Last March I stood at the pharmacy counter at Walgreens to pick up my cholesterol medicine. The pharmacist said, "That'll be $48." I paid it, like I'd paid it every month for a year.
The next week at poker night, my buddy Hank said he takes the same generic pill and pays $11. I told him that was impossible. He pulled out his phone, opened an app called GoodRx, and showed me the coupon he hands the pharmacist. Same pill. Same dose. Same town. Thirty-seven dollars less.
Well, folks, I'd been overpaying for a year without knowing it. Here's how GoodRx works, and when it does and doesn't make sense.
What is GoodRx and how does it work?
GoodRx is a free website and app that shows discount prices for prescription medicines at pharmacies near you, along with a coupon you can show at the counter. The strange truth is that the same pill can have very different prices at different pharmacies, and the cash price you're quoted often isn't the lowest one.
You don't need to sign up or pay anything to use it. GoodRx earns money from fees behind the scenes, not from you. You can look up prices at goodrx.com or in the free app.
How do I use a GoodRx coupon?
In plain words, four steps. First, search for your medicine on goodrx.com or in the app. Second, make sure the dose and quantity match your prescription exactly, since prices change with the amount. Third, pick the pharmacy with the best price and open its coupon. Fourth, show the coupon at the counter before you pay, and say, "Could you run this GoodRx coupon, and compare it to my insurance price?"
Pharmacists see these coupons every day. There's nothing awkward about asking.
Can I use GoodRx with Medicare?
Yes, but not together. In plain words, when you use your Medicare drug plan, what you pay counts toward your deductible and the yearly out-of-pocket cap, and it works with Extra Help. It's usually the better choice for expensive medicines. A GoodRx coupon can't be combined with your plan, and what you pay usually won't count toward your plan's deductible or cap. But for some low-cost generic medicines, the coupon price can be cheaper than your copay.
So ask the pharmacist to check both prices for each medicine and pick the lower one. If you take expensive medicines, read our post on what the 2026 drug cap covers before skipping your plan. If money is tight, see whether you qualify for Extra Help, and check Medicare's page on help with drug costs.
Is it safe to fill prescriptions at different pharmacies?
It can save money, but it has a downside. When your prescriptions are spread across several pharmacies, no single pharmacist sees your whole list, which makes it harder to catch a medicine that doesn't mix well with another. If you do switch around, keep an up-to-date medication list and show it at each pharmacy. Cindy explained how in her post on why your medication list matters.
What are other ways to save on prescriptions?
Ask your doctor whether a generic version is available, since generics usually cost much less. Ask about a 90-day supply, which can lower the cost per pill. And check whether your Medicare drug plan has preferred pharmacies or a mail-order option with lower copays. Your plan's customer service number on your card can tell you.
What I pay now
I took my GoodRx coupon to the Walgreens counter the next month and asked the pharmacist to compare. My cholesterol pill came to $12.40. That's about $430 a year I'm keeping. For my more expensive heart medicine, though, my Medicare plan was still the better deal, so I use my plan for that one. Hank was right, and I've told him so. Once.
Ask for both prices, folks. It's one short question that can save you real money.
Have you tried GoodRx or compared prices at the pharmacy? Tell us in the comments how much you saved.
