How to Get a New Medicare Part D Plan ID Card

Make sure you are replacing the right card

There are two different kinds of cards:

• Your Part D or Medicare Advantage plan card comes from the private insurance company that provides your plan. Use this card at the pharmacy.
• Your red, white, and blue Medicare card comes from Medicare. It shows your Medicare Number and Part A and Part B information, but it does not replace your drug plan card.

If you have a separate Medicare drug plan, you generally have a drug plan card in addition to your Medicare card. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage, one plan card may cover both medical care and prescriptions.

Request a replacement plan card

Option 1: Use the plan’s website or mobile app

1. Go to the official website or app for your insurance plan.
2. Sign in to your member account.
3. Look for “ID card,” “member ID card,” “replacement card,” or “plan documents.”
4. Download or display a digital card if available, and request a mailed card if you want a physical copy.

Not every plan offers the same online features. Medicare notes that plans may provide online accounts where members can view their plan cards. See Medicare’s guidance about using plan cards.

Option 2: Call the plan

Call the member services number shown on an old card, a recent Explanation of Benefits, an enrollment or welcome letter, a premium bill, or the plan’s official website. Ask the representative to:

• Confirm that your membership is active
• Verify the mailing address on your account
• Order a replacement card
• Tell you whether a digital or temporary card is available
• Explain what you can use at the pharmacy until the card arrives

If you do not know which plan you have

Sign in to your secure Medicare account to review your current coverage, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227); TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Medicare can help identify the plan and its contact information. Your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program can also provide free help.

Check your Medicare coverageGet Medicare or SHIP help

Fill a prescription while you wait

A missing card does not automatically mean you have lost coverage. If your enrollment is active, Medicare says you may be able to use one of these at the pharmacy:

• The acknowledgement, confirmation, or welcome letter from the plan
• Your enrollment confirmation number, along with the plan’s name and phone number
• A digital or temporary plan card, if your plan provides one
• A copy of your official Medicare card

Tell the pharmacist the name of your plan. If you do not have the documents above, the pharmacist may still be able to retrieve your drug plan billing information using your Medicare Number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Give this information only to a trusted pharmacy through a secure method, not by ordinary email or text.

Read Medicare’s instructions for filling a prescription without a new plan card.

If you recently joined or changed plans

Medicare says a drug plan should send a letter within about two weeks after receiving a completed application and a welcome package with the plan ID card within about five weeks. If that time has passed, contact the plan and verify that it received and completed the enrollment.

If the new plan does not begin until a future date, continue using the card for the plan that is active now. Receiving a card early does not make the new coverage effective early.

If the card was lost or stolen

1. Tell the plan. Ask whether the old card or member number must be deactivated and whether the replacement will have different information.
2. Review your plan statements. Check Explanation of Benefits notices for prescriptions you did not receive and report anything unfamiliar to the plan.
3. Protect your Medicare Number. If your Medicare card was also lost, or you think someone may be using your Medicare Number, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
4. Dispose of outdated cards safely. Once the plan confirms the replacement is ready and the old card is no longer needed, shred the old card so the personal information cannot be read.

Official Medicare information

• Using Medicare drug coverage and filling prescriptions without a new card
• Which card to use for Medicare services and prescriptions
• Replacing the red, white, and blue Medicare card
• Medicare phone, live chat, and SHIP help

Last reviewed: October 2026. Card options and mailing times can vary by plan. Confirm your active coverage, replacement-card process, and pharmacy instructions directly with your plan.