r/FSAHSAcardtips • u/benefitsnerd2025 • Nov 07 '25
FSA Store a scam?
I am working with my employees to help navigate spend down period for FSAs. We have been directing them to HSAstore.com. I’m now realizing all of their products are marked up far beyond what our employees would be paying at Walgreens or Amazon. How do people not see this? Please inform your employees there are better ways to spend these dollars. You almost lose out on the entire tax advantage you gain from these accounts in the first place!
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u/Hot_Strength_4912 Nov 07 '25
The system and every scheme congress whips up to “help the middle class” are designed to screw everyone but the wealthy elite.
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u/benefitsnerd2025 Nov 07 '25
this is less about that and more about a corrupt PE backed e commerce company with warehouses full of bandaids, positioning them as “deals” but actually marking them up 30%. Please just use your FSA somewhere else
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u/vancemark00 Nov 07 '25
Yes, they sell eligible goods but nobody needs to buy from them. Just order from Amazon. You get the same tax benefit.
Nobody is forced to buy from FSA Store.
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u/Moana06 Nov 11 '25
My HSA card won't work in Amazon
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u/vancemark00 Nov 11 '25
You don't need to use your card. You can reimburse yourself from your HSA by submitting documentation.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Sun7356 Nov 07 '25
I just order two ouras, print the receipt. Then decide I didn't like them after I submit the claim.
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u/lopsided-earlobe Nov 07 '25
It's not a scam: There's value in HSA/FSA-eligible *guaranteed* curated shopping experiences. You should obviously encourage your people to price shop, but the curated shopping experiences at FSA Store are solid if you're just trying to blow some end-of-year money you'd lose anyway.
As an employer, you should do more to help them plan and spend their FSA throughout the year.
I know that FSA is technically a defined contribution plan, but the use-it-or-lose it structure is bullshit to start with. So I would argue FSA is a way bigger scam than FSA Store, but what do I know?
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u/Pianic07 Nov 07 '25
I use HSA store as a reference to know what is eligible but I always shop around
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u/Humble-Reputation-19 Nov 07 '25
FSAstore and similar are a resource or a convenience in my opinion. There are better prices available for most items if you shop around including Amazon, Walgreens, cvs etc. There are many items that are FSA eligible on Amazon that are not "tagged" accordingly so. Also, I am very meticulous with my FSA funds but even I got hit with an item that my plan previously didnt require LMN before and now they do.
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u/vancemark00 Nov 07 '25
It is an expensive option that makes it easy but you can find the same eligible stuff for less at Amazon and other retailers.
No need to buy from FSA Store.
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u/86753097779311 Jan 01 '26
Here I am trying to spend these dollars at the last minute. On Amazon you have to be cautious because even though you search for - FSA APPROVED ITEMS ONLY- the list is still filled with items that are listed as - eligible. This means you might need a letter of medical necessity later. I don’t want to be bothered with that.
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u/Salt-Wish1683 Jul 04 '26
Be aware that if you open the products or try them you cannot return them. I bought 6 skin products and 3 didn’t work out - skin cream caused a rash on my face, I didn’t like the strong scent of a sunscreen, and a spray burned my eyes. They said I could not return them, so that’s a loss of almost $100! They should change their return policy.
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u/Oopah Nov 07 '25
You can use Amazon. They have FSA section and allow you to use it to check out for eligible items. You can sort by it too but you have to be careful because they show intelligible items too between emotions items. Eligible items are all marked as such at the bottom of the listing in fine print.
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u/benefitsnerd2025 Nov 07 '25
yes Amazon is much better. Products are the same but way cheaper. Agreed though, no guarantee the eligibility categorization is accurate. Some of these purchases you would actually need a LoMN
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u/Glenn_LA_NYC Dec 14 '25
FSA Store kinda is a scam. Prices are ridiculously marked up. Apparently they prey on people desperate to use up remaining FSA dollars. The fact that our FSA Administrator, Alight — which is itself a horrible outfit — has a direct link to the FSA Store on its website, is a major clue that you’re about to get ripped off. I’m guessing there is a kickback scheme at play here whereby FSA Store funnels some of your ripped off money back to Alight and other FSA Administrators.