CVS 101
This is a simple (hopefully) guide to shopping at CVS for those who are unsure of how this whole CVS thing works!
CVS Extra Care Card:
CVS has a loyalty card called an Extra Care Card that you use every time you shop there. Let me repeat: EVERY TIME you shop there. There are some sale items that will only scan at the sale price if you use your card. You also earn 2% back on all your purchases. CVS Extra Care cards are FREE and limited to one per person. You can pick one up the next time you are in a CVS or you can sign up for one online and have it mailed to you. If you get one at the store make sure to register it online. CVS occasionally sends emails with printable coupons for card-holders.
Extra Care Coupons:
There are Red Price Scanners near the front of the store. When you go into CVS the first thing you should do is go to the scanner and scan your Extra Care Card. It will print CVS Store Coupons. These coupons can be used on items that you are also using a manufacturer coupon on. CVS allows the use of one CVS coupon (the store is giving the discount) and one manufacturer coupon (the manufacturer is giving the discount and will reimburse the store) per item.
Extra Care Bucks -ECBs:
Extra Care Bucks, aka ECBs, are like CVS money or instant rebates. When you buy an item advertised as earning extra bucks you will pay for the item and then the ECBs will print at the bottom of your receipt. You cut these off and keep them like cash. Then the next time you buy something at CVS you can use your ECBs to pay for it. Example:
In the ad: Buy Chips at $4 and receive $2 ECBS.
Buy Chips – pay $4
Receive $2 ECBs on receipt
Next visit – Buy Diapers $8.99
give the cashier your $2 ECBs
Now pay $6.99
The best way to maximize your ECBs is to “roll” them. Buy something that earns ECBs then use those ECBs to buy something else that earns ECBs. This way you make an initial cash purchase and then use CVS money for all future purchases. Now, don’t waste ECBs! You cannot use a $10 ecb on an $8 purchase and keep the $2. Your purchase must be equal to or greater than (before tax) the ECB amount. You will not get cash back and your ECBs will not be carried over. ECBs can be used on anything in the store except the usual exclusions (Prescriptions, tobacco, stamps, etc.).
Quarterly ECBs:
In addition to the weekly ECBs that you earn for buying advertised products, you earn quarterly ECBs. CVS gives 2% back on all your purchases! So, every 3 months you will get an ECB for 2% of what you spent at CVS that quarter. If you spend $100 in one quarter then you will get a $2 ECB. Occasionally CVS issues Triple ECB coupons. You scan it once and it will triple your quarterly earnings from that point until the quarter is over. So, once you scan it you will start earning 6% back on all your purchases. The triple ECB coupon is not for the Weekly ECBs that you earn.
Weekly Deals:
Every week CVS puts out a circular with deals that are good for one week. There are regular sale items and there are ECB deals. ECB deals usually are the ones you want to look at for saving money. Though there are some good non-ECB deals too! With ECB deals you have the opportunity to maximize your savings! For one deal you can use a manufacturer’s coupon, a CVS coupon AND earn ECBs! Example:
Deal in Ad: Buy Colgate Toothpaste at $2.99 and earn $2 ecbs
You have a $1 off Colgate Toothpaste coupon that you got when you scanned your CVS card
You also have a $1 off Colgate Toothpaste coupon that you printed off the Internet.
So, buy Colgate Toothpaste at $2.99
use $1 CVS coupon
use $1 Manu. coupon
Pay 99¢
Earn $2 ecbs…a $1.01 profit!
So, even if you don’t use Colgate toothpaste it is still worth it to do this deal because you now have $1 more than you had before to use on something that you need. You can always donate your freebies! ECB deals always have limits so read the fine print! Underneath the deal in the ad it will say “Limit x per household.” If it is limit 1 then it means that if you buy more than one then you will only get extra bucks for the first one you purchase.
There are also some ECB deals that require you to buy multiple items. You do not have to buy all the items at one time. You just have to purchase them before the sale period is over. Once you buy all the qualifying items or reach the dollar amount required then your ECBs will print.
Monthly Deals:
Each month CVS 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. Make sure to pay attention to the limits. If it is limit one in the monthly ad and is featured in the weekly ad at limit one that means it is limit one for the whole month. You don’t get to buy it when it is in the weekly ad and then buy it again later in the month. You will only get ECBs for the first one you purchase.
$/$$ Coupons:
CVS occasionally sends out $/$$ coupons. They are typically $4/$20, $5/$30, or $10/$50. That means if you buy $20 worth of merchandise (price BEFORE manufacturer’s coupons!) then you can use the coupon to get $4 off your total. You can use one per order and you can use all other coupons and ECBs in addition.
