How to save money on prescriptions and medicines
Prescription fees are set to rise in England by 30p in April, taking the price to £9.65 per item.
However, you may be eligible for free prescriptions – or you may be able to save money with a prepayment certificate.
Here, Which? rounds up seven ways you can save money on your medication, and how to check if you qualify for free prescriptions.
Can you get free prescriptions?
Prescriptions are free in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Although there is usually a charge for prescriptions in England, some medications are free, including contraceptives and drugs administered to patients in hospital.
You may also qualify for free prescriptions due to your age, your income and whether you receive certain means-tested benefits, and if you have certain medical conditions.
The easiest way to check is to use the free NHS eligibility checker – but here are some of the main eligibility criteria:
Age-related free prescriptions
You’ll get free prescriptions if you're:
- 60 or over
- under16
- 16-18 and in full-time education
Low income or receive certain benefits
You’ll get free prescriptions if:
- you or your partner receive income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment & support allowance, or pension credit guarantee credit
- you receive Universal Credit and meet the criteria
- you're under 20 and are the dependant of someone who receives income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment & support allowance or pension credit guarantee credit
- you have a war pension exemption certificate
- you’re entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption
- you’re entitled to, or named on, an NHS certificate for full help with health costs (known as HC2). You may also get some assistance towards health prescription costs if you have an NHS certificate for partial help with health costs (known as a HC3).
Find out more: pension credit explained
Certain medical conditions or disabilities
Anyone with certain medical conditions can apply for a medical exemption certificate.
Some of the conditions include cancer, issues with your thyroid, diabetes, epilepsy and a continuing physical disability that means you cannot go out without the help of another person. The full list can be found on the NHS website.
To apply for this exemption, you’ll need to ask your doctor for a FP92A form. Once you receive your medical exemption form, it will last for five years, when it'll need to be renewed.
You’re pregnant
If you’re pregnant or have had a baby in the past 12 months, you can get free prescriptions with a valid maternity exemption certificate.
You can contact your doctor, midwife or health visitor to apply for one, and the certificate will be emailed or sent to you in the post.
The certificate is valid for 12 months after the expected due date of your baby.
- Find out more: 12 ways to cut your childcare costs
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7 ways to save money on prescriptions
If you're based in England and aren't eligible for free prescriptions, there may still be some ways you can save money.
1. Get a prepayment certificate
If you buy four or more prescriptions in three months, or 12 or more prescriptions in 12 months, you’ll save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC).
Think of this like a ‘season ticket’, as it will cover all your NHS prescriptions, including dental prescriptions, no matter how many items you need.
The three-month PPC currently costs £30.25, while the 12-month PPC costs £108.10. These will both increase from April, when a three-month PCP will cost £31.25, and a 12-month PCP will cost £111.60.
If you choose the 12-month PPC, you can pay for this upfront, or in 10 monthly direct debit instalments.
Here are the savings you can make over the course of a year:
| How many prescriptions you need each month | How much it would cost without a PPC | How much it would cost with a 12 month PCP | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 items | £224.40 | £108.10 | £116.30 |
| 3 items | £336.60 | £108.10 | £228.50 |
| 4 items | £448.80 | £108.10 | £340.70 |
- Find out more: April price rises: how to keep costs down as bills go up
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2. Save money on menopause medication
From 1 April, women going through the menopause who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will be able to access a new type of prescription prepayment certificate.
The HRT-only PPC will last for 12 months and can be purchased for £19.30 – the equivalent of two individual prescription charges.
You’ll be able to use the PPC for as many menopause prescription items you need for a whole year. See the full list of which medicines will be covered, including patches, tablets and topical preparations.
However, it's worth noting that you if you have other regular prescriptions (besides HRT) then it still may be worth using the usual 12-month PPC.
3. You may not need a prescription
If you don't have a PPC, then it might be cheaper to shop around for your medication. For example, you may find prescribed medication that's also sold over the counter cheaper than the prescription charge of £9.35.
If you’re not sure, don't be afraid to ask the pharmacist if there’s a cheaper generic version of a medicine you’re considering.
4. Ditch big brands and buy from supermarkets
Budget versions of common painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, usually cost a fraction of their branded counterparts.
Generic versions of medicines have to be 'bioequivalent' to the branded versions. This means they contain the same active ingredients and have to work in exactly the same way to be approved for sale.
Our 2019 investigation found ditching the big brands and buying from supermarket and discount stores could net you massive savings on a range of everyday medicines.
For example, if you’d usually buy a 16 pack of Nurofen (currently priced at £1.89 in Asda), why not swap it out for Asda’s own-brand ibuprofen for 80p.
And while branded medicines might claim to offer extra, it pays to be sceptical. Medicines can’t ‘target’ pain relief in particular areas of the body, for instance.
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5. Ditch combination remedies
The cold and flu market is stacked with combination preparations that are advertised as a comprehensive remedy for a given ailment.
Combination remedies are usually more expensive than buying the individual medicines, as you pay for the convenience of only having to take one tablet rather than several.
Most standard cold and flu tablets contain 25mg caffeine, 300mg paracetamol and 5mg phenylephrine hydrochloride (decongestant).
To save money, you could get the same effect by taking a normal painkiller and have a cup of coffee at the same time.
- Find out more: How to save on cold and flu medicines
6. Ask for a bigger prescription
You may be able to ask your doctor for a bigger prescription, for example, a larger pack of pills that would last you two months instead of one – especially if it’s for a medicine you take regularly that's not dangerous if overused.
Doing this means you’d only have to pay one prescription charge for a larger quantity of medicine. However, be aware that your doctor might not be able to say yes.
7. Get cashback and use loyalty cards
You may be able to use cashback sites when shopping online.
New customers can currently get up to 10% cashback with Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy with Top Cashback, so you may be able to earn some money back when buying medicines.
What's more, Boots and Superdrug both have loyalty schemes where you earn points for money spent instore and online. These points can then be converted and spent with the brand.
- Find out more: How do cashback sites work?