CVS, Walgreens and Walmart still develop disposable cameras, but they send the film out. Mail-in labs charge about $12 to $25 and usually return your negatives.
Drop the camera at a drugstore or Walmart for 4x6 prints in about a week. Post it to a lab for scans and, in most cases, your negatives. Target, Costco and Rite Aid are no longer options.
The short answer
At the October 2026 check (October 14), from each store’s or lab’s own page unless noted. Shipping is extra unless the row says so.
| Where | Price for one disposable | Turnaround | Prints or scans | Negatives back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVS | About $15 a roll (PetaPixel, January 2026); CVS’s own price not confirmed | 7 to 10 days (CVS) | 4x6 prints | Do not expect them |
| Walgreens | $15.99 for 24 exposures | 3 to 5 business days | Photo CD included; the page does not say prints are | No |
| Walmart | No price on its page; Shotkit lists $10.96 for 27 exposures, single prints (undated) | About 6 days (Walmart); up to 3 weeks (Shotkit) | 4x6 prints; a CD may cost extra | Not guaranteed |
| The Darkroom | $17 with standard scans | 2 to 4 days in the lab, plus 2 to 6 days in the mail | Scans; 4-inch prints +$10 | Yes, always |
| Old School Photo Lab | $25, round-trip shipping included | 4 to 5 business days after arrival | Scans | Yes, shipping included |
| Mpix | $13.95 with standard scans | Scans online 1 to 3 days after arrival | Scans | Optional |
| Reformed Film Lab | $12 (small scans) to $23 (TIFF) | Not stated | Scans; prints +$9 | Optional, $5.95 return shipping |
| Process One | $5.99 to develop, plus $8.99 for scans only | Usually starts 1 to 2 days after arrival | Scans (2400x3600); prints 49 cents each | Yes, always |
CVS
Yes, CVS still develops film. Google’s copy of CVS’s film page says it develops 35mm film and disposable cameras, prints on 4x6 paper, and has orders ready in 7 to 10 days. You drop the camera off at any CVS pharmacy. We could not open the CVS page itself from outside the US, so we have not seen a price there.
CVS does not develop film in the store. It ships the camera to an outside lab, according to Kubus Photo (February 2026) and PetaPixel. Kubus says the wait often runs 10 to 14 business days in practice.
PetaPixel (updated January 5, 2026) puts the price at about $15 a 35mm roll. Kubus gives $15 to $18 with 4x6 prints.
Negatives are the catch. PetaPixel says CVS does not return them. Kubus says it varies by store. Plan as if you will not get them back.
Walgreens
Walgreens still takes disposable cameras. Its Walgreens Photo film page mentions them and also lists 110 and APS film. It does not develop in the store: The Darkroom reports that Walgreens ended in-house processing on April 16, 2015.
The price sits in a banner on the Walgreens Photo page: $15.99 for 24 exposures of 35mm film, with a free photo CD of the pictures. The banner does not say whether prints are included, or what a 27-exposure disposable costs.
The same banner says orders are ready in 3 to 5 business days and do not include negatives. PetaPixel and The Darkroom also say Walgreens keeps them. Call your store first, because not every location takes film.
Walmart
Walmart Photo says it “can process your one-time use cameras & film” at participating Photo Centers. It sends the film out: Shotkit says Walmart stopped developing in-house in 2022.
Walmart’s page says orders are ready for pickup in about 6 days. Shotkit says it can take up to three weeks in practice.
Walmart’s page lists no price. Shotkit quotes $10.96 for 27 exposures with single prints and $14.96 for double prints. That page has no date, so treat those numbers as a guide, not a quote. The Walmart page also contradicts itself on extras: one paragraph says you get 4x6 prints and a CD, another says a USB or CD is “a small extra charge.”
Negatives are not guaranteed. Shotkit and The Darkroom say Walmart does not return them, though Shotkit reports that some customers got them back by writing the request on the envelope.
Places that stopped: Target, Costco and Rite Aid
- Target no longer develops film, according to Shutter Junkies and Kubus.
- Costco stopped too. An employee told The Darkroom that Costco pulled its film processing equipment out of every building, and Kubus agreed in 2026.
- Rite Aid closed its last stores in late September 2025, so any guide that tells you to try Rite Aid is out of date.
Mail-in labs compared
A mail-in lab is the better choice if you want digital files or your negatives. You post the camera and download the scans.
The Darkroom (San Clemente, California) charges $17 for a disposable with standard scans. Enhanced scans add $2 and super scans add $4 more, so $23 for the top tier. Standard scans are 1024x1536 pixels, enhanced 2048x3072, super 4492x6774. A set of 4-inch prints adds $10, 5-inch adds $18. The lab takes 2 to 4 days, plus 2 to 6 days for the mail to reach it, and there is no rush service. Negatives always come back cut and sleeved. Its FAQ says the prepaid label for sending film in is free; return shipping cost is not listed.
Old School Photo Lab charges $25 all in: developing, scans and shipping both ways. Develop only, with negatives returned, is $18. Color film takes 4 to 5 business days after it arrives. Its page does not list scan resolution.
Mpix charges $13.95 a disposable with standard scans, and shipping is extra. Standard scans are 4.5 MB, good for prints up to 5x7; large scans are 18 MB. Scans go online 1 to 3 days after the camera arrives. You choose whether to get the negatives back by mail or have them discarded. Mpix also says it recycles disposable cameras after processing.
