How to Get the Best Deals at CVS

by Linsey Knerl

CVS isn’t the first place most people think of when they want to get the lowest prices on health, beauty, and grocery products.  With a bit of inside knowledge and some careful planning, however, you can get most anything for little to nothing (and we’ll tell you how!) 

CVS and its ExtraCare Program

Similar to the Walgreen Register Rewards Program that we discussed in a previous article, the CVS chain of pharmacies has a customer reward system that generates coupons for use on future visits.  Unlike Walgreens, however, there is a greater opportunity to save major money on purchases, which we’ll discuss in detail, thanks to tips we learned from Tara at Deal Seeking Mom.

The CVS Reward program is called the ExtraCare Program, and the coupons that print out at the register when you buy a qualifying promotional product are called ExtraCare Bucks (or ECB’s.)  These ECB’s are good for four weeks after the purchase for future visits to CVS, and you can really generate quite a few for some free shopping!

How Does the CVS ExtraCare Program Work?

How do you get started with the ExtraCare Program?  There are a few steps you’ll want to take before you head out to shop.  First, you’ll want to see if there is a CVS pharmacy near you.  You can find this out by going to the CVS.com website and using their store locator to see if any are in your area.

Once you’ve established that a store is close enough to shop, it’s time to sign up for your own ExtraCare Card.  That is a customer loyalty card similar to those used at other major store chains, and you can choose to sign up online at CVS.com, or in-store at your next visit. 

Quick and dirty tip: If you’d like to begin shopping right away, Tara suggests that you sign up at the store.  Ordering a card online can take up to two weeks!

How to Get the Best Deals at CVS

Now it’s time to plan out your shopping!  It will take a bit of preparation, but with practice, you can know exactly what you’ll be buying and how much you can save before you enter the store. Here is what Tara recommends for planning your next trip:

Pick up the weekly and monthly sale ads from CVS or online at CVS.com. These will each offer different promotions, and some of the weeklies can even vary by area. To get help in coordinating sales with available coupons and ECB promotions, you can visit DealSeekingMom.com or other deal sites like SlickDeals.net. They will tell you the current savings “scenarios” with possible buying combinations to get you the most low-cost and free items for your dollar.

Free is best!  Though picking up the low-cost items you need is great, the best shopping trips are those that get you free products or even net you a profit!  You can achieve this by reducing your total amount spent out of pocket (OOP) with CVS dollar-off coupons (ex. $3 off a $15 purchase), CVS item coupons, and manufacturer coupons. You can actually “stack” one CVS store coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item, and use both in conjunction with a $/$$ coupon.  To be sure that you’re getting all the coupons available to you, sign up for the CVS email newsletter and check your local newspaper and online ads.  Here’s an example from Tara of how she got a great deal at CVS on Adidas deodorant“ The deodorant [earned you] ExtraCare Bucks for the month, and there was also a coupon available to get the deodorant for free in All You Magazine. Even though you aren’t paying anything out of pocket [when you use the coupon], you still earn the ECBs on the transaction. So you paid with the coupon, got the item for free, and still earned $3.99 in ECBs to be used towards a future transaction.”

Roll with it!  Perhaps the most difficult thing to learn when using ECBs is how to effectively “roll” your ECBs into future purchases. The goal is to spend as little out of pocket as possible, so you can use your current ECBs to buy items that will generate even more ECB’s.  That takes a bit of time to master, but it is worth it!

Quick and Dirty Tips for Getting the Best Deals at CVS

Think you’re ready to shop? Here are a few additional quick and dirty tips to make your shopping experience even more fabulous (and quite possibly, free!)

• Remember, that ECBs can be used on just about anything in the store, not just CVS brand items. There are exclusions for things that you cannot buy with ECBs,however, which generally include prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, stamps, gift cards, money orders, and prepaid debit cards/prepaid phone cards.

• Realize CVS gives rain checks! This means that if you go to the store looking to stock up on an item that is really cheap or free after ExtraCare Bucks and there are none on the shelf, you can request a rain check to purchase it at a later date. Note that the rain check will be valid on the same product at the price you would have paid after ExtraCare Bucks. (This is great for shoppers who find that the most popular deals are keeping their store shelves empty during a wildly popular promotion.) 

• Remember that the ECB’s will expire. Like similar coupons, ECBs are good for a limited time, and if you fail to use them before their time (or lose them), you are out of luck. Take good care of them!
  · Realize you cannot receive change from an ECB.  If you make a $3 purchase and pay for it with a $5 ECB, you’re out the extra $2.  (So don’t do this!)

• Learn the proper order to present your coupons. When you get to the register, make sure the cashier scans your ExtraCare Card. Then you must present your coupons to the cashier in this exact order to be sure you get the most for your money: CVS dollar off transaction coupons, CVS store coupons/manufacturer coupons, and finally your ECBs. If you present your dollar off coupons after your manufacturer and store coupons, your total transaction amount may not be high enough to allow the system to accept the coupon.

• Check and double-check your receipts. It’s often easier to resolve a problem in-store than when you get home!

Shopping at CVS is a great way to stock up on items you need for you and your family.  Remember that it’s also a great way to give back to your community.  Even if you don’t find yourself using a particular brand of soap or a glucose meter, your local shelter can find these items to be valuable donations!

As always, you can send us your questions, comments, and tips to dealista@quickanddirtytips.com or call 206-426-1615.  We’re also on Facebook under “The Dealista!”