If you pay out of pocket for generic prescriptions, here is how Cost Plus Drug Company works
Cost Plus Drug Company is an online pharmacy that sells generic prescription medications at a fixed, transparent markup above the company's actual acquisition cost. This page explains how Cost Plus Drugs Company works. It give information, on plain-English, how the company prices its medications, what the ordering process involves, how the Team Cuban Card works for patients who prefer picking up at a local pharmacy, and where Cost Plus does and doesn't make sense compared to other options
There are no membership fees, no insurance required, and no coupons to look up. A patient finds their medication on the website, gets a prescription sent there by their doctor, and pays the listed price plus a shipping fee. What the site shows is what the patient pays. For a broader comparison of prescription savings tools, see the guide to websites for finding lower-cost prescription drugs.
- DISCLAIMER: This page describes how Cost Plus Drug Company operates based on publicly available information. Drug availability, pricing, and fees can change. Check https://www.costplusdrugs.com/ directly for current prices on a specific medication before transferring a prescription.
How the pricing works
Cost Plus Drugs uses a cost-plus pricing model, which means every medication is priced the same way: the company's acquisition cost, plus a 15% markup, plus a $3 pharmacy labor fee per medication. Shipping is added at checkout and currently runs approximately $5 for standard delivery. A patient can see this breakdown itemized on the website for any drug before placing an order — the acquisition cost, the markup amount, and the fees are all listed separately.
This model produces prices that are substantially lower than retail pharmacy prices on many common generics. The savings are not universal — some drugs are already priced competitively through other channels — but for medications where retail prices are high and generics are available, Cost Plus often undercuts what a patient would pay with or without insurance.
The pharmacy does not accept insurance and is not set up to bill a plan. All purchases are cash-pay. For many patients filling common generics, the Cost Plus price is lower than their insurance copay anyway, making the lack of insurance acceptance a practical non-issue for those purchases.
What is available
Cost Plus Drugs carries more than 2,000 generic prescription medications, covering common conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid disorders, depression, and gastrointestinal conditions, among others. The catalog has grown significantly since the pharmacy launched in 2022 and continues to expand.
The pharmacy does not currently carry brand-name drugs still under patent, which limits its usefulness for patients whose prescriptions have no generic equivalent. It also does not carry controlled substances. For a specific drug, the first step is searching costplusdrugs.com to confirm the medication is available and to see the current price before contacting a doctor or transferring a prescription.
How to order
A patient needs a valid prescription from a U.S.-licensed provider to order through Cost Plus Drugs. The prescription can be sent directly by the provider's office via electronic prescribing, or an existing prescription can be transferred from another pharmacy. The patient creates a free account, searches for their medication, and places the order. Standard shipping takes approximately three to five business days from the company's facility in Dallas, Texas.
Because of the shipping window, Cost Plus Drugs works best for maintenance medications — drugs taken regularly for ongoing conditions — where a patient can plan ahead. It is less suited for medications needed immediately or for short-course prescriptions such as antibiotics, where the wait for delivery may not be practical.
The Team Cuban Card — for patients who prefer a local pharmacy
For patients who want Cost Plus Drugs pricing without ordering by mail, the Team Cuban Card provides access to the same pricing model at participating retail pharmacies. The card is free to obtain and is tied to a unique account number for each patient.
Unlike standard prescription discount cards, the Team Cuban Card is not accepted everywhere — it works only at Cost Plus Drugs affiliate pharmacies. The pharmacy locator at https://www.teamcubancard.com/ shows participating locations. The network includes pharmacies in all 50 states, including both chain and independent pharmacies, and has expanded significantly since the card launched.
When a patient uses the Team Cuban Card at a participating pharmacy, the pricing structure is the same as the online model — acquisition cost plus 15% markup — with a dispensing fee paid to the pharmacy rather than a shipping fee. The card is particularly useful for patients who prefer in-person pickup, need a prescription quickly, or live in an area where mail delivery of medications is unreliable.
Where Cost Plus makes sense and where it doesn't
Cost Plus Drugs is most useful for patients who take one or more common generic medications on an ongoing basis and are currently paying retail price or a high insurance copay. For those patients, checking whether their medication is available on https://www.costplusdrugs.com/ and comparing the all-in price is a straightforward exercise that can result in meaningful savings on chronic condition medications.
It is worth checking other options alongside Cost Plus. Free discount card services such as GoodRx and SingleCare search prices at retail pharmacies and sometimes produce prices that are comparable to or lower than Cost Plus, particularly for medications that are already priced competitively at large chains. The Walmart $4 generic program covers a number of common drugs at a flat low price that may also compare favorably. Running the same drug through two or three of these tools before deciding where to fill it takes a few minutes and is a reasonable habit for anyone paying out of pocket. The guide to prescription drug discount cards and Rx apps covers additional options.
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