Photography Credit: CVS
At my son’s soccer games, my oldest daughter loves to go play with the other kids. She traipses through bushes, climbs over rocks, and slides down the hill. Having a great time comes with consequences. In this case, she acquired a nasty bug bite. Paul and I kept an eye on it. Two days later it was bright red, warm, and had blisters on top. When I took her to the pediatrician, our doctor put her on an antibiotic for the infection.
When I got the prescription, I checked to see if this was one of the free medications offered through Publix. It was not. The next option for savings was looking in my CVS envelope where I carry my coupons. In the envelope, I found a K-mart coupon for a $10 gift card when you fill a new or transferred prescription. This was very exciting. Here is why I get prescriptions filled at CVS:
- Our insurance carrier will process prescription claims according to our contract terms when I use a CVS pharmacy.
- CVS will honor competitor prescription coupons. Since K-mart is a local competitor, CVS will honor the K-mart coupon.
- When I use my Extra Care Card, I will earn an additional $1 Extra Buck for every two prescriptions purchased.
- When I use my CVS Green Bag Tag, I will earn $1 Extra Buck for every 4th visit. You can only use your Green Bag Tag once a day.
- I love to shop at CVS and will use the $10 gift card.
- CVS has a drive-thru. Yeah!
Since I pass about 3-4 CVS Pharmacies on the route to and from school, I dropped off the prescription through the drive-thru before afternoon pickup. On my way home, I drove through the drive-thru and handed the cashier my Extra Care Card, my reusable bag with Green Bag Tag attached, the K-mart coupon, and my flexible spending credit card. During my transaction, I purchased the antibiotic medicine for $9, got my fourth scan of my Green Bag Tag, and obtained a $10 CVS gift card. The results of this transaction were my daughter’s medicine, a $10 CVS gift card, $1 Extra Buck printed on the bottom of my receipt for using a reusable bag, and 1 credit toward earning $1 in Extra Bucks for every 2 prescriptions you have filled.
If I purchase another prescription before the quarter ends, then I will earn $1 in Extra Bucks. Those Extra Bucks will not print at the bottom of my receipt the day I fill the second prescription. I will get that $1 Extra Buck at the end of the quarter. Once every 3 months my Extra Bucks will print at the Coupon Center (big red machine at the front of the CVS store) or at the end of my receipt. Included with my “$1 for every prescription filled” bonus, I also earn 2% on most of the items purchased with my Extra Care Card in those 3 months.
Though I did not plan to visit the doctor’s office, I was prepared and used the resources at hand to stretch my dollars. All in all, I spent $9 pre-taxed and received $1 in Extra Bucks, a $10 CVS gift card, and 1 prescription credit. Not too shabby for an unexpected expense. Please leave a comment sharing ways you save money when filling a prescription.