You can use your Aetna Healthy Benefits Card at major retailers like CVS, Walmart, and Kroger, online at CVS.com/Aetna, and for utilities and transportation if your plan includes the Extra Supports Wallet. Where the card actually works depends on which “wallets” your specific plan is loaded onto, and that one detail trips up more members than anything else.
The stakes are real. About 70% of MedicareA federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disab... over-the-counter benefits go unused every year, leaving roughly $5 billion unspent across all plans. This guide shows every place the Aetna Healthy Benefits Card is accepted, how to confirm what your card covers, and how to spend the full allowance before it expires, whether you carry the card yourself or you are helping a parent use theirs.
Your Aetna Healthy Benefits Card works in three places: in person at participating retail stores, online through the official Aetna and CVS portals, and directly with utility and transportation providers if your plan includes the Extra Supports Wallet. The card is not a regular debit card. It is a prepaid allowance divided into categories, and each category can only be spent in certain places.
Aetna confirms that the Extra Benefits Card can be used in store, over the phone, or online, but the exact stores depend on your wallets. This is why a neighbor with an Aetna card might shop somewhere your card declines. You are not doing anything wrong; your plan simply assigned a different mix of wallets.
The card is offered on select Aetna Medicare Advantage plans, most often Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNP) for people who have both Medicare and MedicaidA state and federal program that provides health coverage to eligible low-income adults, children, p..., and Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNP) for people with qualifying conditions. As of February 2026, more than 8 million people are enrolled in Special Needs Plans, the plan type where this card shows up most often. If you or your parent has one of these plans, there may be hundreds of dollars in benefits sitting unused.
A wallet is a spending category loaded onto your card, and it controls both what you can buy and where you can buy it. Aetna offers three main wallet types: the OTC Wallet, the CVS OTC Wallet, and the Extra Supports Wallet. Some cards also carry a Medical Expense Wallet for plan-covered co-pays. Before you shop, log in to your Aetna member portal or open the CVS OTC Health Solutions app to see which wallets are active on your card.
Here is what each wallet covers and where it can be used:
| Wallet | What it covers | Where you can use it | Good to know |
| OTC Wallet | Cold and flu medicine, allergy relief, pain relievers, dental care, first aid, eye and ear care, sunscreen | CVS retail stores plus participating national and regional retailers; online at CVS.com/Aetna | The broadest in-store reach of the OTC-only wallets |
| CVS OTC Wallet | Approved CVS over-the-counter health and wellness products only | Standalone CVS Pharmacy stores only; online at CVS.com/Aetna | Does not work at a CVS located inside another store |
| Extra Supports Wallet | Healthy foods, personal care, OTC items, utilities, and transportation | CVS, Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion, plus utility and transit providers | The most flexible wallet; covers groceries and bills |
| Medical Expense Wallet | Plan-covered medical services and co-pays | Healthcare providers’ offices | Offered on some plans only; check your portal |
Source for wallet definitions and coverage: Aetna Medicare, What does the Extra Benefits Card cover.
The card is accepted at hundreds of physical locations across the United States, but acceptance is tied to the wallet you are using and to specific exclusions. The list below covers the major chains that take the card for eligible purchases, plus the conditions worth knowing before you go.
| Retailer or service | Wallets accepted | Conditions and exclusions |
| CVS Pharmacy | OTC, CVS OTC, Extra Supports | Excludes CVS counters inside other stores such as Target or Schnucks. Use a standalone CVS. |
| Walmart | OTC, Extra Supports | Accepted at physical Walmart stores. Cannot be used at Walmart.com. |
| Kroger | Extra Supports, OTC | Kroger-brand stores and select family banners. In store only, not Kroger.com. |
| Food Lion | Extra Supports, OTC | Widely accepted across mid-Atlantic and Southeastern grocery locations. |
| Albertsons / Safeway | Extra Supports, OTC | Accepted at participating locations. |
| Giant Eagle / Piggly Wiggly | Extra Supports, OTC | Accepted at participating grocery stores. |
| Utility providers | Extra Supports | Electric, gas, water, sanitary service, and cell phone bills, usually paid online or by phone. |
| Transportation | Extra Supports | Swipe at the gas pump for fuel; also accepted for public transit and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft. |
Retailer acceptance details reflect Aetna and Walmart's OTC benefit card guidance and Kroger's benefit card page. Always confirm acceptance for your wallet at the location before you shop.
Yes, but online use is limited to the official Aetna and CVS portals, not to the websites of the grocery chains that accept the card in store. If you prefer shopping from home, CVS.com/Aetna is the dedicated portal where you log in with your Aetna member ID and browse a catalog of approved over-the-counter products, with free shipping on eligible orders.
