Credits for OTC products, healthy food and utility bills

See how eligible Medicare Advantage members can use credits

If you’re a member with a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan, your plan may offer credits that allow you to purchase products to support your overall health and wellness. Read on to learn how to use these credits to get more for your everyday needs by using the UnitedHealthcare UCard®.

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Use your mobile device to check your balance, use the product scanner, shop with your digital UCard and more.

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View your OTC credits in the UnitedHealthcare app

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What is the over-the-counter (OTC) benefit?

For eligible members with UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, credits will be loaded to your UCard to help pay for covered over-the-counter (OTC) products. Qualifying members may also use their credits to help pay for healthy food, utilities or wellness support including in-home services, weight management counseling, caregiver relief and more.

It's one of the many ways we're here with support you can count on for everyday life.

Verification may be required to spend credits on healthy food and utilities

For eligible UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, credits will be loaded onto your UCard to help pay for covered over-the-counter (OTC) products. For 2027, verification of a qualifying chronic condition and more complex health needs will be required to spend your OTC credit on healthy food and utilities. Verification is specific to your plan provider, and if you change carriers you will need to be re-verified.

Learn about the new eligibility requirements

How and when do I get my benefit credits?

Credits are loaded to your UCard either monthly or quarterly, depending on the type of benefit you have. Here’s how it works:

Over-the-counter benefit credits
If you have a benefit that offers:	Credits loaded to eligible members' UCard:
OTC credits	Quarterly
OTC and healthy food credits	Monthly
OTC, healthy food and utilities credits	Monthly

What products are covered by my credits?

You can use your credits to shop for a variety of brand name or generic covered products. These can include the following examples and more:

OTC

Cold, flu and allergy¹
Digestive health
First aid
Incontinence products
Oral care
Pain relief¹
Smoking cessation¹
Vitamins and minerals¹
And more

Healthy foods

Bread and grains
Dairy products and eggs
Fruits and vegetables
Meat and seafood
Pantry and prepared foods
Water, coffee, tea and juice
And more

Utilities

Electric
Heat
Home phone
Internet
Natural gas
Sanitation
Sewer
Water

Want to see if a product is covered? 

With our product scanner, it’s easy to check which products are covered while you’re shopping in-store. The product scanner is available in the UnitedHealthcare app. Use your mobile device to scan the QR code and download the app.

With our product scanner, it’s easy to check which products are covered while you’re shopping in-store. Download the UnitedHealthcare app to get the product scanner on your mobile device.

Open the app

How can I shop in a store using my UCard?

Our retail network is always expanding. You can shop at any of the more than 70,000 participating stores nationwide, including Walmart, Walgreens, Dollar General, Target and neighborhood stores near you. For a full list of participating stores, sign in and visit the Store Finder on the UCard Hub.

At checkout, there are 2 ways to use your UCard:

Simply swipe your card, just like most other debit or credit cards
Scan your digital UCard barcode in the UnitedHealthcare app (available at most store locations)

How can I shop online with my benefit credit?

To shop online, visit the UCard Hub by signing in to your member site or opening the UnitedHealthcare app. There, it’s easy to search for covered products by category, brand or price. Choose the products you’d like, then follow the prompts to complete your purchases using your credit.

How do I use my UCard to pay for utilities if I qualify?

However you choose to pay, make sure to have your UCard, government-issued ID and a copy of your utility bill handy.

Directly with your utility company – You can now use your UCard to pay utility bills directly with your utility company, as long as they accept Mastercard and are set up as an eligible utility provider.

Online – Use your UCard to help pay approved utility bills on the same site you shop for covered products. You can easily search for an eligible company within our Bill Pay network to pay for utility services on your member site or the UnitedHealthcare app.

In-store – If eligible, use your UCard to help pay approved utility bills at your local Walmart MoneyCenter. Payments must be submitted to billers within the Walmart Bill Pay network. Once bill pay is set up, you can simply use your phone number to look up an account with an existing utility company or add a new one and make a payment with your UCard.

If the payment from your UCard does not cover the full amount owed, you are responsible for paying any remaining balance due using another form of payment accepted by the utility company.

Ready, set, shop 

The over-the-counter credit can be used to get everyday health care products at no cost. It gives you the flexibility to choose from thousands of brand name and generic products. Listen to a member talk about the convenience of using her UCard to buy OTC products.

Watch how the OTC credit can help with everyday needs

Video transcript

[Video of Mary in her home, getting her wallet from her purse]

[MARY SPEAKING ON SCREEN]

MARY M.: It’s very simple with the UCard. I love it. It’s right there at my fingertips, all the time.

[Video of Mary holding her UCard]

My purse is always with me, and so I’ve always got the UCard handy.

[Text On Screen – Mary. M., UnitedHealthcare Complete Care Member]

They cover a wide variety of nice things that you can get.

[Text On Screen – If you have diabetes, UnitedHealthcare helps you get the most from your benefits with UnitedHealthcare Complete Care.]

[Video of Mary and a partner having a meal at the dining room table]

I was pleasantly surprised to find out I could use it at Walmart, when I was in there one day, and they said, oh, yeah, you can use your UCard here. I buy Tylenol, ibuprofen, mouthwash. UnitedHealthcare has really covered it all, in one card.

[Text On Screen – UnitedHealthcare Medicare Plans *Plans are insured throughout UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Advantage Organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment on the plan depends on the plans’ contract renewal with Medicare. Benefits, features and/or devices may vary by plan/area. Limitations, exclusions and/or network restrictions may apply. Other pharmacies are available in our network. Y0066_241028_100441_M]

Looking for member resources for other plans?

View member resources for more UnitedHealthcare plans

Footnotes

ISNP plans only. Non-covered OTC items include and are not limited to allergy, cold and flu, pain relievers, stomach remedies, tobacco cessation, and/or vitamins in their assortment.

Disclaimers

Benefits, features and/or devices may vary by plan/area. Limitations, exclusions and/or network restrictions may apply. OTC, food, utility and wellness support benefits have expiration timeframes. Review your Evidence of Coverage (EOC) for more information. The healthy food and utilities benefit is a special supplemental benefit only available to chronically ill enrollees with a qualifying condition, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, chronic heart failure, chronic high blood pressure and/or chronic high cholesterol who also meet plan criteria indicating they are at high risk for hospitalization and eligible for intensive care coordination. There may be other qualifying chronic conditions not listed. If you use this benefit for certain utilities, it may be considered income for housing assistance. Check with your housing authority for details. †Select fitness items are only available through the member site or by phone. Shipping terms and minimum order requirements may vary by plan.

Item and brand eligibility/availability subject to change.

All brands listed are trademarked by their respective manufacturers.

Certain wellness support services are provided by third parties not affiliated with UnitedHealthcare and participation may be subject to your acceptance of the third parties’ respective terms and policies. UnitedHealthcare is not responsible for the services provided by third parties.

No Cash (except as required by law) or ATM Access. See cardholder agreement for fees and terms of use. Issued by Optum Bank, Inc., Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard. Program managed by Optum Financial, Inc. Funds expire. See cardholder agreement at ucardhub.uhc.com. In-network retailers are subject to change. Mastercard® is a trademark owned by Mastercard International Inc. and used under license.

Benefits and any rewards are administered by Optum Financial, Inc. on behalf of itself and its subsidiaries. Funds made available for your use in the program(s) are subject to use restrictions, are not cash, and are not owned by you. UCard benefits must be utilized at participating retailers and may only be used to purchase specific items in accordance with your benefit program. All brands listed are trademarked by their respective manufacturers. Item and brand eligibility/availability subject to change.