GoodRx Prescription Discount Card Review

Is a GoodRx Discount Card Worth It?

Given the steep costs of seniors’ medications, prescription savings cards have become increasingly popular. With so many options out there, it’s hard to know which cards are actually worthwhile. GoodRx is one of the most widely used and available prescription savings cards. The company is likely partnered with pharmacies near you, making it an excellent choice for seniors across the country.

For comparison, Choice Drug Card can save you up to 85 percent on prescriptions, and it’s accepted at more than 64,000 pharmacies nationwide. You don’t need to sign up or submit any personal information. It’s 100 percent free. But, the downside is that, unlike GoodRx, there is no mobile app.

GoodRx offers two products: a free discount savings card and a monthly subscription called GoodRx Gold, which increases your savings. Their free discount card can save seniors up to 80 percent on their prescriptions. Savings like that really add up, considering the average senior aged 65 to 79 fills 20 prescriptions each year.1 GoodRx is best for older adults on a fixed income with high out-of-pocket costs or those without good prescription coverage.

How GoodRx Works

Think of GoodRx as a coupon for your pharmacy. It’s free and accepted at more than 70,000 pharmacies across the United States. When you go to pay for your medication, simply hand the pharmacist your GoodRx card or show them the card on your phone, and they’ll apply the discount.

A member of our team was prescribed an expensive ointment by her doctor. But, she used GoodRx (the free version) to search for local pharmacies that might offer the medication for cheaper. Using the app, she pulled up a listing of where the medication was available; it showed every single pharmacy in her area and the price. She got the medication for less than half the price at Rite Aid. She just showed her GoodRX coupon at pickup and was instantly given the reduced price.

GoodRx’s widespread availability is one of our favorite things about the company. Other prescription discount cards like SingleCare are only available at 35,000 pharmacies nationwide, making GoodRx one of the most widely available options on the market.

If you’re wondering how GoodRx makes money, you aren’t alone. Here’s how it works:

1. GoodRx partners with pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) who negotiate discounted prescription prices directly with pharmacies.
2. You use your GoodRx discount card when purchasing a prescription.
3. The pharmacy stores the card in your account so that you can keep using GoodRx to save money at that pharmacy.
4. GoodRx earns a percentage of the purchase price or a fixed fee each time you use your card.

GoodRx also has a paid monthly subscription called GoodRx Gold. GoodRx Gold is accepted at over 38,000 pharmacy locations nationwide; it costs $9.99 per month for individuals and $19.99 per month for families. With this subscription, you gain access to better savings of up to 90 percent discounted telehealth visits from GoodRx Care. Not only that, you also get a free home delivery option, a dedicated support team, and more.

Whether you go with the free GoodRx card or a paid plan, GoodRx can help you save hundreds of dollars per year on your out-of-pocket prescription costs. Best of all, this company makes using the card very easy.

How Do I Sign Up for GoodRx?

With the free GoodRx program, there’s no sign-up required. We searched for medications on the app and website without giving out any of our personal information. That’s a big win if you’re concerned about privacy. Other companies, like America’s Pharmacy, require an email address to sign up or account login for the phone app.

Once you find the discount you’re looking for, GoodRx gives you a few ways to get the card: text, email, or print. And, if you use the GoodRx mobile app (which we’ll cover more below), you can just look up prescriptions on your phone and show the pharmacist the card on the app.

Seniors can also request a GoodRx card in the mail. You’ll have to give your full address and an email address to request the card, but it’s great for seniors who don’t use smartphones or just want a physical card in their wallet.

Signing Up for GoodRx Gold

You can sign up for GoodRx Gold on the website or in the GoodRx mobile app. When you sign up, you get a free 30-day trial. After that, the service costs $9.99 per month for individuals and $19.99 per month for families. The GoodRX Gold membership could save you an average of $3,961 a year (estimates based on average savings by members on an individual plan who fill at least two prescriptions per month).2 For comparison, Choice Drug Card and SingleCare memberships are 100 percent free, and there is no paid version.

To sign up, we created a username, password, and provided our full legal name, mailing address, and date of birth. Then, we input our credit or debit card details. After the trial ended, we were automatically charged unless we canceled. This may be a red flag for users, as some companies make it hard to cancel service after a free trial. Fortunately, canceling a GoodRx Gold account was easy in our experience.

Searching For and Purchasing Medications with GoodRx

Finding medications and savings on GoodRx couldn’t be easier. For this part of our review, we used the GoodRx website. We were impressed with the amount of information GoodRx provides, including side effects, drug info, drug images, and more. Plus, we couldn’t believe how many discounted options were available.

