Martin Lewis’ tip to save £40 a year if you pay for your NHS prescriptions – The Mirror

With a cost of living crisis already hitting Brits and a stark rise in costs around the corner, Brits have been looking at extra ways to save money.

One way they can do this is by saving on their medical prescriptions.

Martin Lewis and the Money Saving Expert team recently revealed that around one million people overpaid for their prescription in the 12 months to April 2021.

They argued that people missed out on average savings of £40 on medical prescriptions alone.

With the crisis set to get worse in April as tax rises take effect, along with a rise in the cap in energy bills by around £693 a year for the average household, even little ways of saving could soon be vital for many Brits.

Prescription charges could also soon rise, so how can Brits save on their prescriptions?

How can I save on my prescriptions?

People can save up to £40 per year on their medical prescriptions by avoiding individual payments on their medication.

If you regularly pay for medication, it is worth buying an NHS prepayment certificate for unlimited prescriptions.

An investigation by Money Saving Expert found that figures from the NHS Business Services Authority showed 1,063,648 people paid for at least 12 prescriptions in the 2020/21 financial year, with at least 16 prescriptions being purchased on average.

How much is an NHS prescription season ticket?

An NHS prescription season ticket – officially known as a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) – is now worth £108.10.

Those concerned about making such a large payment in one go should note that they do not have to pay it all at once – instead you can pay by direct debit in 10 instalments of £10.81 each.

With prices rises looming in April, it is entirely possible that the price of the PPC will go up. By how much it is not yet known, so it is recommended that those wanting to purchase their certificate should do so before the April deadline.

Will the price of my prescription go up?

It has not yet been confirmed if the price of NHS prescriptions will go up, but will likely do so if the current trend continues.

A single prescription currently costs £9.35 and prescriptions have gone up by 26.35% over the last 10 years.

A continuing of this trend would see another 2.63% increase this year, meaning prescriptions could go up to £9.57 in the next few weeks.

This change would only affect people in England as they remain free in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.