When you play the Drugstore Game, utilizing the program to its fullest, you can literally save hundreds of dollars for a very small investment of time to research the CVS deals each week. In fact, I’ve saved over $700 just in the past month-and-a-half.
Learning the ins and outs of the CVS ExtraCare Program may seem a little daunting at first, but it’s really quite simple when you break it down into the following steps.
This post will just tackle the basics of the program to get you started:
Verify that you have a CVS close to you. The easiest way to do this is using the CVS Store Finder. This seems pretty obvious, but with the price of gas these days, you won’t be doing yourself any favors if you’re offsetting your savings by spending a significant amount of money on fuel.
Sign up for your very own ExtraCare Card. This can be done on CVS.com, or you may sign up in a store. Your best bet is to do it in a store so you can begin using your card immediately. If you choose to sign up online, it will take approximately two weeks to receive your card.
Configure your scenarios. You’ll need to pick up a weekly store ad, as well as a monthly store ad. You can find the highlights of the weekly and monthly store ads, along with detailed weekly scenarios, posted right here on Deal Seeking Mom, or you can find the full lists on SlickDeals.net. You do need to be careful with the weekly ads, as they can vary between locations. Scan both ads to find the ExtraCare Bucks offers that most appeal to you. The most lucrative offers are usually the ones that are already free after ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs).
Your ultimate goal is to attempt to create transaction scenarios that actually earn you a profit in ECBs. 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 $/$$ coupon.
A great example of this is a recent Adidas Deodorant offer. The deodorant was free after ECBs for the month of May, and there was a coupon available to purchase the deodorant for free in All You Magazine. Even though you aren’t paying OOP, you still earn the ECBs on the transaction. So you paid with the coupon, getting the item for free, and still earned $3.99 in ECBs to be used towards a future transaction.
Learn how to roll your ECBs. Once you’ve mastered the art of earning a profit on ECBs, you’ll want to move on to learning how to “roll” them, which is just another way of saying that you’re using them to pay for for items that earn more ECBs thus greatly reducing your OOP spending after your initial outlay. Learning how to effectively roll your ECBs will save you the most money in the long run.
Occasionally this may mean purchasing items that you don’t really want or need, but think of the many things you could do with these items. Glucose monitors are always a welcome donation at nursing homes. Toiletries can be donated to shelters. Use items as stocking stuffers, create gift baskets, or even sell them in garage/yard sales. You can find a use for just about everything if you think creatively.
Now it’s time to go shopping!!!
At the store, the first thing I do is grab all of the items I’ve incorporated into my scenarios. It’s not at all unusual for some items to be out of stock, so it helps to have a few backup items in mind if possible. I always bring my calculator and coupon keeper in case I have to do some on-the-spot configuring.
You may want to group your purchase into multiple transactions. Often I’ll do multiple transactions in one trip, so I group each transaction and organize my coupons before approaching the cashier so as to make checking out as efficient as possible. There are a couple of reasons for doing multiple transactions. One is to maximize your savings from $/$$ CVS coupons when they’re available. For example, if you have a $2/$10 purchase coupon, it makes more sense to do multiple transactions as close to $10 so you can get $2 off each one. A second reason would be to roll your ECBs that print from one transaction and use them to pay for your next transaction to minimize your actual OOP expenses.
Learn the proper order to present your coupons. When you’re ready to check out, first make sure the cashier scans your ExtraCare Card. Then it’s important that you present your coupons in exactly this order to maximize your savings – 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.
One very important thing to mention about ECBs is that you will not get change for them, so make sure you use them to their fullest. If I have a dollar off transaction coupon, I generally try to stay as close as possible to the minimum transaction amount to maximize my savings, but if my total after coupons is less than the ECBs I have to pay with, I’ll pad my transaction with a few filler items so I’m not wasting the difference between the transaction amount and the ECBs. Filler items are just inexpensive items that you add to a transaction to get it above a certain subtotal. Trial size items are great, or in a pinch at the register you could grab a pack of gum.
Check your receipts and verify that all ECBs you earned printed correctly. It’s much easier to have issues resolved before you leave the store, but CVS Customer Care is generally very helpful as well. And make sure to put your ECBs in a safe place. Treat them like cash because trying to get them replaced is near impossible if you lose them.
