Contraception costs in the UK: free on the NHS, and private prices

What the NHS gives free

Contraception services on the NHS are free and confidential, according to the NHS website, and this includes young people under 16. A doctor, nurse or pharmacist will not tell anyone, parents included, unless they think someone is at risk of harm.

You can get contraception, including emergency contraception, from:

• sexual health clinics, also called family planning or contraception clinics
• some GP surgeries
• some young people's services
• most pharmacies

In England, contraception is one of the items the NHS lists as always free, so the £9.90 prescription charge never applies to it. Scotland abolished prescription charges on 1 April 2011. Wales gives free prescriptions to anyone registered with a Welsh GP.

The NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service in England

NHS England built the service in tiers. Tier one is the ongoing supply of oral contraception, so a pharmacist can continue a pill you already take. Tier two, first run as a pilot, lets a pharmacist start contraception for the first time. The service moved from a pilot to a national advanced service in April 2023.

From October 2025 community pharmacies could also supply the emergency contraceptive pill free on the NHS. You have a confidential consultation with a pharmacist or a trained pharmacy technician and can receive the pill the same day. NHS England reported almost 305,000 doses supplied between October 2025 and March 2026 without a GP or sexual health clinic appointment.

Take-up among pharmacies is high. By March 2026, 9,958 of England's 10,398 community and distance selling pharmacies, or 95.8%, had opted to provide oral contraceptive services. Contact a pharmacy before you visit to check it offers the service.

Emergency contraception and its time limits

The NHS website gives three options and their limits:

• the levonorgestrel pill, such as Levonelle, within 3 days (72 hours) of unprotected sex
• the ulipristal acetate pill, such as ellaOne, within 5 days (120 hours)
• an IUD fitted within 5 days (120 hours), from sexual health clinics and GP surgeries but not pharmacies

All three are free from NHS sexual health clinics and most GP surgeries, and the pill is free from most pharmacies. The time limit also affects cost, because a free same-day pharmacy supply arrives sooner than a paid order waiting on delivery.

What the morning after pill costs to buy

Prices vary threefold. If you buy it, these were the published prices on 22 October 2026:

Delivery changes the total and the timing. Chemist4U charges £3.95 for standard delivery in 1 to 2 working days and £8.95 for next-day Royal Mail Special Delivery. LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor offers free pharmacy collection and charges £4.95 for next-day delivery. Superdrug Online Doctor offers collection from a Superdrug store within 2 to 3 hours of approval.

LloydsPharmacy's morning after pill collection page carries a comparison table with lower figures, £10 for one dose and £20 for two, and £33 for ellaOne. The product listings show £11.00 and £30.00, the prices used above.

The pill bought privately

The NHS charges nothing for the pill. The combined pill is free from sexual health clinics, GP surgeries and some pharmacies, and a pharmacist may supply it without a prescription. Buying it privately adds a cost the NHS does not charge.

Superdrug Online Doctor lists Rigevidon, a combined pill containing ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms and levonorgestrel 150 micrograms, at £14.99 for three packs of 21 tablets and £20.00 for six. Per pack this works out at £5.00 and £3.33, against nothing for the same pill on the NHS.

Free condoms

The NHS website lists free condoms from sexual health clinics, some GP surgeries and pharmacies, and some young people's services. The national sexual health helpline is 0300 123 7123. Condoms are also on sale at pharmacies, supermarkets and online.

Steps to get contraception free

1. For the pill, contact a pharmacy offering the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service, your GP surgery or a sexual health clinic.
2. For emergency contraception in England, ask a pharmacy for the free NHS supply. Most pharmacies provide it after a confidential consultation.
3. If you are under 16, use the same services. They are free and confidential.
4. For condoms, go to a sexual health clinic or ask your GP surgery or pharmacy whether it gives them out.
5. If you decide to buy, compare the price and how fast you can collect it. Superdrug store collection is quoted at 2 to 3 hours after approval.

Mistakes that cost money

Paying at the counter for ellaOne at £29.99 when the pharmacy offers the morning after pill free on the NHS.

Ordering online with standard delivery. Chemist4U's standard service takes 1 to 2 working days, and levonorgestrel must be taken within 72 hours.

Paying for a private supply of the pill when a GP surgery, sexual health clinic or pharmacy would provide it free.

Expecting a prescription charge. Contraception carries none, so there is no reason to pay £9.90 an item or buy a prepayment certificate for it.

Where the figures come from

The rules on free and confidential contraception, where to get it, condoms and the emergency contraception time limits are from the NHS website contraception pages. The always-free rule is from the NHS prescription charges page. The service tiers and the April 2023 date are from NHS England's Pharmacy Contraception Service page. The October 2025 start, the 305,000 doses and the pharmacy figures are from NHS England's July 2026 news release. Prices and delivery terms are from the Superdrug Online Doctor, Superdrug, LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor and Chemist4U pages listed in the sources, read on 22 October 2026. Scotland's and Wales's rules are from the Scottish and Welsh Governments.