Pharmacies that take TRICARE
The short answer
TRICARE's pharmacy benefit is run by Express Scripts, and it confirms only a handful of chains by name. As of August 1, 2026:
- In network: CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Target — CVS includes pharmacies inside Target stores, and Kroger includes Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, Smith's, Fry's and King Soopers.
- Not in network: Walmart and Sam's Club. You can still fill there, but you'll pay non-network rates.
- Cheapest of all: a military pharmacy, where covered drugs are $0.
Chain by chain
| Chain | In the TRICARE retail network? | What TRICARE says |
|---|---|---|
| CVS | Yes | Yes. |
| Walgreens | Yes | Yes. To find other network pharmacies visit the Find a Pharmacy page. |
| Kroger | Yes | Yes. This includes Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, Smith’s, Fry’s, King Sooper, and other Kroger-owned pharmacy brands. |
| Walmart | No | No, this includes Sam’s Club. If you fill your prescriptions at any of these pharmacies, you’ll pay non-network copayments. |
| Sam's Club | No | No, this includes Sam’s Club. If you fill your prescriptions at any of these pharmacies, you’ll pay non-network copayments. |
| Target | Yes | Yes. |
| Publix | TRICARE doesn’t say | No official TRICARE page covers this chain — check the Express Scripts locator. |
| Costco | TRICARE doesn’t say | No official TRICARE page covers this chain — check the Express Scripts locator. |
| Safeway | TRICARE doesn’t say | No official TRICARE page covers this chain — check the Express Scripts locator. |
| Rite Aid | TRICARE doesn’t say | No official TRICARE page covers this chain — check the Express Scripts locator. |
About those "TRICARE doesn't say" rows. TRICARE publishes answers for a few big chains and nothing at all for the rest — there is no complete chain roster anywhere on tricare.mil. For Publix, Costco, Safeway, Rite Aid we checked on August 1, 2026 and found no official source either way, so we're not going to invent one. Look the specific store up in the Express Scripts pharmacy locator, which queries the live network.
What you'll pay in 2026
Where you fill matters more than what you're filling. The same generic drug is free at a military pharmacy and $16 at a network retail counter — and for anything you take every month, home delivery beats retail on both price and trips.
| Where you fill it | Generic | Brand-name | Non-formulary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Military pharmacy (up to a 90-day supply) | $0 | $0 | Generally not stocked |
| TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery (up to a 90-day supply) | $14 | $44 | $85 |
| Retail network pharmacy (up to a 30-day supply) | $16 | $48 | $85 |
| Non-network pharmacy in the U.S. | Varies by plan and deductible | Varies | Varies |
Source: tricare.mil pharmacy costs, verified August 1, 2026. TRICARE states these figures apply to calendar years 2026 and 2027. Copays rose on January 1, 2026.
Two groups pay nothing. Active duty service members pay $0 for covered drugs at military pharmacies, network retail and home delivery. And since February 28, 2026, active duty family members enrolled in TRICARE Prime Remote also pay no copayments through home delivery or a retail network pharmacy. Source: tricare.mil changes.
How to check any pharmacy yourself
The network runs to more than 41,000 locations in the United States, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — far too many to list, and independent pharmacies come and go constantly. Search the specific store here:
Express Scripts pharmacy locator
If you'd rather ask at the counter, the phrase to use is "are you in the Express Scripts TRICARE network?" — not "do you take TRICARE." Express Scripts is the contractor whose network you're actually in, and staff will recognise the name.
Military pharmacies are still the cheapest option
Covered drugs cost nothing at a military pharmacy, and most military hospitals and clinics have one. The trade-offs are stock — they carry the formulary, not everything — and hours. Each facility page on this site links its pharmacy directly where TRICARE publishes one. Find the closest military facility.
Brand answers: CVS · Walgreens · Kroger · Walmart · Sam's Club · Target · Publix · Costco · Safeway · Rite Aid
Verified against tricare.mil's network pharmacy page, its per-chain FAQ pages and its 2026 pharmacy costs on August 1, 2026. Retail pharmacy networks change on contract cycles — Kroger left in 2023 and rejoined in 2025 — so re-check before a long drive.