How to Shop OTC Items Online With Your UnitedHealthcare OTC Card (UCard)

What the UnitedHealthcare OTC card (UCard) is and what it pays for

The UnitedHealthcare UCard is a single card that replaces the separate member ID card and benefit cards that Medicare Advantage members used to carry. Your over-the-counter (OTC) benefit credit is preloaded onto this same card. When you check out, the UCard automatically recognizes which products are covered, so you do not have to figure out eligibility on your own.

The OTC benefit is meant to help you pay for everyday health and wellness items, such as approved health products you would normally buy at a pharmacy or general store. Depending on your specific plan, the same card may also carry separate credits for healthy food and utility bills, but those are different benefits from the OTC product credit.

Important: this OTC/UCard benefit is plan-specific. It is available only on eligible UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage and Dual Special Needs (D-SNP) plans. Original Medicare does not include an OTC card or OTC credit. Always check your own plan documents to confirm what your card covers.

Activate your UCard and find the UCard Hub

You must activate your UCard before you can use it to make any purchases. There are two simple ways to do this.

After activating, your online home for the benefit is the UCard Hub. You can reach the UCard Hub two ways: by signing in to your member account on the UnitedHealthcare website, or by opening the UnitedHealthcare app on your phone or tablet.

• Online: Sign in to your UnitedHealthcare account at the member website. Once signed in, follow the prompts to activate your card.
• By phone: Call the phone number printed on the sticker attached to the front of your new card.

How to shop for OTC items online, step by step

Once your UCard is activated, shopping online takes just a few minutes.

• Step 1: Sign in to the member website or open the UnitedHealthcare app.
• Step 2: Go to the UCard Hub.
• Step 3: Browse or search covered OTC products by category, brand, or price.
• Step 4: Add the items you want to your cart.
• Step 5: Check out using the credit already loaded on your UCard — the card knows what is covered, so eligible items are paid from your OTC balance.
• Step 6: Your order ships to you, and the amount is deducted from your available OTC credit.

Check your balance and confirm an item is covered

Your UCard balance and your transaction history are both available in the UCard Hub, which you open through the UnitedHealthcare app or your online member account. Checking your balance before you shop helps you avoid running short at checkout.

If you are not sure whether a specific product qualifies, the UnitedHealthcare app includes a product scanner. You can scan a product's barcode and the app will tell you in real time whether it is an eligible OTC item before you buy it. This is especially handy when shopping in a store.

• Balance and history: UCard Hub, in the app or your member account.
• Eligibility check: scan a product barcode with the UnitedHealthcare app to confirm coverage before purchase.
• Online: the UCard Hub only displays products that are covered, so what you see is what you can buy with your credit.

What is covered, what is not, and where you can shop

The OTC benefit covers eligible health-related items. Some common products are NOT covered, so it helps to know the exclusions before you shop.

A note on third-party sites: the way to buy OTC items is through UnitedHealthcare's own UCard Hub catalog and participating stores. Do not assume your OTC credit works on outside retailers' general websites. If you want to use a specific retailer, confirm it is a participating store through the UCard Hub store finder first.

• Commonly NOT covered: cosmetics, baby items, hair products, hygiene products, moisturizers, teeth-whitening products, alternative medicines such as probiotics, and food or meal supplements including weight-loss products.
• Where to shop online: through the UCard Hub on the UnitedHealthcare website or app.
• Where to shop in person: at participating stores nationwide, including retailers such as Walmart, Walgreens, and Dollar General. UnitedHealthcare lists roughly 65,000 participating stores, and you can find locations using the store finder in the UCard Hub.
• In-store checkout: swipe your UCard at the register like a debit or credit card; eligible items are paid from your OTC credit.

Credit timing, expiration, and what changed for 2026

How often your OTC credit loads depends on your plan. Some plans add the credit monthly and others add it quarterly. Your Evidence of Coverage (EOC) document spells out the schedule and amount for your specific plan.

Unused OTC credits generally expire at the end of the benefit period and do not roll over to the next period, so it is best to use your credit before it resets. UnitedHealthcare offers Balance Rescue alerts that remind you to spend remaining credit before it expires.

For 2026, there is an important distinction between the OTC product credit and the healthy food and utility credit.

• OTC products: For 2026, you do NOT need a qualifying chronic condition to keep your full monthly OTC product credit. The OTC credit continues to be added each month and can also be used on select wellness items such as certain fitness products.
• Food and utility bills: For 2026, spending your monthly credit on healthy food and utility bills requires verification of a qualifying chronic condition. UnitedHealthcare reports it has already verified a qualifying condition for 95% of eligible members.
• Always confirm your own schedule, amounts, and rules in your plan's Evidence of Coverage, since benefits vary by plan.