Switch pharmacy every month and pay the new-customer price

Why switching each month saves money

Online pharmacies compete hard for new customers. The big offers, such as money off your first order or a refer-a-friend discount, usually apply once. MedExpress, for example, says its referral discount is for a customer’s first-ever eligible order. Your second order costs the normal repeat price.

You are a new customer at every pharmacy you have not used. When your current order runs out, you can move to another registered pharmacy and get its first-order price. Then do the same again next month.

Stop spending hours on refer-a-friend codes

Many people spend evenings in Facebook groups and forums asking for a refer-a-friend code for the pharmacy they already use. Codes go out of date. Some work once and then stop. Some are posted by people who earn credit every time you use them. And a referral code only works for a new customer anyway, so it does nothing for your second order with the same pharmacy.

You get the same kind of saving in about ten minutes by switching:

• Option 1: open Monj for Mounjaro, iGovy for Wegovy injections, Ogovy for the Wegovy pill or Dayo for Foundayo. Sort by the price for your dose and pick a pharmacy you have never used.
• Option 2: use a friend’s refer-a-friend link for a different pharmacy, one you have not ordered from before. The referral then gives you a real first-order discount.

Both options beat begging for a code for the pharmacy you already use. Read how refer-a-friend discounts work before you click someone’s link.

Your monthly switching plan

1. Week 3 of your current pen or pack: check the comparison site for your medicine and note the three lowest first-order prices for your dose.
2. Pick one you have not used. Check it is a registered pharmacy. Our pharmacy checks guide shows you how in two minutes.
3. Start the new consultation at least a week before your next dose is due. Approval and delivery take time, and you do not want a gap.
4. Send your evidence. A clear photo of the pharmacy label on your last box, your current dose and the date of your last dose.
5. Cancel the old subscription the same day the new order is approved. Joining a new pharmacy does not cancel the old one. See how to cancel properly.
6. Keep a simple record: pharmacy, date, dose and price paid. You need it for the next switch.

Can I keep my dose when I switch?

You can usually ask to stay on your current dose or to move up to the next one. The new prescriber has to agree, and they decide after looking at your evidence. If you have missed doses or had a break, tell them. A gap can change what is safe to restart on. Read missed doses and treatment breaks and increase, stay or reduce your dose.

Play it straight with every pharmacy

Switching every month is allowed. Hiding things is not. Each new pharmacy must check you are safe to treat, and the pharmacy regulator expects checks on weight-loss treatment.

• Always say you are already on treatment, with which medicine and dose.
• Give your real weight and use your real name and address.
• Never open a second account at a pharmacy you have used, and never use someone else’s details to get a first-order offer again.
• Never order from two pharmacies for the same month. Our duplicate orders guide explains why.

A first-order offer is for new customers. Once you have used a pharmacy, you pay its normal price there, so move on to one you have not used.

When switching is not worth it

• Your current pharmacy matches the lowest price. Ask them. Some will, and staying saves you a consultation.
• You are on a longer plan with an exit fee bigger than the saving. Check your subscription terms first.
• Your supply runs out before a new pharmacy can approve and deliver. Order where you are this month and switch next month.
• You are unwell or your dose is being changed. Stay with the prescriber who knows the plan until it settles.

Leaving a big provider this month?

Each guide covers cancelling, the repeat price and what the next pharmacy will ask for: switch from MedExpress, switch from Voy, switch from Numan, switch from Pharmacy2U and switch from Juniper.