Transportation grants

Get help with transportation costs in addition to your approved copay or health insurance premium grant

Need help with transportation costs related to your overall health? You can get this extra transportation benefit if you have an existing PAN grant.  

How transportation grants work

Our transportation grants help you pay for transportation to and from activities that improve your overall health. You may be eligible for a transportation grant if you have an approved copay or health insurance premium grant. Transportation grants give you a $500 prepaid Visa debit card that you can use to pay for covered expenses. Covered expenses can include gas, parking, public transportation, taxis, airfare, and more.

Healthcare professionals, review our pages on how to enroll your patients and how to help patients with wait lists.

What’s covered

You can use your grant to pay for transportation to and from activities that improve your overall health, such as grocery stores, medical appointments, pharmacies, or social support. Eligible expenses include:

  • Airfare (tickets, fees)
  • Car rental (car, insurance)
  • Gas (only at the fuel pump, cannot be used to pre-pay inside)
  • Lodging, such as hotels or temporary housing
  • Non-emergency medical transportation (shuttle service)
  • Parking (lot, meter fees)
  • Public transportation fares (bus, metro, train)
  • Rideshare (app payments, fees)
  • Taxi (fare)
  • Tolls (electronic payment)

Note: this grant only covers travel costs, not the purchase of goods or other services.

This grant cannot be used for:

  • Concierge services 
  • Food or groceries 
  • Gift cards  
  • Mileage reimbursement 
  • Non-transportation related goods or services 

Be advised that all card activity is actively monitored. The purchase of unauthorized items, like gift cards, is considered fraud and will result in the immediate loss of the grant and card balance. We also have the right to cancel your grant if a transaction has not been made on your card in 120 days or if there is a change in your eligibility.

Find out if you’re eligible

To be eligible for a transportation grant, you must meet all the following requirements:

  • You must have a current copay or health insurance premium grant
  • Live and get treatment in the United States or U.S. territories. (U.S. citizenship is not needed.)
  • Have health insurance that covers your qualifying medication or product. Note: health insurance requirements vary by disease fund
  • Have an income that falls at or below 500% of the federal poverty level

What to do if you’re not eligible

You are not eligible for a transportation grant if you are on a disease fund wait list or have an expired or inactive PAN grant. If you are not eligible and still need financial support for transportation, you may find resources from other organizations in our transportation resources directory.

How to apply

Check your eligibility for the transportation fund page on our website.

You can also check your eligibility and apply online through your PAN portal account or call us at 1-866-316-7263 from Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.

If the fund is closed, add yourself to the wait list by visiting the fund page, through your PAN portal account, or by calling us.

How to renew your transportation grant

You may apply to renew your transportation grant if you still meet the transportation fund’s eligibility criteria, and your grant eligibility period has ended or is about to end.

How to activate your debit card

Once you’re approved, you will receive a $500 prepaid Visa debit card in the mail within 15-20 business days. You do not need pre-approval each time you use the card, but you must activate the card before you can use it the first time. We’ll email you confirmation that your card has been activated. This process usually takes one business day or less.

If you have not received your card or an activation confirmation after 20 business days, contact us for help. 

How to use your debit card

To use it, just swipe your card using the credit card option; no PIN is required and there are no transaction fees. The funds are withdrawn from your grant account immediately, and you can check your balance in your portal account.

PAN does not require you to submit receipts. However, we recommend saving your receipts in case of an audit.

Note: If a merchant you want to use is not available or if your card is declined for a covered expense, give us a call at 1-866-316-7263 from Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.

Total daily spending limits

Your total daily spending limit is $350.

There are daily limits by category, listed below. Your card will be declined if you go over a spending limit without permission. Remember: we can increase limits for individuals with special circumstances.

Daily limits:

  • Airfare: $300 
  • Car rental: $100 
  • Gas: $75 ($150 limit per week) 
  • Hotel: $300 
  • Parking: $50 
  • Rideshare: $100 

Where to use your card

Visa cards are often accepted by businesses, medical offices, pharmacies, and more. You can use your Visa debit card wherever Visa is accepted.

Keeping your grant active

To keep your transportation grant active, you must use your prepaid debit card to make a purchase for an eligible expense every 120 days during your enrollment period.

If you only need transportation once or twice a year and you get an alert from us indicating that you must use your grant soon, contact us.

Other transportation resources

PAN has two directories to help you access medical transportation services. These are reference guides only; PAN does not administer or manage the services listed.

Finding medical transportation

If you need help finding transportation to get to medical appointments, PAN keeps a directory of medical transportation services (non-emergency). You can search by state for services in your area.

Search the medical transportation directory

More financial support for transportation services

PAN has a directory of organizations that can offer you more financial resources for transportation services. Search by state to find other organizations that may provide financial assistance for airfare, lodging, ground transportation, and more.

Search the financial resources directory

Other PAN grants

Copay grants
Copay grants cover your out-of-pocket medication costs. Through our disease funds, we offer a fast, reliable way to get help paying for medications.

Health insurance premium grants
PAN offers health insurance premium grants to pay for insurance premiums for some disease funds. Learn more about these funds.

Renewal grants
You may apply to renew your transportation grant if you still meet the transportation fund’s eligibility criteria, and your grant eligibility period has ended or is about to end.

< Return to our grants page

Partners and other support

The PAN Foundation partners with other organizations, called alliance partners, who provide education and support for specific disease states.

We also provide information about how you can take advantage of the Social Security Administration’s Extra Help program, also known as the Low-Income Subsidy. The Extra Help program helps people on Medicare drug plans pay for the monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and copays related to their prescription medications. We encourage you to explore our partners and other support resources, in addition to PAN’s assistance programs.