Costco online and in store pharmacy

The Costco online pharmacy and the in-store pharmacy both have better prices on medicines than any pharmacy we know. It’s sometimes dramatically better and you don’t need to be a Costco member to use it. Access to the rest of the store requires a small membership fee.

We ran a survey of pharmacy prices (see below), and learned this is especially true for people without drug insurance coverage. Costco apparently gives up their profit on pharmaceuticals for people that do not have pharmaceutical insurance.

As a service, we wanted to bring this information to patients and to the community, even though in holistic medicine we want to support healing at the root level rather than rely on drugs. Pharmaceuticals can be helpful, although they are usually no more than a temporary or band aid approach.
You can order by phone or online for home delivery or go directly to one of their stores.

The Costco pharmacy is at 1-800-607-6861. They will help you locate a local pharmacy, quote prices, take an order for delivery, or answer other questions. To find Costco stores, click here.

Costco is a discount buying club that requires a membership and functions like Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club. They buy in volume to give better deals for small businesses and consumers. Sam’s Club has been recently closing outlets, and speculation is that this is because it is having difficulty competing with Costco.

For those who have drug insurance coverage

The pharmacy at a Costco store accepts insurance plans. However the online pharmacy does NOT accept all insurance plans. Some insurance companies have their own online pharmacy (like  the Medco mail order pharmacy) and prefer you to use it, depending on your plan. Call your own insurance provider for details.

If the Costco pharmacy is not registered with your insurance company, you must pay at the time of your order and submit the receipt to your insurance company for reimbursement.

Generic drugs at Costco, Walmart and Target

Costco charges very little for generic drugs, and their prices are excellent, often lower than Target and Walmart prices.

Both Walmart and Target promote a program in which they sell a limited group of generic medicines for only $4.00 (30 day supply) or $10.00 (90 day supply)

Neither the Target nor the Walmart pharmacy post their prices for other drugs at their websites. Costco does post the drug prices.

If you don’t have health insurance, you can also use GoodRx to find a pharmacy with the best prices for you.