Thousands of Brits have been overpaying for prescriptions (Picture: Getty Images)
In Scotland and Wales, NHS prescriptions are free, but for those of us in England, they can cost a pretty penny.
And if you’re paying the £9.90 fee each time and getting multiple prescriptions each month, you could be overpaying.
Last year, a whopping 900,000 people overpaid for their prescriptions, as they paid for each one individually.
But according to Martin Lewis and his MoneySavingExpert Weekly Money Tips newsletter, there’s a little-known way to save money, and it involves getting what he called a prescription ‘season ticket’.
You could save more than £360 per year (Picture: Getty Images)
What is a prescription season ticket?
It’s not actually called a season ticket; the proper name is an NHS Prescription Prepayment Certificate, or a PPC.
There are two different options for this – the first is £32.05 and covers you for three months, and the second is £114.50 and lasts for a year (or this can be broken down into 10 payments of £11.45).
The PPC covers all of your NHS prescriptions during the time you have paid for and will save you money if you need more than three items in three months or more than 12 items in 12 months.
You can receive a PPC instantly by email, but you can also buy them in-person at some pharmacies across England and apply by post.
There’s also a special PPC available specifically for those taking Hormone Replacement Therapy medication. For those who take it three or more times in 12 months, this could save some money.
It costs £19.80 (the cost of two single prescriptions) and covers an unlimited number of certain HRT medications for 12 months, regardless of why they are prescribed.
How much can you save?
According to the NHS, if you are getting two medicines prescribed each month, you could save £123 a year, or more than £27 if you had a three-month PPC.
For those on three medications each month, it’s a saving of more than £241 per year and more than £57 across three months.
And if you are prescribed four medications each month, you’ll save more than £360 in 12 months and more than £86 over three months.
What’s even better is that not only will you save all this, you can also backdate for up to one calendar month from the date of purchase, so you’ll be able to claim back for your last few prescriptions.
To claim a refund for backdated prescriptions, you must obtain a FP57 receipt form from the pharmacy at the time of payment.
Did you know about the NHS PPC?
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Who can get free prescriptions in England?
Not everyone has to pay for an NHS prescription, as some people are eligible to get them for free.
You may not have to pay if you’re under the age of 16, or over the age of 60, are pregnant or have recently given birth, are receiving certain benefits, or have been diagnosed with certain illnesses. To find out if you could get help with prescription costs, try the NHS prescription calculator:
https://check-for-help-paying-nhs-costs.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/start?lid=u6ta533ph1qd
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