a good experience. I would give more weight to the BBB rating and your pharmacist’s opinion than online forum comments.
The NAPB .pharmacy verification website is important because they only provide .pharmacy domain names to verified businesses. This is a safety measure to ensure you are using a legitimate pharmacy related website, discount card, or service. Look for the .pharmacy verified badge or type in any pharmacy related business’ url with .pharmacy at the end in place of .com or .org it should redirect you to the official site. If it doesn’t I wouldn’t trust it.
You can read more about the requirements of the NABP .pharmacy program and check verification status here.
How much can you save with the SingleCare prescription discount card?
The amount of savings you can get by using SingleCare or any other discount card depends on a number of factors such as the medication you are prescribed, if you have insurance or not, and the pharmacy you are filling at.
With SingleCare you can save up to 80% off the cash price but about 50-60% savings has been a more realistic average from my experience. As of the time of writing this article about 1300 TFP visitors that have used SingleCare have saved over $175,000 on their medications since 2017.
See how much SingleCare can save you today on your list of medications using their online pricing tool with cool new medication basket feature or mobile app.
The best savings I have seen are with very commonly prescribed, generic drugs like:
- Amoxicillin
- Azithromycin
- Lisinopril
- Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
- Vitamin D supplements
- Iron supplements
- Ibuprofen
- Adderall IR and Adderall XR
- Gabapentin
- Tramadol
- Norco
While you can still save on expensive brand only drugs, the savings aren’t as significant.
Share your savings story on the TFP Facebook page, Instagram, or Twitter and let @SingleCare know as well.
How does the SingleCare prescription discount card work?
Chain pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens price their “usual and customary”, AKA cash price, very high to maximize profit when billing insurance companies since this is 97% of their pharmacy business. The complicated, non-transparent insurance game is a topic for another time.
The unfortunate result of the insurance-focused pricing game is that uninsured individuals and those with high insurance deductibles are charged astronomically high prices. This is where prescription discount cards like SingleCare save you the most.
SingleCare negotiates lower prices on medications directly with the participating pharmacies so that their customers can still receive affordable prices and get their medications filled while the pharmacy can still maximize profits on their insurance claims.
In exchange for this service and directing customers to the specific location the pharmacies pay SingleCare a small fee with each prescription filled. This is how SingleCare makes money and how they can offer their discounted prices for free.
The good news is your SingleCare card never expires and never has any limitations. You can use the same card for your entire family, including your pets, at any participating pharmacy.
SingleCare is NOT insurance so you can’t combine the savings with your insurance plan. You CAN still use it to get a discount if the SingleCare discounted price is lower than your insurance copay.
Insider tip: ALWAYS check to see if the discount card price is cheaper than your insurance.
Take advantage of some special deals.
SingleCare has negotiated special deals with CVS and Walmart to offer significant savings. The CVS deal saves and extra $5 off your first time fill using your CVS specific SingleCare discount card. If CVS is the best price for your prescription just take or transfer your prescription there and the extra savings will automatically be applied.
The deal with Walmart offers the lowest price you can find anywhere on many medications. I still suggest checking the price using the pricing tool or app before filling your prescription because prices change frequently and you may be able to get a better deal at one of the other participating pharmacies like Walgreens, Rite Aid, or Kroger.
Learn more about SingleCare
Now that I have put your mind at ease that SingleCare is legitimate and not a scam and given you a brief summary make sure to check out my in-depth review, or head-to-head comparison with GoodRx, and other insider tips and recommendations to get all the details about how to maximize your savings on prescription medications.