Using Your Benefits Card
If your plan includes the Marin Benefits Debit Mastercard, your card is a convenient way to pay eligible expenses directly from your benefit account.
No reimbursement claim is needed when an eligible expense is successfully paid and verified through your card.
Your card is ready to use
Your card arrives pre-activated. There is nothing to call and turn on.
If a payment terminal asks for a PIN, select Credit instead. Your card does not use a PIN.
Keep your card after you have used your current balance. If you remain eligible and your employer renews the benefit, the same card can generally be used until the expiration date printed on it.
If your plan covers eligible family members, your card can be used for their covered expenses. Additional cards may be available depending on your plan.
Add it to your phone
COMING SOON
You will be able to add your Marin Benefits card to Apple Pay or Google Wallet from the Marin Benefits mobile app, then pay with your phone or watch at the provider's office. Same card, same rules, nothing extra to carry.
We will let you know when it is available on your plan.
Where can I use it?
Your card can be used with eligible healthcare providers and merchants that accept Mastercard, subject to the rules of your benefit plan. Your employer determines which expenses your plan reimburses.
A transaction going through does not always mean the expense is covered by your plan.
The payment system can recognize things like the type of merchant and your available balance. It cannot always tell exactly what service you received, or whether that expense meets your employer's plan rules.
Keep your documentation
Save the paperwork for expenses you pay with your card. Depending on the expense, we may need:
An Explanation of Benefits, or EOB, from your medical plan
An itemized provider bill or statement
An itemized receipt showing the service or item, the date and the amount
A credit card receipt showing only a total is generally not enough, because it does not tell us what you purchased.
IRS rules require card expenses to be substantiated. Many transactions can be verified automatically. Others need documentation from you. If you want the detail on which medical expenses generally qualify, IRS Publication 502 is the plain-language reference, though your own plan decides what it reimburses.
If we ask for documentation
A documentation request does not mean you did something wrong.
It means we need a little more information to confirm the transaction is eligible under your plan. We will email you and tell you exactly what we need.
Upload it securely through the Member Portal or the Marin Benefits mobile app, or send it by mail. Please do not email claims, EOBs or medical documentation.
If we cannot verify a transaction, you may be asked to repay that amount to your benefit account, and your card may be temporarily suspended while an unresolved amount is outstanding.
What if my card is declined?
A decline does not always mean the expense is ineligible. A transaction can decline because of the merchant, your available balance, card status or limits set under your plan.
If the expense is eligible, pay another way and submit a claim. If you are not sure why it declined, call us and we will look at the transaction with you.
What if I receive a refund?
If a provider or merchant refunds an expense that was originally paid from your benefit account, the refunded amount needs to go back to the account.
Contact us and we will walk you through the correct refund process.
Paid out of pocket? Submit a claim
1
Sign in
Log in to the Member Portal at marinbenefits.com, or open the Marin Benefits mobile app.
2
Submit your expense
Enter the claim details and upload the documentation your plan requires. For medical expenses, an EOB is usually the best documentation, because it shows how your plan processed the claim and what you owe.
3
Get reimbursed
Enroll in direct deposit through your account to receive approved reimbursements straight to your bank.
The Member Portal and the app are the fastest way to submit a claim, and you can also send a paper claim by mail. If you cannot get into your account, call us and we will help.
Please do not send claims, EOBs or medical documentation by email. Email is not a secure way to send your health information, and we cannot accept it.
Know your claim deadline
Claim deadlines vary by plan. Many of our plans allow claims for a funding year to be submitted through March 31 of the following year, and different deadlines may apply if your coverage ends during the year.
Your own Plan Summary and plan documents always control.
You can find your Plan Summary in the Member Portal under Member Resources.