Please feel free to email me or leave a comment if anything here was too ambiguous. I’m here to help you get started, and I definitely don’t want to leave anyone feeling overwhelmed right from the start!
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Tara Kuczykowski
Patty, an example of a dollar off transaction coupon would be these $5 off any $25 CVS purchase coupons that are available right now.
https://www.dealseekingmom.com/cvs-525-flu-survey-coupon-3-links/
Sometimes the ECBs won’t scan right away for some reason, but the cashier should just be able to push them through. I have the CVS customer service phone number programmed into my phone for problems such as this. They’ll take care of it for you.
Tara Kuczykowski
Patty, an example of a dollar off transaction coupon would be these $5 off any $25 CVS purchase coupons that are available right now.
https://www.dealseekingmom.com/cvs-525-flu-survey-coupon-3-links/
Sometimes the ECBs won’t scan right away for some reason, but the cashier should just be able to push them through. I have the CVS customer service phone number programmed into my phone for problems such as this. They’ll take care of it for you.
Dawn K
Does CVS have a limit to the number of coupons allowed per item, similar to Walgreens? Two examples:
I currently have the $5 off of $25 purchase, and 2 manufacturer coupons of the $3 off Prilosec. If I go and buy two Prilosec (which I have a raincheck for at last week’s sale price with ECB, woo!), I technically have 3 coupons for two items.
Example 2 (I know this happens less often, due to the rarity of CVS ad coupons to clip):
I have a MF coupon for item A, as well as a CVS clip coupon. Item A is the only item I’m buying, so I again have more coupons than items.
Thanks for this awesome website!
Dawn K
Does CVS have a limit to the number of coupons allowed per item, similar to Walgreens? Two examples:
I currently have the $5 off of $25 purchase, and 2 manufacturer coupons of the $3 off Prilosec. If I go and buy two Prilosec (which I have a raincheck for at last week’s sale price with ECB, woo!), I technically have 3 coupons for two items.
Example 2 (I know this happens less often, due to the rarity of CVS ad coupons to clip):
I have a MF coupon for item A, as well as a CVS clip coupon. Item A is the only item I’m buying, so I again have more coupons than items.
Thanks for this awesome website!
Tara Kuczykowski
Dawn, in these instances you wouldn’t need a filler item. CVS is much more flexible than Walgreens when it comes to this!
Tara Kuczykowski
Dawn, in these instances you wouldn’t need a filler item. CVS is much more flexible than Walgreens when it comes to this!
Kelly
The other day I had a manufacturers coupon for $2, a $2 CVS brand coupon, a $5 off $30 coupon, a $10 of $50 coupon & then my quarterly(?) points coupon worth $9. They took all my coupons but the $2 cvs brand coupon. And I had 2 CVS brand items. I asked why and she thought it was because I had already used too many coupons. I didn’t argue because may savings were huge($26). Plus I bought conditioner on sale, that ended up being a an additional $10, for a total of $36! So I was pretty happy with my shopping trip that day. However, this happened once before, but the cashier punched it in manually for me. Can you have too many coupons? Just wondering if this was typical? CVS in our city is only a few months old, so maybe there is still a learning curve. Thanks!
Kelly
The other day I had a manufacturers coupon for $2, a $2 CVS brand coupon, a $5 off $30 coupon, a $10 of $50 coupon & then my quarterly(?) points coupon worth $9. They took all my coupons but the $2 cvs brand coupon. And I had 2 CVS brand items. I asked why and she thought it was because I had already used too many coupons. I didn’t argue because may savings were huge($26). Plus I bought conditioner on sale, that ended up being a an additional $10, for a total of $36! So I was pretty happy with my shopping trip that day. However, this happened once before, but the cashier punched it in manually for me. Can you have too many coupons? Just wondering if this was typical? CVS in our city is only a few months old, so maybe there is still a learning curve. Thanks!