The CVS OTC Health Solutions app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play, does the same job from your phone. You can check your balance, scan items in store to confirm eligibility, and place orders. What you cannot do is use the card at Walmart.com or Kroger.com. For those retailers, the card only works at the physical register.
Your card arrives in the mail and must be activated before the first purchase, the same way you would activate a new debit or credit card. The sticker on the front lists a phone number, app, or website to use. Here is the full process from activation to your first checkout:
Activation and balance details come from Aetna's Extra Benefits Card guidance. Keep your receipts; if a transaction does not process correctly, a receipt lets Aetna Member Services sort out the discrepancy.
Only specific items qualify, and the rules are strict, so the fastest way to avoid a declined item at the register is to check eligibility before you reach it. Two tools make this easy, one for Walmart and one for CVS.
At Walmart, use the Walmart app to scan and confirm eligibility:
At CVS, look for the blue “OTC Eligible” shelf tags, which CVS adds to flag approved products. You can also download your plan’s specific over-the-counter product catalog at CVS.com/Aetna by selecting your state and county. Each item carries a code you can use to confirm eligibility when ordering by phone.
The card is not a minor perk. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association reports that the average over-the-counter allowance is about $400 per enrollee per year, and that roughly 70% of those benefits never get used. For a senior on a fixed income, $400 covers a meaningful share of a year’s pain relievers, vitamins, first aid supplies, and dental care.
Dr. Mark Fendrick, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies health policy, told Newsweek that pharmacists “are trained in self-care” and can guide shoppers on using non-prescription products safely. In practice, that means a quick conversation at a standalone CVS counter can help you spend the allowance on items you willA legal document that states how a person's property should be managed and distributed after death. actually use, rather than letting it expire.
In our experience reviewing senior benefit programs, the members who get the most from this card share one habit: they treat the allowance like a monthly grocery line, not a surprise. They check the balance early in each benefit period, keep a short list of approved staples, and replace household basics on the card instead of paying cash. That single routine is the difference between using the full $400 and forfeiting most of it.
Over-the-counter (OTC) products: Health and wellness items you can buy without a prescription, such as pain relievers, allergy medicine, vitamins, and first aid supplies.
D-SNP (Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan): A Medicare Advantage planA type of Medicare health plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide ... for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. This is the plan type most likely to include the card.
C-SNP (Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan): A Medicare Advantage plan for people with specific chronic conditions, which may also include the Extra Benefits Card.
Benefit period: The monthly or quarterly window during which your allowance is available. Unused funds usually expire at the end of it.
Wallet: A spending category on the card, such as OTC or Extra Supports, that determines what you can buy and where.
The short answer to where you can use your Aetna Healthy Benefits Card is: at CVS, Walmart, Kroger, and other participating grocery and pharmacy chains in person, online at CVS.com/Aetna, and with utility and transit providers if you have the Extra Supports Wallet. The longer answer is that your wallets set the boundaries, so the first step is always to confirm what your card carries.
As of 2026, billions of dollars in these benefits still go unspent each year, much of it simply because members are not sure where the card works. Start by logging in to your Aetna member portal or the CVS OTC Health Solutions app, confirm your wallet and balance, and plan one purchase this month. If you are helping a parent, walk through the first checkout with them once; after that, the routine takes care of itself.
For a broader breakdown of what the card covers beyond store locations, read Senior Strong’s guide to the Aetna Medicare Extra Benefits Card.
Yes. Walmart accepts the card at its physical store locations for the OTC and Extra Supports wallets. You cannot use it at Walmart.com. Use the Walmart app’s barcode scanner in store to confirm an item is eligible before checkout, and swipe the card first at the register.
It works at standalone CVS Pharmacy stores, but not at a CVS counter located inside another retailer such as a Target. If your local CVS sits inside another store, find a separate CVS location. CVS also marks approved items with blue “OTC Eligible” shelf tags.
In most plans, no. The allowance is use-it-or-lose-it, so a monthly or quarterly balance expires at the end of that period and does not carry forward. A few plans handle this differently, so confirm the rule for your specific plan in your member portal and spend early in each period.
Only if your card includes the Extra Supports Wallet. That wallet covers healthy foods at retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Food Lion. The OTC and CVS OTC wallets are limited to approved over-the-counter health products and cannot be used for general groceries.
Check your balance three ways: inside the CVS OTC Health Solutions app, by logging in at CVS.com/Aetna, or by calling the automated line at 1-844-428-8147, which is available 24 hours a day. Checking before you shop helps you avoid a declined transaction at the register.
Yes, if you have the Extra Supports Wallet. You can pay electricity, natural gas, water, sanitary service, and cell phone bills, usually online or by phone with your provider using the card as a credit or debit payment. Setting a recurring monthly bill to the card is a reliable way to use the full allowance.
