Couponing 101 - Couponing at CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens

Let's talk about couponing at Drugstores.  While they have some great deals, it can be pretty confusing. UpRewards, Balance and Register Rewards and ExtraBucks?  What exactly are they and how do they work?

Make sure to read their full Coupon Policy before planning your trip.

Things to Remember
1. In the event that any item's price is less than the value of the coupon, CVS will only accept the coupon only to the price of the item. CVS/pharmacy does not provide cash back in exchange for any coupons.

2. CVS/pharmacy accepts one manufacturer coupon and applicable CVS/pharmacy coupon(s) per item, unless prohibited by either coupon offer. 

3. There is no limit to the number of ExtraBucks Rewards that may be used in a transaction as long as it does not exceed the transaction total. 

4. Two coupons may be used on a Buy One, Get One Free promotion as long as it does not exceed the item total  - Example: Suave Shampoo is on sale for $2.00 Buy One, Get One Free and the customer is purchasing two shampoos; customer may use two coupons for $1.00 each and pay the applicable tax. 

5. Buy One, Get One Free promotions may be combined with Buy One, Get One Free Coupons. Customers are responsible for paying applicable tax - Example: Suave Shampoo is on sale for $2.00 BOGO and customer has a MFG coupon for Suave BOGO. Customer will receive both items for free but will need to pay any applicable tax. 

CVS ExtraCare

Sign up for their ExtraCare card and you will be able to take advantage of their ExtraSavings and ExtraCareBucks (ECB) rewards.  With their ExtraSavings program, you will get personalized coupons via online, on your receipt and at the ExtraCare Coupon Center.  You will also get automatic myWeekly Ad sale prices and additional savings with ExtraCare emails.

You can use your ExtraBucks like CVS cash.  Earn 2% on your everyday purchases and earn them through purchasing items that are attached to an ECB deal.  

This is how to do an ECB sale deal:

Pond’s towelettes or facial cream - sale price $5.99

Receive $2.00 ECBs when you purchase one.

Pay $5.99 OOP and receive $2.00 ECBs on your receipt. It's like spending $3.99 instead of the regular sale price because you can use the $2.00 ECBs on your next purchase.

Or let's say you grab this deal

Get $4 ExtraBucks Rewards when you spend $10 on Dial body wash, ANY Right Guard or Dry Idea antiperspirant/deodorant.
Pay $10.00 OOP (or less if you have coupons) and receive $4.00 ECBs on your receipt for your next purchase.

*Remember that you can not use ECBs on the same items (an ECB from deodorant on another deodorant). Let's take the reward example from above and combine with another ECB deal.

Listerine Total Care, UltraClean rinse or Reach floss $3.99 (plus $1.00 ECB rewards for next purchase)

Use $4.00 ECB Reward from Dial deal above.  

Pay nothing out of pocket and receive $1.00 on your receipt from the Listerine.

**Remember, You will need to use the amount listed on the receipt at once and CVS does not refund back any ECB differences back. So if you have a $15.00 ECB receipt and use it towards a $13.99 purchase, you will not receive the $1.01 difference.

Become a CVS Adviser

Sign up to become a CVS adviser and receive survey invitations.  Throughout the year, they will send you invitations to participate in online surveys about CVS products and services. If you choose to participate in the surveys, they will thank you for your time by providing you with a self-printable CVS ExtraBucks coupon immediately after completing the survey.

Here is Rite Aid's Coupon Policy.

Things to Remember

1. Coupon redemption can never exceed the selling price of an item and no cash back is allowed.

2. When making a return for a product that had a coupon attached, Rite Aid cannot refund cash for the value of the coupon and cannot return the coupon that was used.  

3. More than one coupon can be used on the purchase of a single item under the following conditions:

*All coupons match the item being purchased.

*The total of the coupons is equal to or less than the selling price of the item before sales tax.

*No more than one “48” Rite Aid Valuable coupon, one “49” Rite Aid Manufacturer coupon, and one “5” Manufacturer coupon can be used on a single item. 

