How to Coupon at CVS (This Week): A Beginners Guide to Extreme Couponing - MoneyPantry (2024)

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But it’s not always the cheapest place to purchase those types of items – although it’s certainly not the most expensive either.

Fortunately, there are many ways to save money at CVS.

One of them is using coupons, correctly!

Knowing how to use coupons at CVS and what coupons are accepted can be tough!

In fact, it’s enough to put some people off even trying to use them at all.

So, we’ve put together an easy to follow guide on how to use coupons at this awesome drug store. It includes tons of tips for couponing at this store for beginners and pros alike.

These tips can help you to get the most out of coupons and save yourself a lot of cash in the process!

Let’s get started…

First, get a rewards card

I love loyalty and rewards programs.

It is free money!

If you are shopping at a certain store and they offer some kind of reward program, you have to sign up.

If you don’t, you are basically refusing to accept free money!

If you haven’t already got one, then we strongly recommend that you get yourself a CVS ExtraCare rewards card.

This card offers so many money saving opportunities.

With it, you get access to a number of rewards, including Quarterly Extrabucks Rewards. With this, you get 2% back in Extrabucks Rewards on almost all purchases – there are a couple of exceptions.

Extrabucks Rewards are essentially like cash that you can spend on future purchases at the store. While 2% might seem like a small amount, it really adds up over time.

Rewards are issued four times per year on the following dates:

• January 1
• April 1
• July 1
• October 1

You can redeem the rewards online, at CVS.com, through the CVS app or in-store. Rewards can be spent in-store and online.

But, that’s not all, with an ExtraCare card, you also get $5 in rewards when you fill 10 prescriptions.

And, if you want to get the most out of couponing here, then you really do want to get your hands on an ExtraCare card because you get access to a range of personalized coupons.

• Where to get it: Sign up for an ExtraCare card here.

1. Gather your coupons

Before you start couponing at CVS, you’ll need to know where to source your coupons.

Here are a few places where you can find coupons:

– Take advantage of in-store savings offers from CVS

One of the things that make this particular store a really great place for couponers is the fact that it offers so many savings opportunities, especially if you are an ExtraCare member.

There are many ways that you can get coupons directly from CVS.

• Weekly ad

If you’re planning to use coupons at CVS, then you should definitely take advantage of the store’s Weekly Ad.

It gives you tons of savings coupons and discounts, like 50% off Huggies or buy one get one free batteries.

As the name suggests, these coupons change weekly, so make sure you check back for new deals. You’ll need to be an ExtraCare member to take advantage of these savings.

Check out what’s on offer here.

• Visit the coupon center

The best resource for coupons from CVS is the ExtraCare Coupon Center.

It’s a red kiosk that you can find in-store.

You can get a wide range of great coupons from the Coupon Center.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Visit the ExtraCare Coupon Center before you start shopping.
• At the kiosk, scan your ExtraCare card or if you don’t have the card with you, then you can enter the phone number that’s associated with it.
• You can then print the coupons that you want and redeem them once you get your products.

We highly recommend visiting the Coupon Center!

• Sign up for the newsletter

You might be wondering if there’s any way to get CVS coupons in the mail – well there is a way. You can get coupons delivered directly via email if you sign up to the CVS newsletter.

In this newsletter, you get access to tons of exclusive deals, including coupons. It’s definitely worth signing up to, as there are often coupons included that you won’t find elsewhere.

When you register for an ExtraCare rewards card, you have the option to enter your email address and sign up for the newsletter.

If you’ve already registered for a card, but you didn’t sign up for the newsletter, then you can go to CVS.com/email to do it.

• Check out the CVS app

If you prefer to get coupons straight to your mobile device, then you should definitely download their app.

With the app, you get access to coupons you might not find elsewhere, as well as a plethora of other exclusive deals.

All you need to do is download the app, and link your ExtraCare card to it.

As you can see from the last few items above, you really do need an ExtraCare card to be able to take advantage of the savings deals on offer from CVS.

Here are the links to the apps:

• CVS app for iPhone
• CVS app for Android

• CVS rebates

The company sometimes offers rebates, which you can see on its website.

When you purchase selected products, you get money back.

For example, at the time of writing, you get $15 back when you spend $50 on select P&G beauty brands.

There aren’t always many rebates available and it’s definitely not the best place to find coupons for CVS, but it’s still worth checking out the rebate section of the website every now and then for discounts.

– Take advantage of coupon sites and apps

The company itself does provide customers with a lot of coupons and means to get them.

But, if you really want to get the most out of couponing here, then you’ll definitely want to source coupons from elsewhere too.

