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GoodRx Prices Can Vary Using Their Cards vs Their Website

A funny thing happened when picking up a prescription at my local Stop & Shop pharmacy. I asked the pharmacist to compare the price using my health insurance prescription drug plan versus the GoodRx price. GoodRx is a free discount drug service.

He said that GoodRx was less than my insurance. (This has happened before and it raises a whole other issue of how in the world when paying for prescription coverage can their price wind up being more expensive than the price with a free discount card?)

With the GoodRx number I had given the pharmacy years ago, the price came to $8.68.

GoodRx price old card

I was a bit shocked because I had checked the price at the GoodRx website for this particular pharmacy, and it was almost double what the pharmacy actually charged using my old card.

*MOUSE PRINT:

GoodRx website price

The pharmacist said there was no rhyme or reason for the various prices charged or how it is possible that discount cards can offer better prices than real insurance coverage.

We asked GoodRx how a price using one of their old cards could differ so dramatically from their current website price at the same particular pharmacy. Here is what a spokesperson told us, in relevant part:

There are a few things that may have led to the discrepancy between the price with your prior, physical card and the price you see on our website:

Contracted reimbursement: Some of the prior pricing we distributed under our ‘PBM marketplace’ model, particularly via direct mail, were individually contracted between PBMs and pharmacies. While some of these legacy PBM cards may be accepted at point of sale based on their legacy agreements, and could have lower pricing and margins to retail, we want to make sure both our consumers and retail pharmacies have a sustainable and reliable experience at the counter.

We also checked with NeedyMeds.org, a nonprofit that connects consumers to affordable medication programs. Their president echoed GoodRx’s comments suggesting that the old card may have had a better pricing structure, and that reimbursement rates change online quickly and can vary among processors.

Whatever the reason for the difference, it pays to double-check the price if you have an old GoodRx card laying around or on file at your pharmacy. You could save money.

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Are CapitalOne Shopping Rewards Too Good To Be True?

Almost daily MrConsumer has been receiving seemingly too-good-to-be-true offers from CapitalOne Shopping. Here are four recent ones.

CapitalOne Shopping TurboTax

Since TurboTax Deluxe was on sale at Sam’s Club for $44.99, getting $30 back on that purchase would make the net price only $14.99. That’s an unheard of deal.

CapitalOne Shopping Walgreens

Are they really going to give me $20 of free merchandise at Walgreens? Or is the offer just 20% off?

CapitalOne shopping Dollar Tree

Can you really get a $20 rebate on a $20+ purchase at Dollar Tree? Is it only for these cookies, or on any products?

CapitalOne shopping Shaws $50

Is CapitalOne Shopping really offering $50 off a $50 grocery purchase at Shaw’s supermarkets? The only stated exclusions are subscriptions and gift cards.

To some, CapitalOne Shopping makes it seem like you will get these dollars off on your purchases at these stores. Not so. What they do is let you accumulate “rewards” and then cash them in for e-gift cards (see list) from major retailers. They are not cash rebates nor credits that can be applied to your purchase or credit card balance.

There is absolutely no explanation of these offers in the emails or when you clickthrough to the retailers’ website to take advantage of them. There are some exclusions listed like for tobacco, pharmacy, and gift cards depending on the offer. The only relevant detailed disclosures are in their long terms statement and this link in the emails, but it does not explain specific offers:

*MOUSE PRINT:

CapitalOne Shopping fine print from email

Each offer says “Limit 1 email bonus per user.” Does that mean I can only use each offer once, or that of all the emailed offers I receive, I can only use one of them? Can I use any credit card or do I have to use a CapitalOne card? We asked the PR folks some pointed questions including why there is no explanation of how to participate in these offers in each email and what the real terms are. We got no answer to our multiple requests.

If you like the idea of getting savings in the form of gift cards from their limited selection, then this could be a great deal even if you are only allowed one of their super-duper email offers. (They offer an $80 bonus for new sign-ups with lots of strings, and there are some additional high-value offers on their homepage.)

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Hershey Is Skimping on Reese’s Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter

The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups last week called out Hershey for cheapening some newer Reese’s products to no longer include real milk chocolate and real peanut butter. This is a dramatic a change from the decades-old promise of how the product is made (and a good example of skimpflation):

Writing a letter to the brand manager at Hershey’s for various Reese’s products, Brad Reese, asked:

“How does The Hershey Co. continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese’s trust in the first place?”

As an example, Reese’s miniature hearts that were marketed this Valentine’s Day, used to be made with real ingredients but now are made with cheaper composite chocolate and peanut butter creme.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Reese's skimpflation

It appears that real peanut butter was not used in last year’s version of the mini-hearts either.

On his Linked-in page, Mr. Reese gave another example of the traditional ingredients missing from revamped Reese’s products:

Reese's mini eggs

He explained:

Today, February 3, 2026, The Hershey Company launched REESE’S Mini Eggs Unwrapped. When a brand like REESE’S built on two ingredients; Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter, quietly swaps both, that’s not innovation. That’s a breach. And the proof is right on the REESE’S packs shown below.

Front of pack: “Chocolate Candy” and “Peanut Butter Creme.”

Back of pack: Vegetable oils where “Cocoa Butter” once stood. Hydrogenated oils where real “Peanut Butter” once led.

The original Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have not been changed… yet.

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