For our test, we looked up simvastatin (generic for Zocor), a cholesterol medication commonly prescribed to seniors. The average retail price for simvastatin (40 mg, 90 tablets) is $68.73, but that depends entirely on the pharmacy. The search showed us 12 nearby participating pharmacies in San Diego. Our lowest price for this medication using the GoodRx free savings card was just $9.62 from Rite Aid. With the GoodRx Gold plan, the lowest price was $14.24 and you get the aforementioned one-month free membership. Below is a look at the pricing for simvastatin at our local pharmacies. (Note that prices may vary in your area.)

To redeem this discount using our free GoodRx card, we clicked on the “Get free coupon” button next to Rite Aid's $9.62 deal. Coupons for any prescription look like this in the mobile app:

Using the GoodRx mobile app

Using the coupon is simple. Just show it to the pharmacist on your phone or hand over the printed coupon when you pick up the prescription. The pharmacist will enter the information listed on the card and give you the discounted price. Sometimes with GoodRx, you may want to visit a pharmacy that you don’t usually use because they offer a better discount than your normal pharmacy. In that case, make sure you have your doctor send the prescription to the right pharmacy.

GoodRx App

Unlike the Choice Drug Card, GoodRx has an app. If you own a smartphone, you’ll want to check out the GoodRx mobile app. You don’t have to use the app to get a discount, but it’s easy to navigate, so we recommend giving it a go. It’s available for Apple and Android devices. For our review, we used the Android and iPhone versions from the Google Play store.

When we first downloaded the app, we were asked to sign up with our mobile phone number or email address. It also gave us the option to “skip for now,” which is what we did. We really liked that we didn’t have to sign up or give away our contact info. Signing up does have some perks, though; it gives you full access to all of the app’s features, like price tracking.

Our Favorite GoodRx App Features

Search for Medications

Finding prescriptions on the app is very straightforward; we just typed in the name of the drug we were looking for. We looked up a common blood pressure medication called nadolol. It gave us 12 nearby options to choose from, with savings up to 85 percent off the retail price. Plus, it remembered the medications we looked for or filled. So, it was convenient to do a new search when needed.

Pharmacy Locations

Switch between map and list view to see exactly where each pharmacy is located. On our  device, we could click on the pharmacy and get directions via Google Maps. This is an excellent feature for seniors who use their smartphones for navigation. It also shows the lowest-priced pharmacies.

Refill Reminders

You can easily set refill reminders within the GoodRx app. When you request a savings card, the app automatically logs the prescription you searched for and sets up a refill reminder. You can edit the reminder and choose how often it repeats. If you have a hard time remembering when to take your medications, this feature is a total lifesaver.

The GoodRx Refill Reminder is one of our favorite app features

Resources for You

The mobile app has a section that pulls up all articles written about the medications you are taking or searched for. For example, for people taking the popular thyroid medication Synthroid (levothyroxine), it pulled up an article on “Levothyroxine medication interactions, diet and supplements” and another on “10 Levothyroxine side effects and how to manage them.” This is useful for those who are taking a new medication and want to be informed.

GoodRx vs. the Competition

GoodRx is not the only company in the prescription meds coupon game. Here’s a look at the competition:

GoodRx vs. SingleCare

We’re a big fan of SingleCare’s price comparison tool. Like GoodRx, customers can save up to 80 percent on prescription medications. But, unlike GoodRx, SingleCare is only accepted at more than 35,000 pharmacies. But, it goes beyond GoodRx because it checks for discounts on vision and dental preventative services — GoodRx Gold does not. Unlike GoodRx, SingleCare membership is 100 percent free, and there is a telemedicine discount program.

GoodRx vs. America’s Pharmacy

America’s Pharmacy is a free service accepted at more than 59,000 pharmacies, which is below the reach of GoodRx. Their average savings are about 66 percent, which is also less than GoodRx’s average savings. There are no subscription or enrollment fees, and the app is very user-friendly.

GoodRx vs. WellRx

WellRx is completely free, and you can save up to 90 percent on prescriptions at more than 65,000 pharmacies. The company even provides free delivery for certain medications. Similar to GoodRx Gold, you are required to have a membership to get discounts. The WellRx mobile app stands out for its extra features like Grocery Guidance. This feature gives health and nutrition information and healthier alternative suggestions about grocery items.

Final Thoughts on GoodRx

GoodRx has saved patients more than $10 billion.4 During our hands-on experience with GoodRx, we found that the prescription discount card is about as easy to use as it gets. It’s a great choice for older adults without insurance or those with high out-of-pocket expenses on their medications. We do wish GoodRx was partnered with more big-name pharmacies, like Walgreens and Walmart. Still, with availability at 70,000 pharmacies across the country and discounts up to 90 percent (with GoodRx Gold), it’s worth considering before your next refill.