Don't turn down free money!

I found a gold mine in my pharmacy when I joined the ExtraCare program at my CVS. That’s the incentive program CVS runs, the one that pays you ExtraBucks—free CVS money you can spend on things in the store. You get 2 percent back on almost all nonprescription purchases in store and online and extra rewards for buying select items each week. Depending on what I’m buying, I often use my ExtraBucks at CVS to get stuff for free.
CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens all offer perks to entice you to return to their stores, so it’s crazy to shop there without taking advantage of these memberships.

Bonus: With the CVS program, you’ll get additional rewards if you enroll in special beauty, diabetes and pharmacy programs. In fact, CVS just launched a new ExtraCare Pharmacy & Health Rewards savings program that rewards customers for filling prescriptions at the pharmacy. You’ll earn $5 ExtraBucks rewards for every 10 prescriptions filled, up to $50 in ExtraCare Pharmacy & Health Rewards every year for each person enrolled in your household. ExtraBucks for non-pharmacy purchases are still unlimited.

The program is designed to incentivize customers to refill their prescriptions and adhere to their medication therapy and, no doubt, choose CVS. Let’s face it, if I have a choice between CVS and going to my local mom-and-pop pharmacy, which doesn’t have an incentive program, I might just choose CVS. In any event, to enroll in CVS’s Pharmacy & Health rewards program and for more information (it also rewards you for other little things you do to stay healthy, such as getting immunizations or proactively managing your prescriptions with things like text messages), visit CVS.com. If you’re an existing CVS ExtraCare member, you must opt-in to this program to earn these new rewards, but you can keep using your same ExtraCare card. Each family member must join to earn even if you share an ExtraCare card.

For all of these programs, go to the retailer’s website and fill out the form, sign up in a store, or download the retailer’s free mobile app. You can flash your smart phone in stores and use the app as your membership card, or get a regular card or keychain tag.

You can do other cool stuff with the apps, too, so they’re worth downloading. Always make sure to scan your membership card at checkout. Even when you’re not buying anything on sale, you’re earning benefits for your loyalty and setting yourself up for savings later. Check your receipts for rewards, as well as your e-mail (we suggest using a special e-mail account just for retail programs), and make sure you use them—you’ve earned them! See our May issue for a good look at each program.