The CDC recommends that anyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot every year. That means not only should all the adults in your household get flu shots, so should your kids as long as they are older than 6 months. Most health insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover flu shots and most other vaccines.
The best place to get a flu shot is Costco and it cost $20. Anyone can get a flu shot at Costco without membership because health services must be open to the public. Some other cheap places to get flu shots are Walgreen, Rite Aid, and Safeway.
If you or your loved ones are uninsured or are under a plan that requires a co-pay, you can save quite a bit of money by doing some comparison shopping and finding the cheapest place to get the flu shot. There are also special deals and discount coupons that can help you save even more.
Here is a glance at the best places to get flu shots:
| Number of Locations | Price for Regular Flu Shot | Price for Regular Flu Shot with GoodRX Coupon | Additional Deal | |
| Costco | 800 | $20 | $20 | None |
| Walgreen | 9,000 | $41 | $28.16 | None |
| Rite Aid | 2,500 | $40 | $27.29 | None |
| Safeway | 900 | $39 | $27.24 | 10% off your next grocery purchase |
| CVS | 10,000 | $40 | $40 | “$5 off $20” coupon for your next purchase |
High Dose Flu Shots For Seniors over 65
| High Dose Flu Shot (for Seniors 65+) | High Dose Flu Shot (for Seniors 65+) with GoodRX Coupon | |
| Costco | $46.5 | $46.5 |
| Walgreen | $70 | $45 |
| Rite Aid | $61 | $45 |
| Safeway | $83 | $45 |
| CVS | $70 | $47 |
Related: 13 Great Jobs for Seniors | Hourly Pay $10-$24
Flu Shot at Safeway
Safeway is a chain of grocery stores that primarily operates in the American West with some stores located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern Seaboard. It has about 900 locations altogether.
Most Safeway stores come with a pharmacy that offers flu shots. Safeway pharmacy accepts most health insurance plans. So unless you are on an insurance plan that requires co-payment for flu shots, you can get a flu shot for free at Safeway.
For those who do not have insurance, Safeway charges $39 for the regular quadrivalent (protects against 4 strains of flu virus) flu shot. If you are over 65, you need to get a high dose flu shot which costs $83 at Safeway.
GoodRX offers free discount coupons for flu shots at Safeway. With the coupon, regular flu shot costs $27.24, high dose flu shot costs $45. Just go here to print out the free coupon, show it to the pharmacist, and you are good to go.
Tip 2: As of Oct 2020, Safeway is advertising a coupon for 10% off your next grocery purchase with any immunization. If you spend $100 on groceries, that will be a $10 saving.
Flu Shot at Walgreens
Walgreens is the 2nd largest chain of drug stores in the United States behind only CVS Health. It operates more than 9,000 locations all over the US. Just like other chains on this list, Walgreens accepts most health insurance plans. So if you are on a plan that does not require co-pay for flu shot, you can get a flu shot at Walgreens for free.
For those who do not have insurance, Walgreens charges $41 for the regular quadrivalent flu shot. For the high dose flu shot that is designed for seniors over 65, Walgreens charges $70.
GoodRX offers free discount coupons for flu shots at Walgreen. With the coupon, regular flu shot costs $28.16, high dose flu shot costs $45. Just go here to print out the free coupon, show it to the pharmacist, and you are good to go.
Flu Shot at Costco
Costco is a discount warehouse club that operates a chain of close to 800 stores in the United States. Normally, you would need to be a member to shop at Costco, and membership costs $60 per year. But anyone can get a flu shot at Costco without the need to be a member.
For those with insurance, you can likely get a flu shot at Costco for free as Costco accepts most insurance plans. For those without insurance, Costco has one of the lowest list prices for flu shots – $20 for a regular flu shot and $46.50 for a high dose flu shot that is designed for seniors over 65.
Flu Shot at CVS
CVS is the largest chain of drug stores in the United States. It operates close to 10,000 stores all over the country. CVS accepts most health insurance plans. So if you are on a plan that does not require co-pay for flu shot, you can get a flu shot at CVS for free.
For those who do not have insurance, CVS charges $40 for the regular quadrivalent flu shot. For the high dose flu shot specifically designed for seniors over 65, CVS charges $70.
