9 Money-Saving Secrets for Shopping at CVS

What’s not to love about CVS? Not only is it brimming with affordable beauty products and home essentials, it’s by far one of the easiest drug stores to save money at while shopping.

Don’t believe us? We did our research and dug up nine awesome money-saving secrets for shopping at CVS that you probably didn’t know about. Read ahead to find out how to score even better deals next time you raid the local drugstore.

Turns out that every time you scan your free ExtraCare Rewards card before a purchase, you earn 2% back on your purchases that can be redeemed every quarter as ExtraBucks (aka free CVS cash). This means that when you regularly use your ExtraCare card, you’ll likely score a free lipstick or nail polish every three months!

Not only does the CVS Pharmacy app make it easier to manage all of your prescriptions directly from your phone, it also offers loads of app-only deals just for signing up. So instead of trying to handle all of your prescriptions over the phone or at the store, save some time and money and download this app to your smartphone ASAP.

Once you sign up for a CVS ExtraCare Rewards card, make sure to mind your email account. The drugstore is notorious for sending out “just because” emails filled with tons of Extrabucks giveaways and coupons, so make a point to check your account before your next CVS shopping spree.

Every Sunday, CVS updates their store promotions and ExtraCare Bucks offerings both online and in their ads. Do yourself a favor and check out the weekly ads before you hit the store, so you know exactly what items will get you the most for your money.

Next time you’re at the CVS checkout, request a digital receipt instead of a paper one. They’ll email it to you, along with the same coupons you’d receive on a printed receipt (you know, the super long ones), and then you’ll always have an electronic copy on hand.

Make sure to watch out for clearance items throughout the store, as well as Buy One Get One offers, because these savings are often equal or greater to the ones you score with your ExtraCare Rewards card.

Ever noticed the bright red machine right when you walk through the door at CVS? That’s a coupon machine, people, a freakin’ coupon machine! All you have to do is scan your ExtraCare Rewards card and the machine will generate targeted coupons based on your previous purchases to help motivate your next shopping spree.

If you didn’t know that CVS offers rain checks on out of stock items, then now’s the time to smarten up. Next time the store is out of a discounted product or promotional item, just request a rain check and they will honor the price as soon as it’s back in stock. Bonus: CVS rain checks never expire so you can save yours for, well, a rainy day.

On top of all the quarterly rewards and coupons CVS offers, you can also sign up for a free CVS Beauty Club account for additional beauty department savings. It links directly to your CVS ExtraCare Rewards card, and for every $50 you spend on beauty products you’ll earn $5 back in ExtraCare Bucks.