--- title: Here’s Where You Can Get a Free Flu Shot This Fall description: To help you out, we've rounded up all the places where you can get your flu shot now, without paying a dime. canonical: https://time.com/4950460/free-flu-shot-locations-fall/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-20T19:26:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T17:31:23.678Z article:section: Health og:title: Here’s Where You Can Get a Free Flu Shot This Fall og:description: Stay healthy this flu season without spending a dime og:url: https://time.com/4950460/free-flu-shot-locations-fall/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3619d465ba385e5/6988c27ecf40a8b32ac47325/vax.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6144 og:image:height: 3456 og:image:alt: Hand holding syringe in plain pink background og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here’s Where You Can Get a Free Flu Shot This Fall twitter:description: Stay healthy this flu season without spending a dime twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3619d465ba385e5/6988c27ecf40a8b32ac47325/vax.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here’s Where You Can Get a Free Flu Shot This Fall > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=dec095ac-f941-4744-8059-196bdf6aa7dc&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [Sarah Klein / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Sarah Klein / Health.com Contributor Sep 20, 2017 7:26 PM UTC  hand, holding, syringe, background, studio, plain, pink, finger, fingers, needle hand, holding, syringe, background, studio, plain, pink, finger, fingers, needle Getty Images by [Sarah Klein / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Sarah Klein / Health.com Contributor Sep 20, 2017 7:26 PM UTC Every fall, you’re reminded by pharmacies, employers and probably even your mom that it’s [time to get your flu shot](http://fortune.com/2017/09/18/flu-season-shots-fall-winter/). Flu season usually starts in October and peaks in December, since the virus thrives in winter’s lower humidity and cooler temps. But the vaccine takes some time to kick in, which is why it always feels like we start talking about flu shots while it’s still summer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting vaccinated early in the fall, at least before the end of October. (But if you forget until January or later, it can still be beneficial to go for the shot.) While it’s impossible to predict what kind of flu season 2017-2018 will bring, the [latest iteration of the vaccine has been updated](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2017-2018.htm), so it’s a better match for the circulating strands of flu virus we’re most likely to encounter, according to the CDC. To help you out, we’ve rounded up all the places where you can get your [flu shot](http://time.com/4696950/flu-vaccine-side-effects/) now without paying a dime. To find the vaccine-provider nearest you, just plug in your zip code and check the box for flu at [VaccineFinder.org](https://vaccinefinder.org/). ### **Your primary-care doctor** If you’re enrolled in a health insurance plan through a [state-run marketplace](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739090,00.html) or almost any private plan, your provider will cover the cost of the flu shot entirely, even if you go to your doctor for the shot. There’s no copayment or coinsurance for your appointment—just protection from the flu, whether you’ve hit your yearly deductible yet or not. ### **Urgent-care centers** Can’t make it to your regular doctor because of the 9 to 5 office hours? Check with local urgent-care centers. Many stock flu shots and provide them gratis if you have insurance, but you’ll want to call ahead of time to make sure the shots are available at the center you choose. ### **Your job** Many corporations offer free flu shots on site or provide vouchers you can take to local pharmacies. ### **Your college** Some research shows that college students are particularly likely to [skip out on getting vaccinated.](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2012.01799.x/full) If you’re still in school, head to your campus health center, where you can typically score the shot. ### **Walgreens** Plenty of neighborhood pharmacies offer no-cost flu shots for people with health insurance, including Walgreens . (If you’re looking for a free vaccine in NYC, Walgreens owns Duane Reade and also provides free flu shots there.) ### **Target and CVS** Inside many Target locations you’ll find a CVS pharmacy, where you can get a [free flu shot and a $5 coupon](https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/flu?target=true) for Target. You can get a no-cost flu shot at CVS pharmacies too, and you may even qualify for a $5 coupon if you do. ### **Supermarkets** Several larger grocery store chains around the country, including Giant and Stop & Shop, offer pharmacy services on the premises—and in many cases that means a free flu shot with most health insurance plans. ### **Rite Aid** Rite Aid is another pharmacy chain giant where you can get a free flu shot with most types of insurance. ### **Walmart** Walmart stores also offer pharmacy services, including free flu shots. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/cold-flu-sinus/free-flu-shots-2017/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4950460/free-flu-shot-locations-fall/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4950460/free-flu-shot-locations-fall/"},"headline":"Here’s Where You Can Get a Free Flu Shot This Fall","datePublished":"2017-09-20T19:26:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T17:31:23.678Z","description":"Stay healthy this flu season without spending a dime","url":"https://time.com/4950460/free-flu-shot-locations-fall/","keywords":["medicine","flu vaccine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3619d465ba385e5/6988c27ecf40a8b32ac47325/vax.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Klein / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3619d465ba385e5/6988c27ecf40a8b32ac47325/vax.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Hand holding syringe in plain pink background","caption":"Hand holding syringe in plain pink background","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/medicine/","name":"medicine"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4950460/free-flu-shot-locations-fall/","name":"Here’s Where You Can Get a Free Flu Shot This Fall"}}]}] ```