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If you’re a CVS shopper, you probably already know that the pharmacy often runs sales and offers special promotions in their weekly advertisements. But buying items when they’re on sale isn’t the only way to lower the cost of what you spend at CVS.
In fact, if you’re smart about how you shop, you can often buy items for a fraction of their retail price – or even get paid to make purchases under certain circumstances. Just follow these tips to spend less than planned, so you can build up your savings account.
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If you want to save more when shopping at CVS, the first thing you should do is enroll in the ExtraCare program. This will give you access to an ExtraCare card which will allow you to earn 2% on all your purchases if you scan the card every time you shop.
Your ExtraCare rewards, called ExtraBucks, can be redeemed digitally online or using the CVS app, or you will receive a quarterly printout for redemption.
You can use ExtraCare rewards immediately after earning them. So if you make a large purchase or a purchase that qualifies you for immediate ExtraBucks, consider splitting your transaction in half. You can earn ExtraBucks on the first transaction and then pay using them on the second so you don’t have to worry about them expiring.
2. Print the coupons from the store’s red kiosk
CVS stores have a red coupon kiosk located within them. Visit the kiosk every time you go to the store to print out these coupons and see what you can save money on.
If you scan your ExtraCare card every time you shop, you can also maximize the chances that those coupons are for items you actually want. Indeed, CVS offers you personalized coupons based on your shopping habits if you scan your card with each purchase.
3. Stack coupons to score free items or even earn cash
CVS allows you to combine manufacturer coupons and store coupons. Often this means you can get free items. For example, a manufacturer might offer $1 off a $2 tube of toothpaste, and then CVS might also offer a coupon to save $1 on the toothpaste as well. If you combine the two coupons, you can actually get the toothpaste for free.
CVS will not reimburse you if your two coupons total more than the value of the item you are purchasing. But sometimes manufacturers or third-party apps like iBotta refund you for your purchases. If buying that particular toothpaste earns you money on Ibotta, you might not pay anything for it. and earn cashback.
Or, if you’re eligible to earn ExtraBucks for buying toothpaste through a CVS promotion, you can get those ExtraBucks even if you haven’t paid anything at all.
By following these three tips, you can make shopping at CVS a much cheaper experience. You can hopefully bring home many of the items you need while paying very little for the purchases you make.
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