Pharmacy Coupon Rewards
3. Doctors Office Coupons
As odd as it may seem, the doctors office and pharmacy counters are often cluttered with coupons. Manufacturers want to reach their target customers, and customers are generally found at the doctors office or pharmacy counter. Many have prescription coupon offers, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) product coupons such as Tums and Robitussin. Even grocery manufacturers such as Kraft provide coupons booklets on products for special diets, such as high calcium or low sugar. Look. Skim through the brochures. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Maximize Your Savings
While prescription coupons may or may not effect your out of pocket expenses for medications, there are several ways to achieve additional savings using these coupons:
- First and foremost, combine store pharmacy offers with any available manufacturers offers to receive the greatest returns.
- Don’t assume you cannot use prescription coupons with co-payments or insurance plans. Frequently you can. The major exception is when your medications are completely covered by Medicare (some breathing meds, diabetic supplies, etc.); you cannot receive financial gains on federally funded prescriptions. Your pharmacist knows the requirements and is generally very supportive in sorting out any confusion.
- Many pharmacies and stores honor competitors coupons. This includes pharmacy coupons. If your store circular provides a prescription coupon, but your local store does not have a pharmacy, other pharmacies in your area often will.
Some offers are valid only on “new” prescriptions. A “new” prescription is any doctor’s written prescription, however, even if you are already on the medication. If a pharmacy coupon or offer is available, consider asking your doctor for a new written prescription rather than a refill. Manufacturer offers for free trials, samples, or other “first prescription” coupons and vouchers can usually be applied to any “new” filled prescription.
Other store offers are available only on existing prescriptions transferred from a competing pharmacy. For transferred prescriptions, there are several things to consider. First, check whether or not the store accepts your insurance plan. If not, or if you do not have insurance, evaluate the price of the prescription at that store. Paying twice as much for a medication just to receive a gift card doesn’t make financial sense.
Second, no matter what the pharmacy’s price points are on brand name medications, the cost of generic medications should be similar between stores. You can often fill or transfer a generic or low cost prescription out of pocket and still save using the store coupon and/or manufacturer’s coupon. Call and ask the price before you transfer, and make sure you are benefiting by the offer.
Also, remember, filling or transferring a prescription at one store does not mean it needs to be filled at that pharmacy in the future. Just take your empty bottle to your preferred pharmacy and have it transferred back when it’s time to refill. It is usually possible to transfer prescriptions repeatedly between pharmacies to take advantage of competing offers, however each consumer should evaluate the practicality and benefits of this.