Coupon Order:
When shopping at CVS it is best to give your coupons in this order: $/$$, manufacturer & CVS coupons, ECBs. This way there is no confusion over whether your total meets the $/$$ requirements and you also can make sure your total is high enough to use your ECBs effectively.
My CVS Deals Posts:
CVS deals are generally the same in all states (double check your ad though). When I post a deal, I post in this format:
Item; Price; Coupon to Use; Price After Coupon; ECBs Earned; Price after Coupon & ECBs.
This way you can see what you will be paying OOP (out-of-pocket), the ECBs that you should earn and the final cost.
If I missed anything let me know. I also LOVE questions! If you have any tips feel free to share!
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VERY helpful…thank you so much!
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Thanks for this. I just started doing the CVS ECB’s last month. I was excited to total up what I spent and my “profit”, it came in that I had an $82.87 profit. Just had to share and say thank you!
You do a great job!!
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I accidentally stumbled upon this trick with buy one get one free manufacturers coupons and thought I would share…
I was purchasing shampoo and conditioner, which were regularly $7.49, but on sale for $5.00 and earned 3 ECB with purchase of both. I had 2 manufacturers coupons, a buy one get one free and $3.00 off coupon. (Yes you can use them both!) Meaning I would pay $2.00 out of pocket and earn $3.00 ECBs yielding a profit of $1.00. If you have your CVS card scanned last after the coupons you actually earn more. I received a $7.49 credit for the buy one get one coupon and then when the CVS card was scanned the price was reduced to $5.00, meaning I earned an extra $2.49. You must be careful though because in this scenario the balance would have been -$0.49. ($10.00 – $7.49 – $3.00). If you purchase something else, then you won’t through up any red flags.
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This is very helpful. I just started using CVS card in the last week or so and am not yet real familiar with it but look forward to using it and learning more. Thanks for all this help.
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In scenarios where a product is being sold as buy one get one free, and then at the bottom it says limit 4, are the 2 free ones a part of the limit of four?
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It depends on the deal. If it is an ECB deal you can buy two and then look at the bottom of your receipt to see if it says “limit reached” or not.
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[...] CVS 101 [...]
Hai,
I’m one of the NBC viewers who got to know about ‘bargain blogging’ yesterday only…& really very much shocked to know how much I might have saved… anyways I started working on it today.
u guys rock!!!
All your Tips in getting started is realllllllllly helpful..
in that under CVS 101, I have some doubts in Quarterly ECB’s.. it may sound childish to u but I really don’t understand! Is there any specific month to redeem that particular Quarters ECB’s?,i’m using CVS Card for atleast 2 years..until today i’ve never used this quarterly ECB so will that all be available as ECB’s in my card..? & how & when can i redeem this Q-ECB’s?
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Honey,
First of all, Welcome! I’m glad you are excited to get started saving money!
All ECBs can be redeemed from the moment they print out until they expire! They usually expire 1 month from the print date.
I hope that answers your question. If not feel free to email me: Stephanie (at) Couponing101 (dot) com.
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Thanks! I’ll see for it…
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Does CVS take expired coupons? Do any stores take expired coupons? I’ve noticed that some coupon handlers will offer expired coupons–why would anyone want them?
Thanks
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Hi, I’m a newbie here… can’t help but notice the wallpaper of advertisements . Is that part of the strategy of having a blog? Do companies send blog owners money every time someone clicks on an ad? I always wondered how all of that worked…. I’m also curious to know what kind of things one can learn from a blogging conference. Sounds interesting. Thanks for all of your tips, they’re great!
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Terri,
CVS does not take expired coupons that I know of. Some stores do though!
Yes, I do get paid for the advertisements. It helps support my blogging addiction and keeps Couponing 101 a FREE resource!
Fortunately, right now, I am able to choose all of my ads ( I can’t speak for the future)! So, with the exception of the google ads I have handpicked every one!
I have never been to a blogging conference, so I couldn’t tell you! They do sound interesting and I hope to make it to one someday!
Thanks for reading Terri!
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I am very new at this and im having a little trouble with the lingo. On the Weekly deal page what does (1/18 PG) and (1/25RP) mean?
