What Is an OTC Card? Medicare OTC Cards Explained for 2027
Reviewed October 13, 2026. An OTC card is a prepaid benefit card that some Medicare Advantage plans (and some Medicaid plans) load with an allowance for over-the-counter health items, such as pain relievers, vitamins and first aid supplies. You can’t apply for one on its own: you get it by enrolling in a plan that includes the benefit. Original Medicare doesn’t offer an OTC card, and the allowance, item list and stores are set by each plan for each year, including the 2027 plan year that starts January 1.
Quick answer: A Medicare OTC card pays only for eligible items at participating stores or through your plan’s catalog. It can’t be used for cash. Food is covered only if your plan includes a grocery allowance and you qualify, usually because of a chronic condition. To check what your card covers for 2027, read your plan’s 2027 Summary of Benefits or Annual Notice of Change before Open Enrollment ends on December 7, 2026.
What is an OTC card?
OTC stands for over-the-counter. A Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan may offer an OTC allowance as a supplemental benefit, and many plans deliver it on a prepaid card that refills monthly or quarterly. It isn’t cash, a Flexible Spending Account or a Health Savings Account. It’s a restricted balance that only works for your plan’s approved items at participating retailers, online or through the plan’s catalog.
Carriers use their own names for these cards. Examples for 2027 include the Aetna Medicare Extra Benefits Card, powered by CVS, the Wellcare Spendables card, the UnitedHealthcare UCard and the Humana Spending Account Card. Our carrier guides explain each one: Aetna OTC, Wellcare Spendables, AARP and UnitedHealthcare OTC for 2027, Humana OTC and the Humana Spending Account Card.
What is an OTC Network card?
OTC Network is a benefit card platform that some plans use behind their branded card. Its official app lets members check balances, view transactions, search eligible items, shop online, find participating retailers and scan products to check eligibility. If your card says OTC Network on it, you can use that app or the website printed on the card to check your balance and order online. Your plan, not OTC Network, decides your allowance and item list.
Is a “flex card” the same thing?
“Flex card” is a marketing term, not a Medicare benefit category. Depending on the plan, it may mean the same OTC card or a card that also holds dental, vision, grocery or utility allowances. Original Medicare doesn’t include a flex card benefit; these cards come only from private plans. Read our full guide to the Medicare flex card for seniors.
What can you buy with an OTC card?
OTC allowances and food allowances are different benefits, even when they share one card:
| Benefit on the card | Typical eligible items | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| OTC allowance | Pain relievers, cold and allergy medicine, vitamins, first aid, digestive health, dental care items | Members of plans that include an OTC benefit |
| Healthy food or grocery allowance | Produce, frozen and canned foods and other approved groceries | Usually members with qualifying chronic conditions (SSBCI), often in Special Needs Plans |
| Utilities, rent or other bills | Approved household bills at participating billers | Usually limited to certain chronic-condition or dual-eligible plans |
Your plan’s catalog or app is the only accurate list for your card. Items not on the list are declined at checkout, and you can pay for them another way.
Can I buy food with my OTC card?
Only if your plan includes a food allowance and you qualify. Grocery benefits in Medicare Advantage are usually Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI). CMS guidance says an enrollee must have one or more complex chronic conditions, be at high risk of hospitalization or other adverse outcomes, and need intensive care coordination. CMS allows food and produce to help these members meet nutritional needs, but not alcohol or tobacco. For carrier food lists, see the Aetna healthy food card and the Humana food card.
How to apply for an OTC card
There’s no separate application. Here’s how to get one:
- Compare Medicare Advantage plans in your ZIP code at Medicare.gov’s plan finder and look for an OTC benefit in each plan’s 2027 Summary of Benefits.
- Check the amount, how often it refills, whether it rolls over, and which stores take it.
- Enroll during a valid enrollment period, such as Open Enrollment from October 15 to December 7, 2026, for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.
- Your plan mails the card. Activate it as the instructions say before you shop.
- If you think you qualify for a chronic-condition food benefit, call member services; plans must post their SSBCI eligibility criteria.
Our guide to Medicare Advantage plans with OTC benefits for 2027 walks through the comparison.
What changes for OTC cards in 2027?
CMS’s Contract Year 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule sets new requirements for supplemental benefits delivered on debit cards. Cards must be electronically linked to plan-covered items and services through a real-time identification system, and limited to the specific plan year. The rule also clarifies SSBCI eligibility and requires plans to post their SSBCI eligibility criteria publicly. Allowance amounts are set by each plan, and many changed for 2027, so compare your Annual Notice of Change with your current benefits.
Where can you use an OTC card?
Participating retailers often include pharmacy, grocery and big-box chains, plus online and catalog ordering. A store carrying an eligible product doesn’t guarantee it can process your card, so check your plan’s store locator first. Store guides: Walmart, CVS, Target and Amazon.
How to order online and check your balance
- Sign in to the website or app printed on the back of your card, or your plan’s member portal.
- Browse the eligible items, add them to your cart and pay with your allowance; most plans ship catalog orders to your home.
- Check your balance online, in the app, or by calling the number on the card.
See how to check your OTC card balance and where to sign in for your plan.
Can you withdraw cash from an OTC card?
No. Supplemental benefit cards only pay for approved items and services. They can’t be used at an ATM, converted to cash or used for cash back, and the 2027 CMS rule ties cards to plan-covered items.
Does the balance roll over?
It depends on the plan. Some plans let unused money roll from month to month or quarter to quarter, while others expire it at the end of each period. Under the 2027 rule, cards are limited to the plan year, so unused money doesn’t carry into the next year. Check your Evidence of Coverage.
Watch for OTC and flex card scams
The benefit is real, but it’s used as bait during enrollment season. Medicare.gov’s plan marketing rules say plans can’t advertise without naming specific plans, use confusing words or misleading Medicare logos, or offer cash or gifts worth more than $15 to get you to join. Medicare won’t call you uninvited to ask for your Medicare number. If you’re unsure about an offer, hang up and call your plan using the number on your card, or 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Frequently asked questions
What is a Medicare OTC card?
A prepaid card from a Medicare Advantage plan that pays for approved over-the-counter health items. Original Medicare doesn’t include one.
How do I apply for an OTC card?
Enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes an OTC benefit. The plan mails the card after you join.
What food items are eligible on an OTC card?
Only plans with a food allowance cover groceries, typically produce, frozen and canned foods and other approved items, for members who qualify. Your plan’s list is the final word.
Is the OTC Network card the same as my plan’s card?
If your plan’s card shows OTC Network, yes: OTC Network is the platform behind it. Your plan sets the allowance and item list.
Is the Medicare flex card legit?
Cards from a Medicare Advantage plan you’re enrolled in are real benefits. Ads suggesting Medicare hands out cards to anyone who calls are misleading.
Does Amazon accept OTC cards?
Some plans’ cards work on Amazon and many don’t. Check your plan’s card program page; see our Amazon guide.
This article is general information. Medicare365 is not affiliated with any insurance carrier, card vendor or the U.S. government. Benefits vary by plan and county; check your plan’s Evidence of Coverage.
Sources
- CMS: Contract Year 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule
- CMS: Supplemental benefits for the chronically ill (PDF)
- Medicare.gov: Plan marketing rules
- OTC Network app (App Store listing)
- Aetna: 2027 Medicare Advantage plans
- Wellcare: 2027 Medicare offerings
- UnitedHealthcare: 2027 Medicare Advantage plans