Helpful guides to NHS prescriptions, prepayment certificates and saving money on your medication costs.
Published 12 January 2026
At £9.90 per item, prescription costs stack up fast. A PPC caps your spending at a flat rate, and the maths works out in your favour surprisingly quickly. Here's exactly when it's worth it.
Read more →Published 30 January 2026
89% of NHS prescriptions are dispensed free, yet loads of people who qualify don't realise it and keep paying. Run through every exemption category here: you might be owed a refund.
Read more →Published 14 February 2026
Charges go up almost every April, but not this one. The per-item charge stays at £9.90 for 2026/27, with the 3-month PPC at £32.05, the 12-month at £114.50 and the HRT PPC at 19.80. What the freeze is worth, and why England is the only UK nation still charging.
Read more →Published 3 March 2026
Not on a qualifying benefit, under 60, no exempt condition? The Low Income Scheme is the route almost nobody is told about. HC2 and HC3 certificates cover prescriptions, dental, glasses and travel.
Read more →Published 17 March 2026
Two items a year and it has paid for itself. But it does not cover every HRT medicine, and for some prescriptions a standard PPC works out cheaper. Here is how to tell which one you need.
Read more →Published 31 March 2026
The refund depends on one thing almost nobody knows: you have to ask for the FP57 receipt at the moment you pay. Plus the three month deadline, PPC backdating, and how penalty charges work.
Read more →Published 14 April 2026
An underactive thyroid gets you free prescriptions for life. Severe asthma gets you nothing. The full list of qualifying conditions, the new ten year certificates, and what to do if you are not on it.
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