Couponing at CVS can be a gold mine, especially when you add CVS ExtraBucks to your savings strategy. When you combine coupons, sale prices, and all the benefits of the CVS ExtraCare program, you’ll walk out of CVS feeling confident you deserved every penny saved (and earned)!
Even though there are plenty of ways to save more at CVS, some are more hidden than others. But once you know these tips on how to not lose out on CVS ExtraBucks, you’ll be raking in the dough.
CVS for a couponer can either be a gold mine or a store you avoid at all costs. I want to teach you how to make it your gold mine so you can walk out of a CVS fully confident that you’ve gotten every ExtraBucks reward you deserve. CVS has tons of ways to save — and some techniques are just a little more hidden than others. Once you know these tips to not lose out on CVS ExtraBucks, you’ll be raking in the dough.
Don’t forget to download the official The Krazy Coupon Lady app and toggle on notifications so you never miss a great CVS deal.
Here’s how you may be losing out on CVS ExtraBucks any time you shop at CVS:
1. You shop at CVS but haven’t joined CVS ExtraCare (and thus, aren’t earning ExtraBucks).
Before you buy anything at CVS, you gotta sign up for the free CVS ExtraCare account. Once you have a CVS ExtraCare account, be sure to present your card or phone number every time you shop. You have to be a CVS ExtraCare member to unlock the sale prices (and earn CVS ExtraBucks).
2. You forgot to add your birth date to your CVS account profile.
Once you set up your CVS account, make sure you add your birthday to your profile. You’ll receive $3 in CVS ExtraBucks as a special treat. We love free money!
3. You haven’t joined CVS CarePass.
You get $10 back every month just for joining the CVS CarePass program. This is one of the best benefits of CarePass. It costs $5 a month, but then you get $10 in CVS ExtraBucks back. Plus, they’re doing a promotion right now — if you sign up, you get the first month free!
4. You don’t stop at the in-store Coupon Center kiosk.
I like to call this the fancy magic coupon machine. This kiosk is your ticket to couponing at CVS. Using the Coupon Center kiosk is pretty easy, too. Just scan your card or enter your account phone number to print off special in-store coupons and any other offers you preloaded to your card. You can also check prices, view and redeem your CVS ExtraBucks rewards, and more.
5. You throw out your receipt and miss out on CVS coupons.
Don’t throw away your receipt or tell the cashier you don’t want it. You could be forfeiting great coupons for future sales. When you check out at CVS, your receipt will print more coupons and show the CVS ExtraBucks you earned at the bottom.
Your receipt will simply say “$X.00 EXTRABUCKS” with the expiration date printed beneath it — sort of like you just got free store credit!
You can use this receipt as a coupon for your next shopping trip, and it is valid with other offers. Also, the ExtraBucks you earn on items don’t change, even if you stack a bunch of coupons to decrease your overall price.
TIP: Don’t want to stress about losing your ExtraBucks? Use the CVS app to scan the barcode on your receipt. You’ll get digital ExtraBucks added to your CVS account.
6. You don’t get the CVS ExtraCare emails.
You can get even more deals, coupons, and sales alerts when you sign up for the free CVS ExtraCare email list. Get coupons you won’t find elsewhere, including high-value 20% off coupons, coupons for $4 off a $20 purchase, and more. Plus, you’ll see all the best ExtraBucks rewards offers available on certain items. Stack coupons with sale prices, deals, and ExtraBucks offers for even bigger savings!
7. You haven’t transferred your prescriptions to CVS yet.
CVS has a Pharmacy Club that the whole family can hop on.
For every 10 prescriptions you fill through CVS pharmacy, you automatically earn $5 in CVS ExtraBucks. You can add all your family members to your Pharmacy Club account to help you reach the 10 filled prescriptions, too. Earn more rewards by using the pharmacy for immunizations, vaccinations, and other services.
Oh, and if you transfer your prescriptions from another pharmacy to CVS during one of their periodic “prescription transfer promotions,” you can score savings of up to $25 in ExtraBucks! CVS will often honor competitor transfer offers as well, but it varies by location.
Your $5 ExtraBucks rewards are issued approximately one week after you earn 10 credits through Pharmacy Club (limit of $50 ExtraBucks).
8. You haven’t downloaded the CVS app.
The CVS app gives you exclusive coupons and deals you won’t find anywhere else. In the app, you can clip all the digital coupons you want, plus send deals and rewards directly to your ExtraCare card to use on your next shopping trip. The app is also a great place to keep your CVS ExtraBucks stashed and track all your rewards.
9. You don’t stack coupons, CVS ExtraCare rewards, and rebates on top of sale prices.
So now that you know about the CVS coupon kiosk and digital coupons, it’s time to put it all together. To save the most money at CVS, you’re going to stack all those great ways to save. Take a sale item and use a CVS coupon, a manufacturer coupon, ExtraBucks rewards, and a rebate app offer all together to make one mega deal!
10. You’re not really sure how to redeem CVS ExtraBucks.
CVS has multiple ways you can earn ExtraBucks — through weekly sales, CVS CarePass, and your 2% earnings with your ExtraCare card.
Regardless of how you earn your ExtraBucks, they all expire at some point in time. But one that slips through the cracks more often than not is your 2% reward.
You earn 2% back in rewards for your everyday purchases, except for certain items that are excluded by law, including alcohol, tobacco, gift and phone cards, etc. You can also earn 2% back in ExtraBucks on qualifying CVS purchases made through Instacart and Shipt. So start racking up those rewards and don’t let them expire!
If you don’t redeem your rewards digitally (through the app or CVS.com), you’ll get a quarterly printout of your accumulated rewards balance. If you redeem your rewards digitally, any unused ExtraBucks that you haven’t sent to your ExtraCare card will get reissued on a printed coupon at the end of the quarter. Your ExtraBucks earnings must be over $1 for them to be printed out.
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