As I mentioned last week we are finally getting CVS in Northern California!! I have never set foot in a CVS and have no idea how the ECB program works. Frankly it all seems like a lot of bother- but I am convinced the effort to learn the ropes will pay off.
And here are a few CVS 101 posts that I have found helpful in explaining it all:
**Deal Seeking Mom lays out the basics here
**Detailed article here on ECBs and how to get them (recommended by Marcy)
Here are the basic points I have learned thus far:
1. Wait until your store opens to get your card- you can use it immediately.
2. If you are in an area that has a new store opening start looking for CVS coupons now! They will be in the local papers, home mailers etc.. I was told “to knock over old ladies” to collect these coupons as they are essentially paper gold.
3. There are monthly deals and weekly deals. Monthly deals can be found online but weekly deals vary from location to location so its best to get those in store.
4. You can stack CVS coupons and MQ to get the lowest out of pocket cost possible.
5. By combining coupons- especially on deals that are free after ECB (or Extra Care Bucks)- you can start making a profit on your transactions.
6. The goal is to roll ECBs from week to week- so you have an initial out of pocket expense when you start and then try to only spend ECBs from then on.
7. ECBs print on the bottom of your receipts- so treat them like cash as they won’t be replaced.
8. CVS rewards shoppers with ECBs on Rx refills and offers 2% quarterly of your purchases as bonus bucks.
9. ECBs are only good for 4 weeks from the time they print. You can have them reset if they expire. (YEAH!)
10. It takes 48 hours for the ECBs to post to your account. So if you earn $5 bucks you will not get them instantly.
Check back next Saturday as I will have a second part to this series and hopefully have the answers to my questions. Please feel free to add your own questions, tips or comments below so we can all figure this out together.
Questions for my savvy CVS readers:
Can you do multiple transactions for the free items and great deals or is it limited to (1) per card?
Do you need filler items to use ECBs if you have MQ for every item?
Why would we need to have more than one card?
I am also a NorCal resident and I’ve been so excited about CVS replacing Longs! But the process has been so slow; my local Longs wont be actually be having CVS sales till May.