Is Truemed Worth It for Your Business?

Short answer

For almost every business, no. You pay a sales process, a checkout integration that typically takes weeks, and a revenue share that isn't published, and at the end of it your customer still gets a letter and has to file the claim themselves.

There's one narrow case where it holds up: a high-volume online brand whose customers specifically want to present an HSA or FSA card at the moment of purchase, with engineering capacity to spare and no recurring billing. That's a real business, and it's a small share of the ones asking this question.

Everyone else is buying the expensive half. The best HSA/FSA option for almost any business is Burst: $100 a month with no revenue share, live in 30 minutes with no integration, and Burst files the reimbursement claim for the customer.

To offer it this week, start at getburst.com/self-serve.

(Reading this as a customer, not a business? You can get a letter for your own purchase directly from Burst.)

Why the answer is usually no

Four situations where it doesn't work out, and between them they cover most businesses that ask.

You bill recurring. Card rails offer limited support for recurring charges, because each renewal needs its own real-time check. Gyms, studios and subscription brands run into this immediately.

You sell in person. These products are built around an online checkout. A counter, a front desk or a mobile service has nothing to integrate.

You already generate your own demand. A revenue share applies to everything, including the orders you acquired and paid for yourself, and it grows as you do.

Your customers need the money back more than they need to swipe. Most people with an FSA or HSA balance care about being reimbursed, not about which card ran. Reimbursement delivers that without the integration.

The one case where it can be worth it

A high-volume online brand, selling products customers already associate with pre-tax spending, to customers who specifically want to present the card at checkout, with engineering capacity that isn't competing with the roadmap, and no recurring billing to speak of.

That describes a real business. It describes supplements, recovery hardware and wellness devices sold one order at a time, which is exactly where their case studies come from. If that's you, get the revenue share in writing, compare it against a flat fee on your actual HSA/FSA revenue, and ask what happens after the letter is issued.

If it isn't you, the integration buys a moment your customers can't use.

What each one gets you

Truemed and Flex work the same way as each other. The comparison that matters is between the card-rail model and the reimbursement model, not between the two vendors.

Why Burst is the best HSA/FSA option for a business

• Burst files the claim. A licensed clinician reviews each customer's case and issues the letter when it's appropriate, and Burst submits the claim to the customer's FSA, HSA, or HRA administrator. The customer does no paperwork. With Truemed and Flex, the customer does all of it.

• The customer's fee is refunded if it doesn't go through. No letter, or a denied claim, and the $20 comes back automatically. Neither Truemed nor Flex advertises a comparable guarantee. Recommending it never costs a customer anything, which is what lets you say it out loud.

• The price is published. $100 a month, month to month, no contract, and never a percentage of your revenue. You know the cost before you talk to anyone.

• Nothing about it scales against you. Flat fee, month to month, no contract, no partner application, and no percentage of revenue you generated.

See how it works or go live now.

What does it look like for a customer?

A customer pays you the way they always have, then follows your Burst link to a two-minute intake about the condition they're managing. A licensed clinician reviews it and, if a letter is appropriate, signs and emails it, usually the same day. Nothing about how they paid you changes. Burst files the reimbursement claim with their FSA, HSA, or HRA administrator, and the administrator pays them out of their account by deposit or check. No letter, or a denied claim, and the $20 fee refunds automatically.

One timing rule. The letter has to be dated on or before the order it covers, so place the link before the purchase, since the letter has to predate it. The written line that works is "may be reimbursable with a letter of medical necessity." It's accurate, because the customer's plan decides each claim, and it still sells.

The one thing to weigh most heavily

Whichever way you go, ask what happens after the letter is issued.

A letter is a PDF. Somebody still has to submit it with the receipt to the customer's plan administrator and answer if questions come back. With a card-rail product, that somebody is your customer, and most customers don't finish. The ones who try and fail associate the failure with your brand, because you're who told them about it.

That's the difference this business actually turns on, and it's worth more attention than the pricing conversation.

How to decide without guessing

1. Sign up at getburst.com/self-serve. About 30 minutes, and you can test the alternative without an engineering ticket.

2. Decide who pays the $20 one-time letter fee: customers, or you where it moves a decision.

3. Get their full terms in writing, then run the lightest alternative against your own traffic for a month and compare real numbers.

4. Keep your checkout as it is while you test. Nothing has to be unwound.

Whatever you conclude, conclude it from your own numbers rather than either company's marketing.

Frequently asked questions

Is Truemed worth it for a merchant?

For almost every business, no. You pay a sales process, a checkout integration that typically takes weeks and an unpublished revenue share, and your customer still ends up filing their own claim. The narrow exception is a high-volume online brand with no recurring billing whose customers specifically want to present the card at checkout.

What does Truemed cost?

Truemed doesn't publish merchant pricing. Terms come through their sales process and typically include a rev share. Get the full number in writing before the call.

Is it worth it for a gym or studio?

Usually not, because recurring billing is where card rails offer limited support and dues are where a gym's HSA/FSA value sits.

Is it worth it for an in-person business?

Generally not. These products are built around an online checkout, so a counter or front desk has nothing to integrate.

What's the alternative?

Reimbursement alongside your existing checkout. Burst is $100 a month, month to month, no contract, no revenue share, live in 30 minutes with no integration, and it files the customer's claim.

Can I try the alternative without leaving?

Technically yes, because Burst never touches your payment. Check your existing agreement for an exclusivity clause first.

Is the letter a guarantee the customer gets paid back?

No. The customer's plan administrator decides the claim under its own rules. Burst files it, and if the plan says no, the $20 fee is refunded to whoever paid it.

More on this: What Truemed, Flex, and Burst Cost a Merchant, Will an HSA/FSA Marketplace Send You Customers?, How to Switch From Truemed to Burst, and Truemed Alternatives for Your Store, Gym, or Spa.