Two of the best sources are:

1. Coupon websites
2. Rebate apps

Below, we’ve outlined a few of the best apps and sites for sourcing coupons.

• Coupon websites

Coupon websites are a great resource for printable coupons.

Here are a few places that offer coupons for this and many other stores – some offer digital coupons too:

• Coupon Mom
• RetailMeNot
• The Krazy Coupon Lady
• Coupon Code
• DealNews

And, finally…

Coupons.com

CVS has its own dedicated section on Coupons.com just for coupons.

On this page, the pharmacy lists a huge selection of coupons that save you money on everything from shampoo to mascara.

All you need to do is select the ones you want and print them at home before you visit the store. Then you can redeem them at the checkout.

• Use a rebate app

Another tool that every couponer should use is rebate apps.

With these apps, you get cashback when you buy certain products, like $0.75 back when you buy L’Oréal shampoo.

With most of these rebate apps, all you need to do is look at what rebate coupons are available, select the ones you want and then upload a photo of your receipt once you’ve bought the qualifying item.

Here are a few apps that you should check out:

• Ibotta
• eBates
• Checkout 51
• Receipt Hog

2. Stack coupons strategically

Okay, so once you’ve gathered your coupons, it’s time to put them to use.

CVS has a pretty good coupon policy – although not as lenient as Walmart’s one.

There are two main ways that you can use coupons strategically to save the most cash.

• Use a store coupon with a third party manufacturer coupon

The company allows you to use two coupons on one item.

But there’s a catch…

You can only use one store coupon and one third-party manufacturer coupon per item. So, keep that in mind!

Before you start shopping, see if you can find a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon for the same item, brand or category.

Applying two coupons to one item is one of the best ways to get the most out of couponing at CVS.

• Stack savings with a rebate coupon

There’s a simple way to boost your savings even more – use a rebate coupon.

As we mentioned above, rebate apps, like Checkout51, and Ibotta, give you rebate coupons for a plethora of products.

So, let’s say you have a coupon for $1 off Huggies diapers, you might find that there’s a rebate coupon on Receipt Hog for $0.99 back when you purchase Huggies diapers. (Want to save 100% on diapers? Read how to get free diapers!)

This means that you save even more!

So, before you take your next trip to the store, take the time to look on a rebate app to see what offers are available.

• Get a rain check

It’s really frustrating when an item that you have a coupon for is out of stock.

Fortunately, CVS offers a rain check.

This means that it will extend the expiration date of a coupon so that you can use it when the applicable product does come back into stock.

It’s important to know that the store is only able to do this with its own coupons. It won’t extend the expiration date on third-party manufacturer coupons and it won’t accept expired manufacturer coupons either.

If you have a store coupon for a product that’s out of stock, a member of staff at the store will attach the raincheck to the coupon and when you do make a purchase, you’ll need to present both of them.

3. Understand the CVS coupon policy

Knowing where to get coupons and how to use them strategically for maximal savings is one thing, but all good couponers know the importance of understanding a store’s coupon policy.

Most stores from Target to Walgreens have a coupon policy that outlines how coupons can and can’t be used and what types are accepted at the store.

To save yourself a lot of time and hassle, it’s vital to understand the CVS coupon policy (PDF file).

After all, you don’t want to waste your time at home printing out coupons that the store doesn’t accept under its policy.

And, when you get to the checkout, you certainly don’t want the hassle of trying to combine coupons in a way that’s prohibited by the policy.

To make things easier, we’ve broken down the CVS coupon policy, to give you the key points.

Here they are:

• Coupons must be legible – so no blurry writing is allowed, and make sure your printer isn’t low on ink or toner.
• The cashier can’t scan barcodes directly from your phone – you’ll need to print coupons out at home if you want to use ones you find online.
• The value of a coupon can’t exceed the value of the item it is applied to – so overage opportunities aren’t available.
• Only one brand, item or category specific CVS coupon and one manufacturers’ coupon can be used per qualifying item – unless there are limitations in place from either coupon.
• Paper coupons can’t be duplicated.
• The store doesn’t exchange coupons or ExtraBucks Rewards for cash or gift cards – again there are no overage opportunities available.
• For the most part, store coupons can’t be used on sale, promotional or clearance items.
• The store has the right to refuse and limit the use of any coupons.
• The store has the right to process coupons in any order
• Coupons can be black or white or in color and they must have a valid date.

Closing thoughts

Overall, CVS is a pretty great place for couponers.

The fact that you can use more than one coupon per item means that there are some big savings opportunities available.

Also, factor in the a number of coupons CVS offers, and the perks of having an ExtraCare card, and you’ll save even more.

Also, we would love to hear about the strategies you use to save big. Please leave a comment below and let us know how you coupon at CVS.