GoodRX offers free discount coupons for flu shots at CVS. With the coupon, a high dose flu shot costs $47. Just go here to print out the free coupon, show it to the pharmacist, and you are good to go.
Tip: Through Oct 31, 2020, CVS is offering a special deal for flu shots – you will get a “$5 off $20” shopping coupon when you get a flu shot at CVS. This deal remains valid even if you get your flu shot for free under your insurance plan
Flu Shot at Target
Target has close to 1,900 locations in the United States. All of Target’s pharmacies are now run by CVS, so the prices of flu shots at Target are the same as that of CVS – $40 for the regular flu shot and $70 for the high dose flu shot designed for seniors over 65.
Tip: Target is running a special promotion for flu shots – get a flu shot at Target and you will get a $5 Target coupon. This promotion will last until Oct 31, 2020.
Flu Shot at Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a chain of drug stores with close to 2,500 locations in the United States. For those with health insurance, you can likely get a flu shot at Rite Aid for free as Rite Aid accepts most insurance plans.
For those without insurance, Rite Aid charges $40 for a regular flu shot and $61 for a high dose flu shot specifically designed for seniors who are over 65.
GoodRX offers free discount coupons for flu shots at Rite Aid. With the coupon, regular flu shot costs $27.29, high dose flu shot costs $45. Just go here to print out the free coupon, show it to the pharmacist, and you are good to go.
Flu Shot at Walmart
Walmart has more than 4,700 locations in the United States. Like other chains on this list, Walmart accepts most health insurance plans. So if you are on a plan that does not require co-pay for flu shot, you can get a flu shot at Walmart for free.
For those who do not have insurance, Walmart charges $35 for the regular quadrivalent flu shot. For the high dose flu shot specifically designed for seniors over 65, Walmart charges $74.
GoodRX offers free discount coupons for flu shots at Walmart. With the coupon, regular flu shot costs $32, high dose flu shot costs $69. Just go here to print out the free coupon, show it to the pharmacist, and you are good to go.
Flu Shot at Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club is a warehouse club with close to 600 locations in the United States. Normally, you would need to be a member in order to shop there.
Membership costs $45 per year. But Sam’s Club has made an exception for flu shots – anyone, with or without a membership, can get a flu shot there. As expected, Sam’s Club accepts most health insurance plans.
So you can get a flu shot for free there if you have insurance. If you do not, Sam’s Club charges $38 for a regular flu shot and $71 for a high dose flu shot designed for seniors over 65.
Flu Shot at Kroger
Kroger is the largest chain of grocery stores in the United States with more than 2,700 locations all over the nation.
Most Kroger supermarkets come with a pharmacy where you can get a flu shot. As expected, Kroger accepts most health insurance plans. So you will not have to pay for your flu shot there if you have insurance.
For those who do not, Kroger charges $40 for a regular flu shot and $70 for a high dose flu shot designed for seniors over 65.
GoodRX offers free discount coupons for flu shots at Kroger. With the coupon, a regular flu shot costs $32 and a high dose flu shot costs $56. Just go here to print out the free coupon, show it to the pharmacist, and you are good to go.
Flu Shot at Meijer
Meijer is a supermarket chain that operates in the Midwest of the United States. There are more than 250 locations. You can get flu shots at the pharmacy that can be found inside each Meijer store.
Most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, are accepted. For those who do not have insurance, Meijer charges $35 for a regular flu shot and $70 for a high dose flu shot designed for seniors over 65.
Flu Shot at Publix
Publix is a chain of grocery stores with more than 1,200 locations throughout the United States. It is the largest employee-owned company in the US. Most of the Publix grocery stores come with a pharmacy where you can get a flu shot.
Most health insurance plans are accepted there, so you would be all set if you have insurance. If you do not have insurance, Publix charges $30 for a regular flu shot and $55 for a high dose flu shot designed for seniors over 65.
As of Oct 2020, Publix is running a promotion for flu shots. Get a flu shot at a Publix Pharmacy and you will get a free $10 Publix gift card. If you have insurance, you will be able to get a flu shot for free and then get a $10 gift card for free. It is like free money! Hurry up because this deal is only available for a limited time and Publix has not said when the deal will end.