4. Rite Aid may accept up to 4 identical coupons for the same number of qualifying items as long as there is sufficient stock to satisfy other customers within the store manager’s sole discretion.

Up Rewards

How to Use and Earn Up Rewards

1. Purchase featured +UP Rewards products and receive discounts on those products simply by scanning your wellness+ card at the register

2. Earn +UP Rewards when you check out. The rewards - worth money off your next Rite Aid purchase -will load automatically onto your wellness+ card. Or, if you prefer, you can ask a store associate to opt you out of having your rewards automatically load onto your card. Your +UP Rewards will be printed on your receipt instead.

To save on your next visit to your local Rite Aid, just scan your card (or receipt) and redeem your Up Rewards.

*Remember - +UP Rewards load directly on your wellness+ card and can be redeemed after 6am local time the next day after issuance. +UP Rewards are valid for 14 days after issuance. +UP Reward will automatically be deducted from next qualifying purchase when you scan your card.

These rewards work like most others, you buy an item for (example) $6.99 and receive $4.00 Up Rewards that you can use on your next purchase.  It's like paying $2.99 because you can use the $4 Up Rewards on your next trip, just make sure to use it within 14 days!

And lastly, Walgreens.  Read their Coupon Policy here.

Things to Remember

1. The total value of the coupons may not exceed the value of the transaction. Sales tax must be paid, if required by state law.  Coupon redemption can never exceed the selling price of an item and no cash back is ever provided in exchange for any coupons.

2. When purchasing a single item, Walgreens accepts one manufacturer coupon and applicable Walgreens coupon(s) for the purchase of a single item, unless prohibited by either coupon offer.

3. When purchasing multiple items, Walgreens accepts multiple identical coupons for multiple qualifying items as long as there is sufficient stock to satisfy other customers, unless a limit is specified. Management reserves the right to limit the quantity of items purchased. Customer and employee purchases of excessive quantities of advertised items is not permitted. An excessive quantity is any quantity above and beyond normal household usage.

4. When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased.

Sales tax must be paid for any Buy One, Get One Free coupon offers, if required by applicable state laws.

Balance Rewards

Balance Rewards are points.  1,000 = $1.  You must have 5,000 points before you can redeem for $5. Here are the other increments at which you can redeem:

10,000 Points = $10

18,000 Points = $20

30, 000 Points = $35

40, 000 Points = $50

Points do not expire for 3 years as long as the account remains active.  If the account goes inactive for 6 months, the points will expire. 

You earn points just like the other rewards programs, buy a specific item and get X points good on next purchase.  You just have to have at least 5,000 points to redeem.  

When it comes to receiving and redeeming points, you need to plan your transactions carefully.  You cannot earn more points if you pay for an item with points.  So, if you wish to redeem your points, do not do it in a transaction where you would earn points by buying a certain product.

You can sign up for Balance Rewards on Walgreens Website or in store.

You can earn extra points online by signing up for Steps with Balance Rewards.

Register Rewards
Register Rewards are Manufacturer Coupons that print out on a Catalina at the end of your transaction to use on your next purchase.  While they are MF coupons, they are only good at Walgreens.

When redeeming a Register Reward, Coupon Value cannot exceed purchase amount.  Total number of MF coupons/Register Rewards cannot exceed the number of items in the transactions.*

*This is when you may need to use a FILLER item.

Let's say you received a $2 Register Reward and you want to use it to lower your OOP in a coupon deal.  Let's say Purex is on sale 2 for $3.  You have a $1/2 MF coupon.  If you used your $2 Register Reward, that would give you the Purex for FREE (Buy 2 = $3 - $1/2 MF = $2 - $2 Register Reward = FREE).  However, the $1/2 MF coupon covers both items.  You need to add a FILLER item.  Throw in a pack of gum for $0.25 and now you can use your $2 register reward and just pay for the $0.25 pack of gum.

Also remember, when using a Register Reward, you can use to pay for just about anything in the store, except for the same item which you received the reward for.  For example, if you received the reward for purchasing Reach Toothbrushes, you would NOT receive another Register Reward if you purchased another Reach Toothbrush and used your Previous Register Reward.