Over a million ‘overpay’ for prescriptions – data suggests

More than a million people “overpaid” for their prescriptions last year, data suggests.

New data obtained by MoneySavingExpert.com shows that 1,064,992 people bought at least 12 single prescriptions in 2021/22.

These people would have saved money with a prescription prepayment certificate, also known as a prescription “season ticket”.

The certificate costs £108.10 for unlimited prescriptions for a year – meaning anyone who buys 12 or more prescriptions at the current cost of £9.35 over the course of a year will be out of pocket if they do not purchase one of the certificates.

The consumer website, which sent a Freedom of Information request to the NHS Business Services Authority to find out how many people would have benefited from the scheme but may have missed out, said that patients were overpaying by an average of £40 a year.

Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “England is the only one of the four UK nations that charges for prescriptions, and so it’s frustrating to hear that many people are still paying more than they need to – especially at a time when every penny counts towards bills.

“We need to spread the word to anyone who regularly gets prescriptions, including some with chronic illnesses, to check out prescription prepayment certificates.

“My simple rule of thumb is, if you get more than one prescription a month, on average these ‘season tickets’ are the cheapest option, as they cap what you need to pay.

“For a one-off payment, you get unlimited prescriptions for either three months or a year.

“So someone getting, say, two prescriptions a month would save over £100 a year. If you think that’s you, check it out now in case we see another price hike at the beginning of spring.”