Cynthia
I’m new to all of this and I’m really trying to understand but I’m just not “getting it” …. Can’t seem to wrap my head around the process. Does anyone live in the High Point, NC area who would teach me how to do some of this coupon stuff??? Thank you :)
Cynthia
I’m new to all of this and I’m really trying to understand but I’m just not “getting it” …. Can’t seem to wrap my head around the process. Does anyone live in the High Point, NC area who would teach me how to do some of this coupon stuff??? Thank you :)
MommyPaine
Today I was told that CVS does not accept Internet Printable Coupons? Anyone else have this happen?
MommyPaine
Today I was told that CVS does not accept Internet Printable Coupons? Anyone else have this happen?
Lisa
Sorry if this has already been covered several times but I haven’t figured this out…
If there is a deal for ex. Buy $20 worth of candy and get $10 ECB’s. Does the $20 spent need to be before coupons? In other words, if I buy $20 worth of candy but then give them $5 in coupons and only pay $15, will I still get the $10 ECB’s?
Thanks!!
Lisa
Sorry if this has already been covered several times but I haven’t figured this out…
If there is a deal for ex. Buy $20 worth of candy and get $10 ECB’s. Does the $20 spent need to be before coupons? In other words, if I buy $20 worth of candy but then give them $5 in coupons and only pay $15, will I still get the $10 ECB’s?
Thanks!!
Tara Kuczykowski
Yep, the $20 is before any store or manufacturer coupons.
Tara Kuczykowski
Yep, the $20 is before any store or manufacturer coupons.
Carrie
Can you use both a CVS coupon – from the FLU coupon book ($.50 off toothpaste) AND a manufacturer’s coupon ($1.00 off toothpaste) for the same item? I know that Rite Aid allows you to do this, but I didn’t know if CVS does.
Carrie
Can you use both a CVS coupon – from the FLU coupon book ($.50 off toothpaste) AND a manufacturer’s coupon ($1.00 off toothpaste) for the same item? I know that Rite Aid allows you to do this, but I didn’t know if CVS does.
Tara Kuczykowski
Yes, you can use one manufacturer and one store coupon per item.
Tara Kuczykowski
Yes, you can use one manufacturer and one store coupon per item.
Jeni Rickard
I have been told, at my local CVS, that I cannot redeem any ECBs until they give me my ECB “certificate” that prints out twice a year. This doesn’t make sense with all that you are saying about CVS. Help!
Jeni Rickard
I have been told, at my local CVS, that I cannot redeem any ECBs until they give me my ECB “certificate” that prints out twice a year. This doesn’t make sense with all that you are saying about CVS. Help!
Nancy
This is probably obvious to everyone but me.. I just learned that you can’t use ECB’s that were earned on one CVS card (say, mine) for a purchase using someone else’s CVS card (say, my husband’s card). They wouldn’t take the $3 off $15 coupon for the same reason either. I was hoping to get past their “limit of 2” on a sale item by using my husband’s card, and then pay with the ECBs earned from an earlier purchase. No luck.
Nancy
This is probably obvious to everyone but me.. I just learned that you can’t use ECB’s that were earned on one CVS card (say, mine) for a purchase using someone else’s CVS card (say, my husband’s card). They wouldn’t take the $3 off $15 coupon for the same reason either. I was hoping to get past their “limit of 2” on a sale item by using my husband’s card, and then pay with the ECBs earned from an earlier purchase. No luck.
Nan
I still don’t understand “rolling ECB’s. I am earing ECBs, but when and how are they rolled. Is it done automatically at check out time or what?
Nan
I still don’t understand “rolling ECB’s. I am earing ECBs, but when and how are they rolled. Is it done automatically at check out time or what?
Tara Kuczykowski
Nan, rolling ECBs is basically just using ECBs you’ve already earned on a transaction that will earn you more ECBs. That way you’re not spending much actual money out of pocket.
Tara Kuczykowski
Nan, rolling ECBs is basically just using ECBs you’ve already earned on a transaction that will earn you more ECBs. That way you’re not spending much actual money out of pocket.
Kristi
I apologize if this has been asked/explained but can you tell me what it means at the bottom of my CVS receipt when it says ‘Year to Date Savings’ and ‘Winter 2010 Spending’?
Thank you so much!!
Kristi
I apologize if this has been asked/explained but can you tell me what it means at the bottom of my CVS receipt when it says ‘Year to Date Savings’ and ‘Winter 2010 Spending’?
Thank you so much!!