Online prescription in Australia: cost, speed and the Medicare catch
Midoc lists $18 for a repeat and $39 for a new script, available 24 hours a day, seven days. The part that decides whether you get what you paid for is the identifier: their FAQ states you need a valid Medicare card, or an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) number if you do not have one. Read off midoc.com.au/instantscripts on 4 September 2026.
Last checked by Refer Labs, 4 September 2026
Men's health is still being built. The providers below are ones we have checked ourselves, and we earn a commission if you sign up through them. More are being added, so this is a starting set rather than the full market. How we make money.
The identifier is what decides it
Before you pay
Midoc states you need a valid Medicare card, or an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) number if you do not have one.
Read off midoc.com.au/instantscripts on 4 September 2026.
A consultation is not the same thing as a prescription. Midoc states elsewhere that a Medicare card is not required for a consultation, required for a prescription, which is easy to read as meaning the card is optional throughout. It is not: the identifier is what lets the practitioner issue the script at the end, and without it the consultation can finish without the thing you came for.
The Individual Healthcare Identifier is the part most pages on this subject leave out. Services Australia states you already have one if you hold a Medicare card, hold a DVA card, or are enrolled in Medicare, and that people not eligible for Medicare or a DVA benefit can request one using the Request an Individual Healthcare Identifier form, which needs certified copies of identity documents. Read on servicesaustralia.gov.au on 4 September 2026, where the page is dated 15 December 2025.
So the group this actually affects is smaller than it looks. If you hold a Medicare card you already have both. If you do not, the route is a form and certified documents rather than a closed door, and it is worth starting before you pay a consultation fee rather than after.
Where to get one
One Australian provider we have a commercial arrangement with issues these. The section takes more as they are added.
Midoc
$18 for a repeat, $39 for a new script, reviewed by AHPRA-registered doctors and nurse practitioners and available 24 hours a day, seven days. Issued as an eScript sent to your phone by SMS or email as a QR code, which you present at any Australian pharmacy.
Read off Midoc's own site on 4 September 2026.
Visit Midoc
Refer Labs is an independent Australian comparison publisher. The links above are affiliate links: if you sign up through one we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we publish. How we make money.
What each request type costs
| Request | Midoc price | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat script | $18 | For a medicine you already take regularly. Requires proof of your previous prescription, uploaded with the request. |
| New script | $39 | For something you do not take regularly. Issued where a practitioner assesses it as appropriate. |
| Antibiotic request | $39 | Reviewed the same way, and declined where a practitioner judges it is not appropriate. |
Read off midoc.com.au/instantscripts on 4 September 2026. Pricing can change, so check the current figure before you pay. These are platform fees: the medicine is priced separately by the pharmacy that dispenses it, and that second cost is the one people forget to budget for.
How long does an online prescription take?
The sequence Midoc publishes is a short online form, a phone or video call with a practitioner, then an eScript sent to your phone by SMS or email as a QR code, which you present at any Australian pharmacy. The service runs 24 hours a day, seven days, which is longer than their general telehealth hours of 8am to 2am, seven days.
The call is the variable. Everything either side of it is a form and an SMS, so if you are budgeting time, budget for the wait to be spoken to rather than for the paperwork.
When to use your GP instead
Your practice bulk bills and has an appointment
The GP route costs nothing and the online fee is additional spend. Speed is the thing you are buying, so only buy it when speed is what you need.
The medicine is new to you and the situation is not simple
A practitioner who has your history has more to work with than a form. That matters more the less routine the request is.
Something has changed
New symptoms, a reaction, or a medicine that has stopped working are reasons for a consultation rather than a renewal. A repeat request is designed to renew what is already working.
You want the medicine itself to be cheaper
The platform fee is not where the money usually goes. Ask your pharmacist about the dispensed price, which is the larger number for most people.
MIDOC operates as a technology and administrative platform connecting users with independent Australian-registered practitioners. MIDOC does not provide healthcare services, medical treatment or clinical care. All clinical decisions are made solely by the independent practitioners. MIDOC is not a substitute for your regular doctor. In an emergency, call 000 immediately.
Medicines in this category are prescription-only in Australia, and any prescription is decided by the practitioner and only where clinically appropriate. General information for an Australian audience, not medical advice.
Common questions
- Do I need a Medicare card to get a prescription online in Australia?
- Midoc's own FAQ states you need a valid Medicare card, or an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) number if you do not have one, read off midoc.com.au/instantscripts on 4 September 2026. That distinction matters more than the price, because without one of the two the consultation can end without the script you paid for. Services Australia states you already have an IHI if you hold a Medicare or DVA card or are enrolled in Medicare, and that people not eligible can request one on a form with certified identity documents.
- How much is an online prescription?
- Midoc lists $39 for a new script, $18 for a repeat and $39 for an antibiotic request, each available 24 hours a day, seven days. That is the platform fee only. The medicine itself is priced separately by the pharmacy that dispenses it.
- What is the difference between a new script and a repeat?
- Midoc splits them by whether you already take the medicine. A repeat is for something you take regularly and requires proof of your previous prescription, uploaded with the request. A new script is for something you do not take regularly, and is the more expensive of the two because there is more for the practitioner to assess.
- How does the prescription reach me?
- As an eScript sent to your phone by SMS or email as a QR code, which you present at any Australian pharmacy. Nothing is posted and nothing is faxed to a particular chemist, so you are not tied to one pharmacy.
- Is a script guaranteed if I pay?
- No, and no legitimate service will promise one. Midoc's own copy conditions every request on a practitioner assessing it as clinically appropriate. Payment buys the review. A service that guarantees the outcome before anyone has looked is describing a transaction rather than a consultation.
- How many medicines can one repeat request cover?
- Midoc's page says both things: the product copy says up to 1 prescription in one consultation, and the FAQ further down the same page says up to 3 different types of repeat medications in one request, subject to doctor discretion. We cannot resolve that for you, so ask before paying if you need more than one.
- Is this cheaper than seeing my GP?
- If your practice bulk bills and can fit you in, the GP route costs nothing and the online fee is pure additional spend. The case for paying is speed and availability rather than price, particularly outside clinic hours. Where the online fee wins outright is when the alternative is going without.
Keep reading
General information for an Australian audience, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Circumstances differ from person to person, and anything prescription-only is supplied in Australia only after an individual assessment by a registered practitioner who decides whether it is appropriate. Prices change; each figure states when we checked it.
Know about the good offers first
The best deals we've verified for Australians across health, tools and software, sent only when something's genuinely worth it. No spam, no pay-to-rank picks.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.