Learning the CVS ropes!

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Whenever I write about CVS deals I assume that they are the same across our nation. This being said, you want to make sure you consistently read the weekly advertisement circulars to double check available deals within your region. You should receive the circular in the mail, or if that is not the case, you can find them in the Sunday Paper, view the online version on the CVS homepage, or you can pick one up at your local CVS store.

Read this guide to learn how you can get the best deals at CVS:

Free “Extra Care Card”

The free Extra Care Card is a vital instrument for successful couponing at CVS. So if you don’t already own one, make sure you sign up immediately for this loyalty card from CVS! You can either pick one up in your local CVS store (but don’t forget to register your card online), or you can sign up on the CVS website. In turn, you will receive the card within a few days. Click here if you choose the online option. The Loyalty card is limited to one per person.

Once you possess your own free Extra Care Card make sure you use it with every purchase. Tip: If you happen to forget it at home, the cashier will be able to look it up by your phone number (only if the card is registered).

So what can you get with this card? You will receive special deals on advertised items but only if you use your card. On top of that you will earn 2% on all your purchases! Could it get any better? It’s like you’re getting paid for shopping. CVS will send you a quarterly email telling you how much you’ve earned and how to claim your “Extra Bucks Rewards”. Remember folks, I am in no way affiliated with CVS, in fact if I was, I’d probably be asked to kindly pack my bags

Extra Care Bucks (ECB)

Extra Care Bucks are instant rebates or CVS money that can be used towards future purchases. When you buy an item that is advertised in the circular or the store as earning Extra Care Bucks, the ECBs will print out at the bottom of your receipt. You can tear off that part and then use your earned ECBs for future purchases.

There are a few rules to follow to make sure you will get the most out of your ECBs.

- You can only use each ECB print-out once which means that you won’t get any money back. So, make sure you use them on purchases equal or greater than their value.

- ECBs can be used on all store products other than tobacco, stamps, gift cards, alcohol, money orders, pre-paid cards, lottery or prescription drugs.

- ECBs expire 4 weeks after they printed out. So don’t hang on to them for too long.

- “Roll” your ECBs to get the most value out of them. This means that you buy something that will give you your initial ECBs and then buy another item with them that will print out a new ECBs, etc. That way you only pay for the initial out of pocket (OOP) and the rest with ECBs. Are you still following me? Here is a hands-on example to clarify. These sample transactions are for a deodorant $4 and some candy $2.00

E.g. First Transaction
- Buy a deodorant $4.00
  Pay $4 out of pocket (OOP) and receive $2 ECBs on your receipt (advertised ECB deal)
Second Transaction (or next store visit)
- Buy candy $2.00
  Use your $2 ECBs from your first transaction
  Now pay $0.00 OOP

- Unlike the Register Rewards at Walgreens, the CVS ECBs are “rollable”. This means that you can buy advertised item X, get your ECBs from item X and use it to buy the same item X again, which will print out more ECBs, which you can use to buy ANOTHER item X…..

- By adding manufacturer coupons to the ECB promotion, you can get items for a much discounted price, free, or even make a little profit depending on the coupons you have or the promotion you are taking advantage of.

- There are also some ECB deals that require you to buy multiple items. You do not have to buy all the items for a particular promotion in one transaction. You can buy them in any CVS store as long as the promotion is valid. This is useful if a store is out of the items you want or the additional coupons you want to use have a one per visit limit. ECBs print out immediately the day you fulfill the promotion. If you haven’t reached the requirement for that specific promotion yet, the bottom of the receipt will tell you.

- Be aware! ECB deals always have limits so be prepared and read the fine print! Below the deal in the ad it will say “Limit an X number per household.” If the limit is 1, it means that if you buy more than one, you will only get Extra Care Bucks for the first item you purchase.

Coupon Stacking

There are two different coupons: CVS coupons and manufacturer’s coupon. For every item you purchase you can “stack coupons” which means that you can use (1) CVS coupon and (1) manufacturer’s coupon per item for a total of (2) coupons per item. Check the top of each coupon to see if it is a manufacturer’s coupon or store coupon. Also, there are Red Price Scanners near the front of the store. When you go into CVS the first thing you should do is scanning your Extra Care Card for additional CVS Store coupons. Internet Coupons are accepted at CVS. However, the cashier has a right to refuse them if they appear to be fraudulent. Click here to read my article about where to find manufacturer’s coupons.

In addition to being able to use (1) CVS coupon and (1) manufacturer’s coupon per item, CVS has additional coupons such as $4 off $20, $5 off $30 purchase, or $10 off of a $50. These coupons can be used in combination with all of your other coupons! The purchase amount needed is before any other coupons or ECBs are used. Can you see the potential here? You can find these special coupons on your receipt, in the store, online on the CVS website, or most likely CVS will send you and email with this special offer.

I love CVS B1G1/ BOGO deals. These deals allow you to use (2) manufacturer’s coupons and (2) CVS coupons. This way you can get the items for really cheap or even for free.

In what order should you hand your coupons to the cashier?

There are different ways you can hand your coupons to the cashier but the following has worked best for me: When shopping at CVS, I use the following order $ off $$ coupon, manufacturers’ coupons, CVS coupons, and last ECBs. This way there is no confusion over whether your total has met the $/$$ requirements and you can also make sure that at the end your total is high enough to use your ECBs effectively.

Weekly and Monthly Deals

The weekly deals you will find in your store circular. Each month CVS also puts out an Extra Value Book with ECB deals that are good all month long. Some of these deals are featured in the weekly ads others aren’t. Make sure to pay attention to the limits. It doesn’t matter if that deal is advertised in the weekly circular or the monthly value book. If the purchase limit is one for example, you will only get ECBs for the first purchase.

CVS Deals Posts from Sassy Coupon Mom

I post my deals in the following format: