Your Medicare number is printed on the front of your red, white, and blue Medicare card, directly below your name. If the card isn’t in front of you, you can look the number up by signing into your account at Medicare.gov, checking your benefit verification letter at SSA.gov, calling 1-800-MEDICARE, or visiting a local Social Security office. The number is an 11-character code called a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, or MBI, and providers and insurers will ask for it any time they need to confirm your coverage.
What the Number Looks Like on Your Card
The MBI sits right under your name on the front of the card. It’s 11 characters long, uses uppercase letters and numbers, and contains no dashes or special characters.1Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We’re Using Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) The card also shows whether you have Part A, Part B, or both, and the date each coverage started.
One quirk worth knowing when you’re reading a worn card: the MBI never uses the letters S, L, O, I, B, or Z.2Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Understanding the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) Format CMS dropped those to keep them from being confused with similar-looking numbers. If a character looks like it could be an O or a zero, it’s a zero.
Looking Up Your Medicare Number Online
The fastest option without the card in hand is Medicare.gov. Sign into your account and you can view and print an official copy of your Medicare card, MBI included.3Medicare. Your Medicare Card Medicare labels this printed version as an official copy, so it works as proof of coverage until the physical card turns up. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one on the same page.
Your Social Security account at SSA.gov is the other online route. After signing in, open your benefit verification letter; your Medicare number appears in it alongside a summary of your current benefits.4Social Security Administration. Manage Your Medicare Benefits This is often the easiest path if you already use SSA online for your Social Security payments.
Getting Your Number by Phone or In Person
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and a representative can give you your number and mail a replacement card.5Medicare. Contact Medicare The line runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays.6Medicare. Helpful Tools TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Have your full name, date of birth, and Social Security number ready to verify your identity.
You can also visit your local Social Security office in person, or call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.7HHS.gov. How Do I Get a New Medicare Card if My Card Is Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed
If your benefits come through the Railroad Retirement Board instead of Social Security, contact the RRB at 1-877-772-5772, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding federal holidays.8U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. Contact Us
If You’re on a Medicare Advantage Plan
Medicare Advantage members use their plan card for day-to-day care, not the original red, white, and blue card.3Medicare. Your Medicare Card The member ID on the plan card comes from the private insurer and is not your MBI. Providers still need the actual MBI in some billing and coordination-of-benefits situations, so keep the original Medicare card somewhere safe even after you enroll in an Advantage plan.
If the original is missing, the retrieval methods are the same: print a copy from Medicare.gov, pull the number from your SSA benefit verification letter, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. The MBI stays yours regardless of which plan pays your claims.
If You Can’t Find the Card at All
When the card is lost or damaged, you can request a replacement three ways: online through your Social Security account by choosing “Replace your Medicare card” and then “Mail my replacement Medicare Card”; by phone through SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE; or in person at a Social Security office. The replacement arrives by mail in about 30 days.7HHS.gov. How Do I Get a New Medicare Card if My Card Is Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed RRB beneficiaries request theirs through the Railroad Retirement Board on the same timeline.9U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. About Your Replacement Medicare Card For appointments in the meantime, print the official copy from Medicare.gov.
One thing to check before you request a replacement: the mailing address Social Security has on file. Medicare sends the card there, and if it’s out of date the card goes nowhere useful. You can update it inside your SSA account or by calling 1-800-772-1213.10Social Security Administration. Update Contact Information
Keep the Number Protected Once You Have It
Treat your MBI like a credit card number. A common scam is a caller claiming to be from Medicare, saying something is wrong with your card, and asking you to verify the number. Medicare does not make unsolicited calls asking for personal information.11Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare Beneficiaries Urged to Be on the Look-out for Phone Scams Hang up.
Another version demands a fee for a “new” or “plastic” Medicare card. Your Medicare card is paper, it’s free, and there is no official plastic version. Anyone asking for payment for a card is running a scam.12Federal Trade Commission. Hang Up on Medicare Card Scams
If you think someone else is using your Medicare number, call 1-800-MEDICARE right away.3Medicare. Your Medicare Card Medicare can investigate and, when the situation calls for it, issue you a new MBI so the compromised one no longer works. When you replace an old card, cut it up before you throw it away.