What Can You Buy With the Aetna Extra Benefits Card? 2027 Food List, Stores and How to Get It
Updated October 20, 2026. With the Aetna Medicare Extra Benefits Card, members who qualify can buy healthy foods such as fresh, frozen or canned produce, fresh meats and pantry staples like flour, spices and butter, plus personal care and cleaning products. The food money sits in the card’s Extra Supports Wallet, which only members with a qualifying chronic condition can use. For 2027 the card is “powered by CVS Flex Benefits™” and works in store at participating locations, including CVS, online at CVS.com/Aetna, in the app or by phone.
Quick answer: You don’t apply for an Aetna food card separately. You get the Extra Benefits Card by enrolling in an Aetna Medicare Advantage plan that includes it, and the grocery part unlocks only after Aetna confirms you meet the plan’s chronic-condition (SSBCI) criteria. Aetna’s 2027 plan summaries say: “Enrollment in the plan does not guarantee eligibility.”
What can you buy with the Aetna Extra Benefits Card?
What you can buy depends on which wallets your plan puts on the card. Aetna lists these wallets:
| Wallet | What it can pay for | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| OTC Wallet / CVS OTC Wallet | Approved over-the-counter health products (CVS OTC Wallet: at CVS stores, online or by phone) | Members of plans with an OTC benefit |
| Extra Supports Wallet | Approved OTC products, healthy foods and personal care products, plus some utility bills and public transportation or rideshare | Members with a qualifying chronic condition in plans that offer it |
| Medical Expense Wallet | Plan-covered services at health care providers’ offices | Members of plans that include it |
Source: Aetna: What is the Extra Benefits Card? For the OTC side of the card, see our Aetna OTC benefits 2027 guide.
Aetna food card list: eligible food categories
Aetna’s D-SNP card page lists these Extra Supports Wallet categories (Aetna: What does the Extra Benefits Card cover?):
- Healthy food: fresh, frozen or canned produce; fresh meats; pantry staples such as flour, spices and butter
- Personal care and cleaning: soap, shampoo, conditioner and cleaning products
- Utilities and transportation: gas at the pump, public transit, rideshare, and natural gas, electricity and cell phone bills
Items outside your plan’s approved list are declined at checkout. CMS’s 2027 rule requires supplemental-benefit debit cards to be “electronically linked to plan-covered items and services through a real-time identification mechanism” and limited to the plan year, so the card can’t be used for cash (CMS CY 2027 final rule fact sheet).
What can you buy with the Aetna NationsBenefits card?
Older Aetna plans used NationsBenefits. Aetna’s 2024 Summary of Benefits for Aetna Medicare Dual Signature Select (HMO D-SNP) H5325-011 said, “We have partnered with NationsBenefits to provide this benefit to you.” By 2026, Aetna’s card was run by OTC Health Solutions, a CVS Health company, and for 2027 it’s powered by CVS Flex Benefits. If you still have an old NationsBenefits card, check with Aetna Member Services before using it; your current card and instructions come from your 2027 plan materials.
How to apply for the Aetna food card
There’s no separate application. Here’s how members get the grocery benefit:
- Join a plan that has it. Not every Aetna plan includes the Extra Benefits Card or an Extra Supports Wallet. Check the plan’s 2027 Summary of Benefits or Annual Notice of Change. You can switch plans during Medicare Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7, 2026, for coverage starting January 1, 2027.
- Have a qualifying chronic condition. Aetna lists conditions that “include but are not limited to: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes,” plus cardiovascular disorders and chronic lung disorders. Aetna’s C-SNPs list certain cardiovascular disorders, congestive heart failure and diabetes.
- Get confirmed. Once Aetna confirms you qualify, the 2027 plan summaries say your OTC Wallet amount changes into the Extra Supports Wallet, and “You will not get any additional funds.” Benefits aren’t paid for any time before eligibility is confirmed.
Aetna’s 2027 announcement adds that “All C-SNP and D-SNP members get a monthly allowance on an Extra Benefits Card for certain OTC products,” and qualifying members can use it for “certain healthy groceries, personal care products, transportation and utilities” (CVS Health, October 2026).
2027 Aetna Extra Benefits Card examples by plan
Amounts vary by plan and county. These are from Aetna’s 2027 Summaries of Benefits:
| 2027 plan | Card benefit | Food eligible? |
|---|---|---|
| Aetna Medicare Full Dual Select HMO D-SNP, H1609-090, Palm Beach County, FL | $367 monthly | Yes, it becomes the Extra Supports Wallet if you qualify |
| Aetna Medicare Full Dual Care (HMO D-SNP) H8597-003, Houston-area counties, TX | $70 monthly, plus a $30 monthly Extra Supports HVP Wallet if you qualify and choose a High Value PCP | Yes, if you qualify |
| Aetna Medicare Prime Extra (HMO) H4982-026, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, CA | $30 quarterly CVS OTC Wallet | No, OTC only |
Sources: Aetna 2027 Summaries of Benefits for H1609-090, H8597-003 and H4982-026 (Aetna documents hosted by medicareadvantage.com). For a 2026 comparison, Aetna’s Illinois FIDE D-SNP (H9771) listed “$225 each month” in 2026.
What stores accept the Aetna healthy foods card?
Aetna’s 2027 plan summaries say the card works “in-store at authorized participating locations including CVS® retail locations (excluding locations inside other stores),” and also through the CVS Flex Benefits™ app, CVS.com/Aetna or by phone. Aetna doesn’t publish a public list of grocery chains; the full list of participating stores appears after you sign in at CVS.com/Aetna. For store-specific tips, see using OTC benefits at Walmart and CVS OTC benefits.
How to activate the card and check your balance
- Your card arrives by mail with a sticker that tells you how to activate it by phone, online or in the app. If you had a card in 2026 and stay in the same plan, Aetna says to “keep your card.”
- Check each wallet’s balance at CVS.com/Aetna or in the app.
- Aetna’s Extra Benefits Card page lists 1-844-428-8147 (TTY: 711). For eligibility questions, call the Member Services number on your Aetna ID card.
More tips: how to check your OTC card balance.
Frequently asked questions
What foods can I buy with my Aetna Extra Benefits Card?
If you qualify for the Extra Supports Wallet: fresh, frozen or canned produce, fresh meats and pantry staples such as flour, spices and butter. Your plan’s approved product list is final.
How do I apply for the Aetna food card?
You don’t apply separately. Enroll in an Aetna plan that includes the Extra Benefits Card with an Extra Supports Wallet, then meet the plan’s chronic-condition criteria.
What stores accept the Aetna healthy foods card?
Participating locations including CVS retail stores, plus online and app orders through CVS.com/Aetna. Sign in to see every participating store near you.
Is the Aetna card still run by NationsBenefits?
No. For 2027 Aetna says the card is powered by CVS Flex Benefits. NationsBenefits ran some Aetna plans’ card benefits in earlier years, such as 2024.
Does the Aetna food allowance roll over?
Allowances are limited to the period and plan year in your plan documents. The 2024 Aetna plan we reviewed said unused amounts “will not roll over into the next month,” and CMS requires cards to be limited to the plan year. Check your 2027 Evidence of Coverage.
Does Original Medicare give a food card?
No. Grocery allowances come only from some Medicare Advantage plans. See our Medicare food allowance guide and OTC and food cards by insurer.
This article is general information, not plan-specific advice. Benefits vary by plan and county; check your plan’s Evidence of Coverage. Medicare365 is not affiliated with Aetna, CVS Health or the U.S. government.