As the costs of living with Type 1 diabetes continue to increase, we thought it was important to help you take a look at what the costs for you, as an individual are, associated with taking care of your Type 1 diabetes in Canada. Throughout our blog series, we’ll be featuring opportunities that come across our radar to help you save a little bit more money. Today, we feature the Medtronic Guardian Connect Subscription program.
The Guardian Connect CGM recently dropped in Canada. This Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) utilizes a new transmitter which makes it the first ever “smart” CGM, automatically assessing and sending readings to your smart & iOS device (such as an iPhone, iPod, iPad, or smart watch) every 5 minutes. No need for another reader! Notably, Guardian Connect offers predictive readings up to 60 minutes in advance of an actual high or low blood glucose event. Medtronic has recently announced a year-long subscription service, which saves users some money & makes receiving products easier. Here, we’ll go over how this subscription works, and how it can be accessed.
Disclaimer: Please check out CIM’s Partners Page to learn more about the companies we work with. It’s important for CIM to recognize and to disclose that our writing may be biased based on the fact that Medtronic Diabetes Care provides sponsorship and support to CIM. We work hard to get information into the hands of the diabetes community whenever we feel it may help people live life without limits.
The beauty of a subscription service is that you don’t have to remember to reorder supplies – after signing up, your Medtronic sensors will arrive for the next year when you need them. With Medtronic’s subscription service, you can opt to receive shipments every month, or every three months. The tables below highlight what you’ll receive in shipments for both plans (note: all prices listed are in Canadian dollars):
Medtronic Guardian Connect Subscription Cost Breakdown – 1 Month Delivery
| Shipment # | Items in shipment | Cost |
| 1 |
| $1.00 |
| 2 (25 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 3 (55 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 4 (85 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 5 (115 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 6 (145 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 7 (175 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 8 (205 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 9 (235 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 10 (265 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 11 (295 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
| 12 (325 days after start date) |
| $359.10 |
Cost Breakdown – 3 Month Delivery
| Shipment # | Items in shipment | Cost |
| 1 |
| $718.20 |
| 2 (120 days after start date) |
| $1077.30 |
| 3 (210 days after start date) |
| $1077.30 |
| 4 300 days after start date |
| $1077.30 |
Regardless of whether you pick the 1 month or 3 month delivery option, the subscription service saves you money. You’re essentially getting your transmitter for free, and you continue to receive your sensors at 10% off the regular price throughout the duration of the subscription.. The 3-month delivery option does require you to pay more money upfront, and your bills will be higher at each payment cycle, but both plans work out to be the same price.
Without the subscription service, the Medtronic Guardian Connect system costs $4988.00 annually (to include the cost of the Guardian Connect transmitter at a list price of $599). Overall, the 3 month subscription delivery costs $3950.10 a year, saving you $1037.90 annually. The 1 month delivery service matches up, costing $3951.10 over the course of the year, saving you $1036.90 compared to purchasing the products without the subscription. This service is especially useful for saving money on the cost of the new Guardian Connect Transmitter (which is rechargeable!), which would regularly cost $599 to replace.
Check out our experiences on Instagram!
Throughout the month of September, members of Team CIM will be giving the Guardian Connect System a try! Head over to our Instagram page to see their experiences so far!
