Thanks to a recent wave of legislation that passed back in March, all products for “that time of the month” can now be purchased at a 25 to 40 percent discount. This change takes place exactly 100 years after the historical 19th Amendment was ratified, allowing women the right to vote. All you need to start savings is a tax free account.
Wait. All feminine care products?
Yes. ALL products. According to the online shopping center FSA Store and the first CARES Act passed by Congress, all of the following feminine care products are fair game:
- pads
- tampons
- menstrual cups / diva cup
- panty liners
- period panties
- feminine wipes
How the savings work
If you have a tax free account through your company, there is a good chance you received a benefits card to access the money in the account. You can bring that to the store and use it like a regular credit card to pay.
When your purchase goes through, it will pay for all the products that are eligible to be purchased with tax free money. Once you swipe it, you can pay for the rest of your purchase with a separate card.
NOTE: If the store you’re shopping at has not properly updated their systems, the card might not work. If this happens, you may have to submit a claim to be reimbursed.
What is a tax free account?
A tax free account is a benefit offered by your employer that is separate from insurance. It allows you to set aside money from your paycheck before taxes and put it into an account to buy approved healthcare products.
Tax free benefits accounts that can be used to purchase these products include:
- Flexible spending accounts (referred to as FSAs)
- Health savings accounts (HSAs)
- Health reimbursement accounts (sometimes call “health reimbursement arrangements” or HRAs)
Who decides which products are approved? It’s kind of complicated, but mostly which items are “eligible” or “qualified” is determined by the government and by your employer. Also, depending on where you shop, different stores might have different rules.
How do you sign up for a tax free account?
Typically, you can only enroll in these accounts during your company’s annual benefit enrollment period. However, in the middle of this season with COVID-19, your employer may allow you to enroll outside of the typical window. Check with your HR department.
Keep the savings going
Next time you’re out stocking up on feminine care products, make sure you also grab some of these new picks. If you’re paying with the Beniversal® Prepaid Mastercard®, you can set it up on the three major digital wallets (Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay® and Google Pay®).
