With commercial insurance that covers the drug, the Zepbound savings card gets you to $25 a month, and the Wegovy savings card does the same. Without that coverage, you’re looking at $299 to $499 a month depending on which pen you’re prescribed. That’s the short answer. The long answer depends a lot on your insurance, so let’s get into it.
Quick verdict
Zepbound savings card: best if your insurance already covers Zepbound. You’ll pay $25 a month. If your plan doesn’t cover it, Lilly’s self pay KwikPen option at $299 to $449 a month beats the card.
Wegovy savings card: same deal, $25 a month with covered insurance. Without coverage, the pill starts at $149 a month, which is the cheapest self-pay GLP-1 option either brand currently offers.
Skip both if you’re on Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or VA. Neither manufacturer card works with government insurance, though both companies have separate Medicare programs I’ll cover below.
What the Zepbound savings card actually costs
I went straight to zepbound.lilly.com/savings and pulled the current numbers. Here’s how it breaks down.
If your commercial insurance covers Zepbound single dose pen: you pay as little as $25 for a 1 month, 2 month, or 3 month prescription. Lilly caps its help at $100 for a 1-month fill, $200 for 2 months, or $300 for 3 months, and there’s a separate yearly cap of $1,300. You can use the card for up to 13 fills a year. So if your copay is already under $125 a month, this card basically wipes it out.
If your commercial insurance does NOT cover the single-dose pen, the card drops your price to as low as $499 for a 1-month fill. That’s a lot less generous, and honestly, most people in this bucket are better off looking at the next option.
The Zepbound KwikPen, self-pay: this is where it gets interesting. Lilly sells its newer KwikPen device at flat self pay prices through LillyDirect and other pharmacies, no insurance needed at all. The site lists it at $299 a month for the 2.5 mg dose, $399 for 5 mg, and $449 for 7.5 mg through 15 mg. That $449 top tier only holds if you refill within 45 days of your last delivery. Miss that window and the price reverts to the regular self pay rate, which climbs to $699 a month for the higher doses. Worth setting a calendar reminder for, honestly.
One more wrinkle. The site is clear that KwikPen and the single-dose pen are two different products with two different pricing programs, and you can’t mix and match. If your doctor writes for the pen, you’re in the $25 or $499 lane. If they write for the KwikPen, you’re in the $299 to $449 self-pay lane.
How sign-up works: you enroll at the Lilly site, agree to a HIPAA authorization, and either fill through LillyDirect’s home delivery or use the card at a regular pharmacy alongside your insurance card.
How to cancel: there’s nothing to cancel really. The card just stops working if you drop off eligibility, and it expires automatically at the end of 2026 anyway, since Lilly reissues it yearly.
Common complaints: the biggest one people run into is the card getting rejected at the pharmacy because their plan uses something called an alternate funding program, or AFP. If your insurance plan participates in one of those, you’re not eligible for the card at all, full stop. That’s genuinely frustrating, and there’s no workaround on Lilly’s end.
Who should use it: anyone with commercial insurance that covers Zepbound. It’s close to free money.
Who should skip it: if you’re uninsured or your plan won’t cover Zepbound, skip the regular savings card and go straight for the KwikPen self pay pricing instead. It’s a better deal for that situation.
What the Wegovy savings card actually costs
I pulled this straight from novocare.com, Novo Nordisk’s own pricing page, checked today.
With commercial insurance that covers Wegovy: you pay as little as $25 a month, and Novo Nordisk covers up to $100 of your monthly copay. Same structure as Lilly’s program.
Self pay, Wegovy pill (1.5 mg or 4 mg): starts at $149 a month. One quick note here: Novo Nordisk’s own site says this pricing updates after August 31, 2026, which is today as I’m writing this, so double check the current number before you count on it.
Self-pay, Wegovy pen: new patients get $199 a month for their first two fills of the 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg starter doses, an offer that runs through December 31, 2026. After that, or once you’re past those first two fills, it’s $349 a month for the standard pen doses.
Self-pay, Wegovy HD pen (7.2 mg): $399 a month.
