CVS 101
CVS is by far my favorite drugstore. Their program is simple but it might be a little tough getting the hang of it in the beginning, so here are the basics!
The way CVS works is that they have a program called “Extra Care Bucks” (ECB). It’s basically credit you earn after you make a certain purchase. They’re printed at the end of your receipt and you can use them to purchase anything in the store, except for alcohol and prescriptions. Items that earn ECB are printed in the CVS circular that is delivered to your home once a week.
- First thing you do, get a CVS Extra Care card! They’re free and takes only a minute to sign up. If you don’t, you won’t be able to use their Extra Care Bucks program. Not only this but you’ll receive 2% back on all your purchases, you can print exclusive coupons at the price scanner at CVS.
- If you sign up your CVS card at CVS.com, they will occassionally e-mail you additional coupons, like $5 off $15, $4 off $20, etc.
- Each week, a CVS circular with all the weekly deals are mailed to your house or can be found inside the Sunday newspaper. Make note of all the items that offer Extra Care Bucks (ECB) and any other items that interest you.
- Visit my site so you can make sure you have all the coupons and scenarios planned out. I say this because there are a good amount of online coupons on various sites so rather than going to each and every site, you can just come here for the latest deals. There is also the occassional hidden deals, etc.
Here is a scenario:
These are a few things that was listed in my CVS Circular.
Skintimate shaving cream for $2.50 earns $1.00 ECB
Crest Toothpaste for $2.88 earns $2.88 ECB
Act Mouthwash for $3.50 earns $2.00 ECB
Lets say you buy just the Crest toothpaste (hopefully with coupons!). At the end of your receipt, it will say “Crest Toothpaste $2.88 ECB”.
You then use the $2.88 ECB to buy something else that offers ECB.
So Transaction #2:
You buy just the Act Mouthwash for $3.50, which earns $2.00 ECB
That means your total will be: $3.50 minus your $2.88 ECB from the Crest toothpaste = .62 cents.
And at the end of your receipt, you would’ve earned another $2.00 ECB to use for another purchase, like for the Skintimate ShavingCream since it also earns ECB! Basically, you just keep “rolling” your ECB’s to buy more and more products for a mere fraction of the cost.
Don’t forget that you can also use coupons with your ECB! When this circular came out, I had a Crest toothpaste coupon AND a Act mouthwash coupon from the Sunday paper so not only am I getting items for mere pennies, the total money out-of–pocket (OOP) is even less.
* Here are a few tips to ensure maximum savings *
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If the guide is hard to understand, please let me know! Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
