CVS ECB Tutorial

ExtraBucks Program

CVS has a program that is tied to loyalty card (sort of like your Fry’s VIP Card). They call it the Extra Care Card. You scan it at the register when you are doing your transactions, and after you pay for your items, the ExtraBucks you earned for the purchase, are printed right on the receipt. These are like CASH, so do not lose them. They are linked to that particular card, therefore they cannot be traded or sold. Also, they cannot be used to purchase gift cards. What good are they? OH dear!! They are awesome for ‘rolling’. What? Rolling? Huh? Rolling means when you take that ExtraBuck you just earned and purchase a different item that will earn you ExtraBucks. Wow, now you paid nothing but your ExtraBuck and got an item! And now you have more Extra Bucks. This is what my Grand Plans are designed to do. I found it easier when I first started out, to purchase all of the items that I could get for Free or Nearly Free and save the ExtraBucks to pay for my next week’s Grand Plan. Now, I have $50 worth of ExtraBucks in my wallet, but they won’t go to waste…Oh NO!! They are going to go on next week’s Grand Plan.

Example of earning ExtraBucks: This week (9/12-9/18) Alive Vitamins are on sale for $9.99. They have a printable coupon worth $1 and they are generating $9.99 ExtraBucks. That means, you walk into CVS, scan your Extra Care Card, purchase the Alive vitamins, pay $9.99 less the $1 coupon (plus tax) and then at the bottom of your receipt you will get an ExtraBuck for $9.99. Save that!

Example of Rolling ExtraBucks: Take that $9.99 ExtraBuck that you just earned in that previous example and pay for this transaction:
Purchase 1 Nivea Men’s Shower Gel (on sale $4.99 and get back $4.99EBs)
plus 4 Airwick AquaMist Spray (on Sale for $2.50 each, buy 4 and get back $5EBs)
plus 1 Skintimate Shave Gel (on Sale for $3.99 each and get back $3EBs)
Use coupon Nivea $1 off from RedPlum 7/25 or RedPlum 8/29
also use 2 coupons for B1G1 Free Airwick from SmartSource 8/8
also use 1 coupon for Skintimate 75c off from SmartSource 8/1
Total will be $12.23
You pay with $9.99 ExtraBucks earned from the Alive Vitamins + $2.24 Out of pocket cash
You get back $4.99 from the Nivea and $5 from the Airwick and $3 from the Skintimate.
You walk away with $12.99 in your pocket

Since using these words to describe what is going on seems to get very confusing, I put together a ‘Grand Plan’ each week. That is in a spreadsheet form and lists out the items you will need to pick up, the quantity, the coupons you will need to pull and the ExtraBucks you can expect to print out.

A few things to know about CVS:

You must have an ExtraCare Card to get Extra Bucks.
Sale ads run Sunday to Saturday.
Coupons do not double, they are honored at face value only.
You can use a Manufacturer’s coupon and a Store coupon on the same item (this is called stacking)
When doing a B1G1 Free deal, you can use B1G1 Free coupon to get both items free. Or you can use 2 coupons that have $ off values to discount both items that you are purchasing. See the CVS coupon policy response.
When they offer a B1G1 Free sale, you must purchase both items in order to get the 1 free. They will not honor the sale for half priced of just 1 item.
Prescription Transfers – CVS takes competitors prescription transfer coupons, you can get up to $25 in gift cards to transfer scripts.

CVS Lingo
Below, I have listed some of the abbreviations or other terms used when I post deals for CVS.

EB (ExtraBuck) – A coupon that will print at the bottom of your receipt that is like Store Cash. Also, you will earn 2% in Extra Bucks on all your purchases, that will be issued quarterly.
Extra Care Card – This is CVS’s loyalty card. Much like the Fry’s VIP card or the Basha’s Thank You Rewards card.
Price Scanner – There is this blue or red machine at the front of the store (most times at the front of the store, if you don’t see yours, check with your store personnel). This machine can be used to check the price on items…but what they are most valuable for….is for printing out extra special coupons. These can be $4 off a $20 purchase coupons. Or anything of the sort. Those coupons help turn the Grand Plan into a MoneyMaking plan. ALWAYS scan your ExtraCare Card at this machine BEFORE you start your shopping trip.
OOP - Out of Pocket Expense
WYB - When You Buy; a coupon may say $1/2, you get $1 off when you buy 2 items

FAQ on EBs

Can I use my $10 ExtraBuck to purchase a pack of gum for 99c and then get cash back?

No, an ExtraBuck must be used in its entirety. No change will be issued.

Can I use my ExtraBucks to purchase a gift card?

No, an ExtraBuck must be used to purchase items within the store, no gift cards.

Can I use my ExtraBucks after they expire?

Watch the expiration dates and be sure to use your oldest ExtraBucks first. However, most of the stores I have shopped, have allowed expired ExtraBucks up to a week after the Expiration Date. So, be sure to check with your local store.

What is Reinventing Beauty Magazine?

This is a CVS publication. It is on sale at most CVS stores for around 99c. they come loaded with CVS Store coupons (which are stackable) and also with manufacturer’s coupons.

How many EBs can I use per transaction?

As many as you need to get to your pre tax total. Remember that the EBs won’t pay for tax.

What if I forgot my ExtraCare Card at home, but I remembered my EBs, can I still use them?

Yes, as long as you have your ExtraCare Card tied to your phone number. So be sure to give them your phone number when you register your card. At the time of redemption, you can just give the cashier your phone number and your EBs can still be used.

CVS Tips

Always check for the CVS Grand Plan before going out to grab your CVS Stuff. I will post this Grand Plan by Saturday, so that you have plenty of time to prepare for your next week’s CVS shopping trip.
Looking for your own scenarios? Always look to combine the ExtraBucks deals with manufacturer and Store coupons. That is how I am able to make Grand Plans each week that come out with such low totals.
Should you do Multiple Transactions or just One Large transaction? I prefer to do one large transaction and then head out the door. This required me putting in about $25-$30 worth of my own money up front. I did that about 2 years ago, and I haven’t had to do it since. But I have friends that swear by Multiple Transactions. This leaves them with very few EBs to carry over the next week, so they are stuck with having to do multiple transactions each week. It is awesome if you have the time and patience….I have neither. If you do decide to do multiple transactions, please be nice to the people behind you. Sometimes the cashier will even ask you to please go back to the end of the line between transactions. It is only fair.
Last Tip: Be sure you learn the order in which to hand your coupons to the cashier….WHAT? What difference does the order make…oh it can make a huge difference if you are trying to use a $4 off $20 coupon when your total will fall below $20 after the other coupons. So, here is the order you should use:

1. $ off $ Store Coupon – Do this when your transaction total is highest
2. Manufacturers coupons
3. Store Coupons – these discount the price of the item and therefore could cause your manufacturer’s coupon to beep if given before them
4. ExtraBucks – basically this will be your form of payment. And they won’t cover taxes. So ask your cashier for your pretax total, so that you can choose the ExtraBucks that will get you closest to that total.
5. Gift Cards earned from Prescription Transfers or any other form of payment to cover the taxes.

If you EVER have any questions regarding CVS or anything, please send me a note using the Contact Me page. I will answer you the best I can.