08 Apr 2024

How to beat the prescription price hike

You could save up to £350 a year with a prescription 'season ticket'

Prescription fees are set to rise in England by 25p in May, taking the price to £9.90 per item.

However, you may be eligible for free prescriptions – or you might 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
under 16
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 an FP92A form. Once you receive your medical exemption form, it will last for five years, when it will 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 £31.25, while the 12-month PPC costs £111.60, however these will cost more from May. The three-month PCP will be £32.05, and the 12-month PPC is rising to £114.50.

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 at today's prices and the prices that come into force from May:

How many prescriptions you need each month	Total cost without a PPC at current prices	Total saving with a PPC at current prices	Total cost without a PPC at May prices	Total saving with a PPC at May prices
2 items	£231.60	£120	£237.60	£123.10
3 items	£347.40	£235.80	£356.40	£241.90
4 items	£463.20	£351.60	£475.20	£360.70

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

Last April, a new type of prescription prepayment certificate was launched for women going through the menopause who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

The HRT-only PPC lasts for 12 months and can be purchased for £19.30 – the equivalent of two individual prescription charges. This will rise to £19.80 from 1 May.

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 if you have other regular prescriptions (besides HRT) then it may still 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 £9.65/£9.90.

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 2023 analysis of pricing data from 10 retailers over the past two years found many products had jumped in price. But you can still save by switching to own-brand medicines.

For example, a 16 pack of Nurofen is currently priced at £2 in Asda, bu Asda’s own-brand ibuprofen is 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.

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 8% cashback with Boots via TopCashback, so you may be able to earn some money back when buying medicines.

What's more, Boots and Superdrug both have loyalty schemes that allow you to earn points on spending in-store and online, which can be converted into savings.