Shopping at CVS is very similar to shopping at Walgreens, the main difference between the two is that you MUST have the CVS Extra Care card in order to take advantage of their sales. There is a limit on how many of the same item you can purchase at CVS and that is tracked by your Extra Care card. Instead of receiving back Register Rewards, you get Extra Care Bucks (ECB’s) that print out at the bottom of your receipt (be sure not to throw them away!!). These are store coupons and can only be used at CVS.
You can find a great deal about upcoming sales at the CVS blog iheartcvs.com, also linked on the sidebar under "money saving blogs". This blog has upcoming ads posted and also lists coupon match-ups and links to printables.
GETTING STARTED
Head into your local CVS and fill out a registration form, or go to the CVS website here to apply for one to get your card. Having one card in your name and one card in your spouse's name is one way to maximize your savings at CVS. With TWO cards you can take advantage of their sales and get around limits. Your spouse does not need to be there to fill out the form, nor does he need to be there to shop. You will have to keep track of which card is used for the limits, shopping at 2 different stores and only using one card at each is a way to keep track. The limits are also tracked on your receipt.
You can find all your local CVS stores here with the CVS store locator.
Be sure to register your Extra Care card at the CVS website here because periodically they will send you coupon offers and chances to take simple surveys that they will pay you for in ECB’s.
Also, if you have a UPromise account, be sure to register your new CVS card with your account there. You can read more about UPromise here, and you can sign up for a UPromise account here.
RAIN-CHECKS
CVS will issue rain-checks for items that are out of stock. CVS rain-checks never expire and the ECB's that are part of the sale when you get the rain-check are still valid when you redeem it. Make sure the rain-check is written out properly showing the ECB's. The cashier's know how to get them to print when you redeem the rain-check after the ECB promo has ended. Another way around the limits at CVS, aside from a second card, is with rain-checks. After an ECB promo ends, there are no more limits for that promo tied to your CVS card. When you redeem those rain-checks for those items the limits will not apply.
EXTRA CARE BUCKS (ECB’s)
ECB’s are earned by purchasing advertised items in the sales ad. ECB’s can also be earned by purchasing at the CVS website. You can earn 1 ECB for every 2 prescriptions you purchase either in store or online. You will also earn 2% back in ECB’s every quarter for the purchases you have made online or in store.
ECB’s print on the bottom of the receipt that is tied to purchasing a particular product.
You can use coupons on the items you are purchasing to get ECB’s.
Items that generate an ECB almost always have a limit on them. At the bottom of your receipt, it will tell you how many items you have purchased toward a particular limit. Once you have met the limit, it will say “offer limit reached”.
Since your limits are tied to your purchases with your card, your shopping is tracked by your card. If CVS is running a sale where you get $XX ECB for purchasing $XX in product - you do not need to purchase the full threshold limit for that product in one transaction. It will be tracked on your card and as long as you purchase the required amount by the promo end date you will get your ECB's. You should see this tracked on your receipt as well. If you are using two Extra Care Cards these thresholds are tracked separately, per card.
You do not need to purchase items separately to receive the ECB’s. For example, if Right Guard is on sale for $2.99 and produces a $2 ECB with a limit of 3, you can buy 3 Right Guard in one transaction, use any manufacturer coupons you have and you will get a $6 ECB when you are done. If you would rather have three $2 ECB's, you can break down your transactions, as long as you don’t purchase more than 3 on your card.
ECB’s cannot be used toward prescriptions, alcohol, gift cards, lottery, money orders, postage stamps, pre-paid cards or tobacco products.
ECB’s are NOT manufacturer coupons. They are store coupons that can only be used at CVS. The nice thing about ECB’s though is that you can use them even if you have more coupons than items; they do not count toward your coupon count! However, you do need to present your Extra Care Card to redeem them. On the top of the ECB it will state which cardholder the ECB belongs to. If you have more than one card, they will not let you use your card with your husband’s ECB’s, so be sure not to mix them up!
ECB’s do have an expiration date on them, so be sure to use them before they expire. Some CVS stores will still accept them within a few days past expiration.
COUPONS
You can stack store coupons and manufacturer coupons on a single item. CVS doesn’t usually have coupons in their weekly ad, but they do offer store coupons on their website. Sometimes you can find a coupon good for an item that is on sale that same week there.
Be sure to scan your CVS Extra Care cards at the coupon center located in the store. There are often really good coupons that print out, ones you can use that same visit!
For a detailed description of all the store coupons CVS offers you can go here.
It has been reported that some CVS stores will take Wags RR's for payment, but this is most likely not a standard practice at all stores. You will have to test the waters at your favorite store to see if they allow it.
