For  most Medicare Advantage members, the 2025 UnitedHealthcare UCard® includes a magnetic stripe test, making it easier for members to use their credits when shopping in-store. Members can simply swipe their UCard at participating store’s checkout, just like any other debit or credit card. 

We are continuing to work with a few retailers to enable mag stripe technology. The following retailers are updating their technology to be compatible with the mag stripe and are not ready to use the mag stripe January 1, 2025. UnitedHealthcare contacted impacted members by phone, mail and email to let them know to use the digital barcode on the UCard in their mobile app to check out:

• Publix (store locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia)
  
  
• Lund’s & Byerly’s (store locations in Minnesota)
  
  
• Woodman’s (store locations in Wisconsin & Illinois)

Select members will continue to have a barcode, not a mag stripe, printed on their 2025 UCard, including:

• Members on a UnitedHealthcare CareFlex plan
  
  
• Members residing in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina as Publix is currently not compatible with the mag stripe
  
  

All members can always use the digital barcode on the UCard in their mobile app to check out.

Please note, Albertson’s and its subsidiaries are temporarily out-of-network. Albertson’s subsidiaries include Acme, Albertsons, Albertsons Market, Albertsons Market Street, Amigos, Andronico’s Community Markets, Balducci’s, Carrs, Eagle Quality Center, Haggen, Jewel-Osco, Kings, Lucky, Market Street, Pak N Save, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Vons. Members who shop at Albertson’s can use the Store Finder on the member site or mobile app to locate in-network, local stores. You can find stores using the OTC Store Locator under Quick Access in Jarvis.

UCard resources:

• UnitedHealthcare UCard 2025 Agent Quick Reference Guide
  
  
  

_{Albertson’s subsidiaries include: Acme, Albertsons, Albertsons Market, Albertsons Market Street, Amigos, Andronico’s Community Markets, Balducci’s, Carrs, Eagle Quality Center, Haggen, Jewel-Osco, Kings, Lucky, Market Street, Pak N Save, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Vons.}

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