Stay tuned beginning tomorrow for a 3 part series on “How to Shop CVS” Beginning with CVS 101. This is a HOT week at CVS!
CVS operates Nationwide! CVS recently bought out Longs Drugs, so if you live near a Longs, you need to go give it another look! Find a store near you here!
Who’s ready to commit to learn this drugstore this week?
What kind of Coupons does CVS accept?
- Manufacturer Coupons (including Printable Coupons)
- Store Coupons (In-Ad, CRTs or Purchase Based Coupons)
- Competitor Rx Coupons (example: a Target coupon for transferred prescription gift card)
- ECBs (CVS Extra Bucks, like Catalina or RR)
May I use two coupons on a Buy one Get one Free offer?
Official corporate policy says, “yes!”
Does CVS pay overage?
No, if you have a $0.97 item and a $1.00 off coupon, the register will make an angry beep and your cashier will need to adjust the price of the $1.00 coupon down to $0.97.
Dear Ms. Wheeler,
Thank you for contacting CVS/pharmacy regarding the use of coupons at our stores. I am able to help you with this. Our coupon policy is not available on our Web site. We reserve the right to change this policy at any time.
Our registers are set to allow 1 CVS coupon and 1 manufacturer coupon per item. Free coupons or “offers at the register” (OAR’s) are unearned and issued to you as a valued member of the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program. These coupons take the form of “open ended” coupons such as $3 off $15 or a certain dollar amount off a specific item. In any given transaction our registers will allow only one “open ended” coupon per transaction. CVS Extra Buck coupons are earned when you make a qualifying purchase. These print out instantly at the register upon reaching the threshold for the offer. You can use more than one Extra Buck coupon provided the purchase threshold has been met for each offer amount on a per-transaction basis.
In the case where a particular item is on sale for “buy one get one free” (BOGO), you are only allowed to use one manufacturer’s BOGO coupon. For instance, if Revlon lipstick is on sale for BOGO, you can use one manufacturer’s BOGO coupon. You would get both items free and pay any applicable tax. We reserve the right to limit quantities on all items. If our store is running a sale for BOGO, you can use two manufacturer’s coupons for a specific dollar amount off. For example, if Revlon lipstick is on sale at our store for BOGO, you can use two $1.00 off Revlon lipstick manufacturer coupons.
CVS/pharmacy does accept manufacturers’ coupons that have been obtained from manufacturer sponsored and/or authorized Web sites. The coupon should be complete and contain a bar code that can be scanned at the register. If the coupon does not scan, the cashier should politely inform you that we cannot accept your coupon. We do not allow manual overrides at the register for coupons printed from the Internet. CVS/pharmacy will not accept offers printed from unauthorized Internet postings or reproductions, copies, or facsimiles.
We do not accept competitors’ coupons for front store items nor do we match competitors’ sale prices. We feel that our sales and ExtraCare program are comparable if not better than any sales or coupons offered by our competitors. We also do not accept any expired coupons, CVS or otherwise. We do not “double” or “triple” coupons. All coupons must match the product being purchased. We will not accept a coupon for a ‘like’ item. If the item is not listed or pictured on the coupon, we cannot accept it.
Again Ms. Wheeler, thank you for contacting us. We value your business and look forward to serving you in the future.
Sincerely,
Danielle
CVS/pharmacy
Customer Relations
07534411
1-800-SHOP-CVS
Thank you thank you thank you!! I've printed out the letter from CVS customer relations.
I always have a problem with using 2 coupons on a bogo item. So happy this is cleared up finally!!
Thank you thank you thank you again!!
I recently went CVS and they stated they received an update regarding their coupon policy and ECBs. They now accept expired CVS coupons and expired ECBs. Have you heard anything from the corporate office and will you be posting the update? I would LOVE to be able to take it with me on my quest for low prices!!!
Thanks for everything!
Dee
I think it varies store to store. I went to a store in my hometown and they said they accepted expired extra bucks (this was after having a conversation with the cashier about how I always forgot to usee them) So I thought cool and started saving them up til I had quite a few, went to the local store where I live now and wouldn’t you know the cashier said they absolutely do NOT take expired EB. I was rather mad, but I told her what the other store said and she said they are not allowed to do that. Apparently they have to send them in the mail to the office and they will not take them, but I don’t believe that because surely the stores accepting them would get in trouble for it if that was the case. My CVS though is never good about coupons. I am not usre why stores are so mean about coupons, I mean they will recoup the money plus a few extra cents for handling.
Thanks for this information. I am about to head out to CVS with a $2.00 off manufacturer’s internet coupon. This is the first time I’ve tried shopping with an internet coupon from the manufacturer instead of the store.
I really appreciate that you actually wrote to the company and posted the response. It’s very accurate information.
After a number of frustrating encounters, and as many varying versions of their policy on internet/printed coupons I finally contacted corporate. Unfortunately I did not get anything in writing, however was directed to call. She did confirm that they should take them, their training says to always attempt to scan first, or they can manually be typed in, at that point if it doesn’t work they are to politely (haha) hand them back to the customer. She said if there is a problem you can ask THEM to call corporate and verify a coupon, or you can call yourself. She said there are a (small) number of stores who’ve had large volumes of fraud and have stopped taking them. I had the store info, so she is contacted the person in charge of that store. Sigh, just not sure if I want to bother going there again.
I was at CVS today and was told I could not use some of my coupons combined with the BOGO coupon. I bought 4 toothbrushes. Had two BOGOs and four $1.00 off coupons. I figured the four $1.00 off was a strech but at least I should be able to use two. The sales associate would not let me use any of them.
By reading the email posted above, I should have been able to use all four coupons. I just got done emailing CVS myself. Hopefully they will make right on the sales associates mistake.