Reformed Film Lab prices by scan size: small $12, medium $15, large $18, TIFF $23. Single prints add $9, and develop only is $6. Negatives are optional, with a flat $5.95 return shipping per order, free over $125. The page does not state a turnaround.
Process One (Overland Park, Kansas) is the cheapest if you only want scans. Developing is $5.99, scans are $8.99 on their own or $4.99 with prints, and 4x6 prints are 49 cents each. Scans are 2400x3600 JPEGs by Dropbox, CD or USB. The lab says it always returns your negatives. Return shipping is not listed.
Local camera shops
An independent camera shop or lab may be cheaper and faster than both. Total Photo in San Diego lists $7.50 for a disposable, and Latitude in Chicago lists develop-only in 3 business days. Search Google Maps for “film developing” and call before you go. Ask three things: do you return negatives, what size are the scans, and what is the price for a 27-exposure disposable.
How much it costs to develop a disposable camera
From cheapest to dearest, for one camera, as listed on October 14, 2026:
- Develop only, no scans or prints: $5.99 at Process One, $6 at Reformed Film Lab.
- Scans only: $12 at Reformed Film Lab (small scans), $13.95 at Mpix (shipping extra), $14.98 at Process One.
- At a store: about $15 for prints at CVS (PetaPixel), $15.99 for 24 exposures with a photo CD at Walgreens.
- Scans from a full-service lab: $17 at The Darkroom, $25 at Old School with shipping both ways.
- Scans and prints: $27 at The Darkroom with 4-inch prints.
Now add the camera. A Fujifilm QuickSnap Flash 400 was $19.49 on Amazon on October 14, 2026. With The Darkroom’s standard scans, that is ($19.49 + $17.00) / 27 = $1.35 a shot. From Walmart’s QuickSnap 2-pack ($14.94 a camera) with Process One scans, it is $1.11 a shot before return shipping. Add Darkroom prints and it rises to $1.72 a shot.
How long it takes
By their own pages, stores take about 6 days (Walmart) to 7 to 10 days (CVS). Shotkit and Kubus report longer waits in practice. Mail-in labs take 1 to 5 days once the camera arrives, plus the mail both ways.
Labs can still develop old film. Walgreens Photo says film can be processed past its expiration date and typically lasts several years past it, depending on how it was stored. Expect the colors to shift.
Developing at home: the C-41 reality
Color film from a disposable uses the C-41 process. The common home kit is the CineStill Cs41 liquid kit, $32.99 for a quart at Freestyle. Retailers say it can develop up to 24 rolls if you add 2% to the developer time for each roll, at 102°F. We have not checked those figures against CineStill’s own instructions.
You also need a daylight developing tank and reels, a changing bag to crack the camera open in the dark, a thermometer, a warm water bath, and a way to scan the negatives.
The kit alone costs more than one $15 to $25 lab order, before the tank, reels and scanner. Home developing only pays off if you shoot a lot of film.
Or skip the wait: instant cameras
If the week-long wait is the problem, an instant camera has none. An Instax Mini print develops in about 90 seconds, according to Fujifilm. A Polaroid i-Type print takes 10 to 15 minutes. There is no lab and no postage.
It can also cost less per shot. Instax Mini film works out at $0.91 a shot, against $1.11 to $1.72 for a disposable once developed. The trade-offs: you buy the camera first ($79.95 for an Instax Mini 13), the print is smaller (a 62 x 46 mm image against a 4x6 lab print), and you get no negatives or scans. At the Amazon and Darkroom price, the Mini 13 pays for itself after about 182 shots.
Our disposable camera vs instant camera guide runs the full numbers, and our best instant camera guide picks the camera. If you already have scans and want prints at home, see our best portable photo printers.
FAQ
How much does it cost to develop a disposable camera?
At the October 2026 check, about $15 to $16 at a drugstore, $12 to $25 for scans from a mail-in lab, and from $5.99 for developing only. Old School Photo Lab’s $25 includes shipping both ways; most other labs charge return shipping on top.
Does CVS still process disposable camera film?
Yes. CVS develops 35mm film and disposable cameras, with 4x6 prints ready in 7 to 10 days. It sends the film to an outside lab, and you should not expect your negatives back.
How fast can Walgreens develop a disposable camera?
Walgreens Photo says 3 to 5 business days, and PetaPixel agrees. The film is sent out, so call your store.
Can I develop 35mm film at Walgreens? Does Walgreens still develop throwaway cameras?
Yes to both, at stores that offer film processing. Walgreens Photo lists 35mm, 110 and APS film and mentions disposable cameras. Its page says orders do not include negatives.
Does Walmart develop disposable camera film?
Yes, at participating Photo Centers. Walmart says orders are ready in about 6 days. Its page lists no price.
Is CVS or Walgreens cheaper for developing disposable cameras?
They are close: about $15 a roll at CVS (PetaPixel) and $15.99 for 24 exposures at Walgreens. Neither returns negatives.
Is it cheaper to develop film at home?
Not for one or two rolls. A CineStill Cs41 kit is $32.99 before the tank, reels, changing bag and scanner, while a lab charges $15 to $25 a camera. Home developing makes sense only if you shoot many rolls.
Related reading
- Where to Buy Disposable Cameras in 2026 (and Which Store Is Cheapest)
- Disposable Cameras for Weddings: Real Costs, Common Problems and the Instant Option (2026)
- Best Disposable Cameras 2026: 6 Picks and What They Really Cost
- Disposable Camera vs Instant Camera (Polaroid, Instax): Cost, Wait and Prints Compared
- Best Instant Camera 2026: 7 Picks for Every Budget