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Carrie,
(1/18 PG) = The Procter & Gamble insert from the January 18th Sunday newspaper
(1/25 RP) = The Red Plum insert from the January 25th Sunday newspaper
You can find a complete list of couponing terms and abbreviations here: http://www.couponing101.com/2008/10/couponing-terms-abbreviations.html
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can I use the ECB to purchase CVS gift cards?
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sv,
At the bottom of the ECB is a list of exclusions, including gift cards. Wouldn’t it be nice though?
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No, you can’t use the ECB to purchas gift cards but what I have done is transferred 5 prescriptions to CVS and got a $30 gift card for each transfer and I use this as my “out of pocket”
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Hi Stephanie! Your site is a daily read for me (sometimes more than once a day) and I really appreciate all the money saving advice . . . especially the CVS info. I’m finally starting to get the hang of it, but still have a couple of questions: are the ECB’s and $/$$ e-mailed coupons tied only to the person’s CVS card?
For instance, if my mom wanted to use some of my ECB’s or one of my $/$$ coupons (she doesn’t have e-mail) towards a purchase, but would be using her CVS Extra Care Card at the register would it work (& is it kosher)?
Also, how does it work if you have a coupon that will make something free, and CVS is running a B1G1 at 50% off? I have a coupon for Glucerna cereal that will make a box free, but I don’t know if I can pick up a second box and get it half price, if I didn’t pay anything net for the 1st box. Sometimes the cash register seems to negate a sale or a coupon if something’s already on sale.
Again, thank you SO much!
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Mary Beth,
Thank you so much for your comment! Those are excellent questions that definitely needed to be addressed!
Your ECBs are tied to your card and you cannot use other’s ECBs. They will beep at the register (I’ve accidently had mine and my mom’s ECBs get mixed up, oops!). Same thing for the CRTs that print out. As for the $/$$ emails, I’m not really sure. I think they are only supposed to be used by the recipient but I’m not positive.
For B1G1 50% off sales it can be tricky. If you have a coupon for a free product the cashier might automatically take off the amount of the lowest priced product. You could always point it out and ask if they would apply the Q to the higher priced item. But, you don’t have to worry about coupons affecting the sale. If you buy the right amount, they will ring up correctly regardless of coupons.
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I have a question if you have a sale that’s BOGO and then you have a coupon that is BOGO can you use it? I haven’t because I don’t want to look like a major cheapskate, but if I can get two free items….. I will
But will they let me?
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Lisa,
You absolutely can! I occasionally come across a cashier who isn’t sure if it’s allowed, but according to CVS Customer Service it is perfectly okay!
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Thank you
I hate walking up without confidence… Thanks for the site and the info!!!
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Hi Stephanie:
Thank you for answering my question so quickly! I wanted to mention something that happened to me at CVS today which still puzzles me, and then ask another question that I forgot last time. (The scenario turned out to be quite long . . . skip to the end for the question if it gets too boring!)
Got a CVS $10 of $30 coupon at the end of my register receipt (yay!) on Sunday, when I did one of the Dove $5 ECB deals. Since it had a very short 4 day time frame, I had to use it by today. Wanted to do another Dove deal, but pay as little as possible OOP. Bought 2 Dove Cream Oil Body Washes ($8.99 each, using 2 $1.50/1 Q), 2 Glucerna cereals (using 2 $5/1 Q on cereals that were only $4.59 each), and an Aveeno lotion ($3.39, using a $2/1 Q — thought I’d get $2 ECB’s, too, but had wrong lotion . . . darn). And had a $4.99 ECB to use to bring down OOP.
Anyway, gave the cashier the coupons in the proper order: CVS card, then $10/$30 coupon, waited for everything to ring through above $30, then handed over the coupons. The 2nd Glucerna coupon beeped, because there was a BOGO 50% off, and I explained that I was fine with both cereals at full price with the $5 coupons off (my brain had tried to explode when I tried to work out how to do the coupon + the BOGO, so I decided to play it safe . . . plus I wanted to pay very little out of pocket). The cashier went back in and made an adjustment.
Thought that I’d be paying about $2 OOP. Instead, the amount went negative and I had to throw in a couple of candy bars to end at 67 cents. Since I had calculated pretty carefully, I checked the receipt in the car. The register had taken off the first $5 coupon, then adjusted the price for the second box of cereal to 1/2 price, then the second coupon scanned for $4.18 . . . $4.59/box times 2 minus first $5 coupon, as far as I can tell. I had sort of gotten it beyond free, and actually feel rather guilty about this, but since there had already been a small tussle over the Aveeno not counting towards ECBs I didn’t have the heart to go back in. And I’m still not sure exactly how this happened.
