How To Coupon At CVS For Beginners
Photo red balloons with % symbol on white background by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels
Updated 2024.07.23
CVS stands for Consumer Value Stores and they were founded in 1964. Today, they still offer tremendous value to those who are willing to look for it.
CVS is one of the best places to begin couponing.
If you layer your coupons right, sign up for their rewards program, and keep an eye out for sales and special discounts, you can get free products at CVS and some of your favorite items for less.
It is possible to save a lot of money at CVS, even if you are a beginner - you can win and, you can win on your first visit.
In this post, you will learn the programs for couponing at CVS, and when you know about each opportunity, it’s easier to tap into it.
To start, read the CVS Weekly Ad which runs from Sunday to Saturday.
You can find the Ad at the front of the store, or online by entering your zip code.
Next, you will find the 13 best ways to start saving more money with coupons at CVS.
Text overlay How To Coupon At CVS For Beginners photo of red balloons with % symbol and shopping bag in center on white background by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels
1 - Sign up For ExtraCare Rewards
This is where the coupons are.
When you sign up for ExtraCare Rewards online, you can manage your rewards account from the comfort of your home and your email is linked to your account, which allows you to access the App, discussed next.
Once you have an ExtraCare Rewards account you are ready to save money at CVS as the rewards program is the foundation of couponing at CVS.
After you are an ExtraCare Rewards member, you want to always scan your Rewards number at check out, this is how your coupons apply.
2 - Download the CVS App
In the CVS App, you can manage your entire ExtraCare Rewards account. You can sign up for extra rewards programs - like Beauty Club Rewards which earns you free items - and you can apply every single coupon available to you to your account so it is ready when you check out.
Once you have the App, go into “Deals & Rewards” every week and select all the coupons you want to apply to your account. Once they illuminate blue, they are available to apply at checkout.
3 - Earn ExtraBucks Rewards
This is CVS money. You usually get ExtraBucks when you make a purchase surrounding a weekly promotion. This is where it helps to have read the Ad.
To find out what purchases gain ExtraBucks in the App, go to the Weekly Ad, then go to List View. Select ExtraBucks. It will show you all the items on which you can earn CVS money.
ExtraBucks get applied after purchase and they can be used on anything you want. You must use the whole value of your ExtraBucks or you lose it and there is a deadline to use them - it’s often a month.
4 - ExtraBucks 2% Cash Back
Another form of ExtraBucks, CVS gives 2% back to you for every purchase.
Before you check out, in the App, go to Deals & Rewards, in the ExtraBucks Rewards section, select “Send To Card,” and it will apply your cash back to your next purchase. Cash back always applies, regardless of sales or other coupons.
5 - Accept Coupons Mailed To You
These are called paper coupons. CVS can and will mail to your address in your ExtraCare account. They have just updated their system to email “paper” coupons to you, too. Whether you do paper mail or email, let CVS send you their recent “paper” coupons.
When you allow CVS emails, you can adjust the settings to get just the sales, and you can send coupons to your card right from your inbox.
6 - Look Out For 30% OFF Total Purchase Coupons
You get two a month.
You get these mailed coupons if you are part of ExtraCare Rewards. You get one for the first half of the month, another one for the second half.
You can pair them with a variety of other coupons, but not with some weekly sale item discounts.
7 - The Holy Grail 40% OFF One Item
These very special coupons cannot be used on already weekly sale items, however they can be layered with other coupons, like the 30% OFF one mentioned above, and used on full priced goods.
You usually get one of these a month. Consider using it on a higher cost full price item - like skincare, baby stuff, fragrance, or a health product.
8 - Print Out Coupons At The Store
At the big red kiosk, called the Coupon Center, enter your ExtraCare Card Number or the phone number attached to your account. The kiosk will print all paper coupons available to you.
These coupons will often be as long as an ancient scroll. Read through them and rip out the ones that apply to you, then use them at check out.
9 - Check Your Coupons Before Checking Out
Whether you do it in the parking lot with your list, or standing in front of the store with items in your cart (please be mindful of other customers), take inventory of what is in your cart and do a quick scan of your coupons in hand, and your coupons on the App to see if anything you have has a coupon you can apply.
If you are using the App, simply go to the “Deals & Rewards” window, enter the item name, and then the item category and check off everything that is remotely related to what you are buying.
You may be surprised on what coupons trigger the discount - so select even tangential items available for a coupon. CVS does let you stack coupons, so take advantage of the benefit.
Then when walking up to the check out, make sure to scan your ExtraCare Card Number available in the App or on the hard copy card you get when you signed up - this is how your coupons load and get applied.
If you forgot your card number, you can enter the phone number attached to your rewards account.
10 - CarePass
If you are shopping for a lot at CVS, CarePass is the CVS paid rewards program you might want to consider.
You get $10 OFF every month if you subscribe for an annual subscription at $48 a year - so that’s $72 in additional free CVS money. Also with CarePass, shipping is free so there is that savings if you are shopping online.
11 - Ask The Cashier To Apply Your Coupons
At self-checkout, the CVS robot cashier will ask you if it can apply each and every eligible, loaded coupon on your account to your purchase. You can select “Yes” to all of the discounts you manually applied to your account before you checked out.
At a cashier check out, the cashier will not necessarily apply all your coupons. You sometimes have to ask them to apply the eligible coupons on your account.
Do not walk away sad - just ask if your coupons applied. Mention specific coupons by name if necessary. Be Shameless! You can check your App to reload coupons if you need to and restart the transaction.
12 - Put It Back If It Doesn’t Ring Up The Way You Planned
If you plan a purchase around a coupon and the coupon doesn’t apply the way you intended, just tell the cashier you are putting the item back.
The coupons will go back to your card and nothing bad happens. You can buy something else (ideally a non-sale item for best results) with your coupons or just come back another day.
13 - Tap Into Birthday And Other Seasonal Rewards
When you add your birthdate to your ExtraCare account, you get a birthday gift, which is usually around $3 in value. In July, CVS has been known to run customer loyalty rewards, which includes a free gift every week.
Red balloon with % symbol on white background with hand holding it up by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels
Okay, so these are just some of the ways to save when beginning couponing at CVS.
Like other stores, CVS changes their couponing terms regularly, so it helps to keep a price book.
A price book is a journal or spreadsheet where you track all your couponing wins.
In it, you mark the item purchased, total amount, coupon strategy used, date, and place purchased - in this case, CVS.
A price book helps you to track when coupons change and it allows you to replicate your most successful wins.
You can cross check a potential buy with your price book, to see if you have gotten it lower before, both when and how - helping you decide if now is the best time to make your acquisition.
Price book or not, as you coupon, remember to celebrate your couponing stacks.
CVS lets you stack multiple coupons at once.
You can get totals that result in free everything or even a ton of stuff for pennies on the dollar. When you get CVS wins like this, tell someone, pat yourself on the back, and do a happy dance.
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