Here are some CVS basics:

Rewards Program: Extra Care.  You need a card to be enrolled in the program.  Once you get it (in store) give them your email address and they will send you a coupon!

Rewards: Extra Care bucks.  These print on your receipt after your purchase.  They can be used on almost anything in the store with a few exceptions (prescriptions, gift cards, tobacco products, alcohol, stamps, and milk).   A few tips about ECB:

• They are printed on thermal paper.  Leaving them in the sun or near the heat causes them to turn black and be rendered unusual.
• CVS may or may not reactivate the ECB for you if you lose or accidentally destroy them.
• You can access your ECB account online HERE.
• You get 2% back on what you spend out of pocket 4 times a year (the next time begins Oct.1) The 2% will be returned in the form of ECB that you can print at the coupon kiosk or it will print on your receipt after your next purchase.
• You get 1 ECB for every two prescriptions purchased at CVS.
• You get 1 ECB for every 4 times you use a bag tag (these are for sale for .99 at CVS and you attach them to a reusable bag.  Each time you use the bag at CVS, they scan it.  When you use it 4 times you get a $1 ECB.  So each trip is an extra .25 ECB!!)
• Your ECB are attached to your card.  So you cannot use your mother’s ECB with your card.  The system will not accept it.

Some Tips for shopping CVS:

1. ALWAYS give your $/$$ purchase coupons FIRST.  Then, your other coupons and finally your ECB.

2. ALWAYS scan your card when you walk in the store and then scan it again as you walk out!

3. When the ECB is something like “Spend $10 and earn $5 ECB on products X, Y and Z” the card tracks your spending and most of the time you can do this deal over the course of several transactions: buy product X today, Y and Z tomorrow and the system tracks it- printing out your ECB when you meet the requirements.

4. Most deals are a limit of 1- this is for the entire week.  There is no loophole on this- you can still get the sale price just not the ECB.

5. The deals are very specific- count, size, etc.  Your ECB will not print if it is not the right product.

6. Either plan your trips out or bring a calculator.  You can use more ECB then your pre-tax amount but they will adjust the ECB down and you lose the difference.  In most states (NC included) you will have to pay sales tax on the pre-coupon price!

7. You can use 1 manufacturer coupon and 1 store coupon on each item.

8. If they are out of an item, get a raincheck.  It never expires!  And it will print out your ECB when they do get it back in stock.

9. roll your Extra care Bucks:

• rolling is when you leave the store with ECB and then you use those ECB next week to buy the items on sale that week.
• ECB have a longer “shelf life” then most of the other drug stores
• Some places recommend making several translations to limit your OOP on your first trips and leaving with less ECB.  That is too much work for me!  Calculating totals and which ECB to use for multiple trips is just too much for me.  I’d rather spend an extra $5 on my very first trip to end up with enough ECB to get all the deals free the next week in one trip.  Besides, it makes the cashier’s much happier to do 1 transaction then 5!

10. ECB limits (like $10 WYB $50) are BEFORE coupon totals!

Some final tips: Sign up for the CVS beauty club- in addition to ALL the other perks and benefits you get an extra $5 ECB WYB $50 worth of beauty care items. You can sign up HERE.  I strongly suggest you do!

Their coupon policy is right HERE.

That is a quick, basic overview!  Feel free to ask me any questions and I will try to answer them!!  happy savings!