Okay, that was a lot longer than I thought it would be!!!
Short question — are the $/$$ coupons usable more than once before their expiration date? I know you have to hand the coupon over, but can you print another and do another shopping trip? I’ve seen other people ask this in the comments, but can’t find the answer.
Thank you again for ALL your help.
Mary Beth
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Mary Beth,
I would not feel guilty about the Glucerna, they will get the full value of the coupon back from the manufacturer!
I’m not sure about the $/$$ coupons. In my experience I’ve found that they either have a print limit or will tie to your card once they’ve been used. So, when you try to use a 2nd one it will probably beep. It would be up to the cashier on whether or not they would let you use it and push it through.
I hope that helps! I’m happy to answer all your questions!
~Stephanie
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Does CVS limit the number of coupons or ECB’s you can use per transaction or based on the number of items purchased?
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Karla,
I have never been told I had too many coupons. I don’t believe there is a limit, but I could be wrong.
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I ran into this at Walgreens and just wondered if this was true for CVS, as well. I could only use one Register Rewards per transaction. Maybe this is just a local store policy, though.
Thanks for all the info! I am just getting started and your site is quite helpful.
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Karla,
Hi! I work at CVS, and there is no limit to coupons used. The registers might act a little wonky sometimes, but we can override just about everything they want to do.
If anyone has any questions for a real-live CVS employee, ask away.
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Happyleesh – I went to CVS to redeem the Tresemme deal. I purchased 6 bottles to get the $10 extra bucks. The cashier said I could only use ONE of the $1/1 because they all had the same code number. It was still a good deal, because I got a couple of bottles with 25% more (40 oz instead of 32 oz).
The cashier thought I duplicated the coupons. What is the policy with CVS regarding these types of coupons?
Your recommendation for what to say to the cashier would be appreciated. Thanks.
Angie
I got this response from another blogger:
Even though the # is the same, it is that way on paper coupons. The coupon states one coupon per purchase which is not the same as one per transaction or one per person! It means one coupon per one item purchased! 
So all is good but it is a YMMV by cashier. I personally dislike those types of coupons because they don’t look official like bricks, smartsource or the printable red plum ones, kwim?
Bargain Briana April 21, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Marie Claire’s people said it was fine to use this coupon and print 3 times!
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I had (stll have) a red CVS card. I have since received a white CareMark card. I am told that I can transfer any points, remaining on the red card, to the white CareMark card. How is this done? No one at the CVS store could tell me.
Thanks,
Marie
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Marie,
I don’t know anything about a CareMark card – I’m sorry I can’t help you.
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Stephanie,
CVS told me that I can not use 2 coupons on bogo free items. I told her to check because she was wrong. She got on the phone, “checked” and said she was right. I emailed corporate with no response. How do you deal with this?
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Sarah,
I have never had a problem with this. The email from CS will probably clear everything up for you.
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I have a question on coupon order. I had a CVS coupon for $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase plus several MQ’s. The cashier said she needed my CVS card before ringing up any of my purchases. No problem, I gave it to her, she scanned it, rang up my purchases and then started on my coupons. She said she had to use the MQ’s first before she could use the CVS $10.00 off $50.00 coupon. I had about $7.00 of MQ’s so my total then came to less than $50.00. I asked her if she was sure on the coupon order and she said yes it was CVS policy. She seemed knowable so I let it go and quickly found enough items to pass the $50.00 mark. Anyone else had this happen to them?
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Joy,
The cashier should have let you use the $10/$50. I suggest emailing Customer Service with your question so that you can have the response in writing to show the cashier if it happens again.
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Hi, I’m new to this to, but LOVE it–and thank you for putting such hard work into it to help us! My question is: which stores allow you to only purchase one item at 1/2 price when it is on sale for buy one get one free?
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Sonya,
I do not know of any stores that will do this. You could always ask, especially if there is only 1 item left.
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I didn’t only mean CVS, but any chain…I know Food Lion allows you to purchase one at 1/2 price instead of 1 at full price, 2nd zero…
Any others?
Oh, and what stores (asking not just about CVS) double coupons?
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Sonya,
I’m sorry, but I don’t know of any stores that do that. At least not in my area.
The stores that double coupons in my area are Albertson’s, Kroger, and Tom Thumb. Usually the store will advertise that they double coupons in the weekly ad.
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[...] for more technical information on the rules and the ins and outs of CVSing, make sure to read CVS 101 written by my friend Stephanie over at Couponing [...]