That $149 pill price is genuinely the lowest self-pay number I found across either brand right now. If you’re uninsured and price is your main concern, that’s the one worth asking your doctor about.
How sign-up works: text SAVE to 83757 or fill out the form on NovoCare.com. You get a digital card in minutes and take it to your pharmacist along with your insurance card, or you can fill through NovoCare Pharmacy for home delivery.
How to cancel: again, nothing formal. The offer runs as long as you’re eligible and Novo Nordisk keeps the program active.
Common complaints: people report the same insurance headaches as with Zepbound. Government-insured patients (Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, VA) can’t use the copay card version, though Novo Nordisk’s site notes they can still access self-pay pricing outside their insurance.
Who should use it: commercially insured patients with Wegovy coverage, no question.
Who should skip it: if you’re weighing Wegovy against Zepbound purely on self-pay cost and you don’t need the injection, the Wegovy pill at $149 is hard to beat.
Zepbound vs Wegovy savings cards, side by side
| With covered insurance | $25/month | $25/month |
| Annual/monthly cap (covered) | $100/mo, $1,300/yr | $100/mo |
| Self pay starting price | $299/month (KwikPen 2.5mg) | $149/month (pill, 1.5 or 4mg) |
| Self pay pen | $499/month (single dose pen, insured but not covered) | $199/month intro, then $349/month |
| Medicare option | GLP-1 Bridge, up to $50/month | GLP-1 Bridge, $50/month |
| Government insurance allowed on card | No | No |
Pick Zepbound if your insurance already covers it, or if you and your doctor agree tirzepatide is the better fit for your situation. Ask your doctor about the difference [link: Zepbound vs Wegovy: Which One Is Right For You].
Pick Wegovy if you’re uninsured and cost is the deciding factor. The pill’s $149 starting price is the cheapest brand-name GLP-1 option on the market right now, full stop.
Other ways to save
Both companies now run a Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program that can bring your cost down to around $50 a month if you’re an eligible Medicare Part D patient being treated for weight management. It’s not a guarantee, and eligibility gets decided by CMS, not the drug maker, so talk to your doctor about whether you qualify. You can check our [link: Medicare and GLP-1 Coverage Guide] for more on that.
If neither savings card applies to you, it’s worth comparing GoodRx and other discount cards too, though in my experience they rarely beat what the manufacturer offers directly. See our [link: Best GLP-1 Discount Cards Compared] page for that breakdown. And if you’re still deciding between telehealth and going through your regular doctor, our [link: Best GLP-1 Programs page] walks through both routes.
FAQ
Does the Zepbound savings card work with Medicare? No. Both the covered and non-covered versions of the card specifically exclude Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, VA, and other government programs. There’s a separate GLP-1 Bridge program for Medicare patients instead.
Can I use the Wegovy savings card and GoodRx together? No, you can’t stack a manufacturer savings card with a separate discount coupon. Pick whichever gives you the lower price and use that one.
Why did my Zepbound savings card get rejected at the pharmacy? The most common reason is your insurance plan using an alternate funding program, which makes you ineligible no matter what. The card not being activated yet, or your prior authorization still pending, are the other usual suspects.
Is the Wegovy pill cheaper than the Wegovy pen? Yes, at self-pay pricing. The pill starts at $149 a month, well under the pen’s $199 introductory rate and its $349 standard rate.
Do these savings cards expire? Yes. Lilly’s current Zepbound card terms run through December 31, 2026, and get reissued yearly. Novo Nordisk’s offer terms are similarly subject to change without much notice, so it’s smart to double-check pricing each time you refill.
My honest take
Gonna be honest here, if your insurance covers either drug, this whole decision is easy: enroll in the card, pay $25, done. The real work starts when insurance says no. In that case, I’d point most people toward whichever self pay option is actually cheapest for their specific dose, not just whichever brand their doctor first suggested. Right now that’s the Wegovy pill at $149 for the lower doses. That could shift the moment either company updates its pricing page, and you can bet they will. Whatever you land on, talk it through with your doctor. They know your dose, your history, and your insurance details better than any savings card page does.