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Boilerhoss · Double Dollar Queen Joined: 25 Sep 2005 Posts: 6768

Here is some questions and answers to the most asked questions by Newbies that want to learn CVS.

If you have a question that you want added to this post please pm it to me and I would be happy to add it. I would like to keep this as clean and easy to read as possible.

Hope this helps someone!!

CVS Frequently Asked Questions For Newbies:

Need to Contact CVS Customer Care: 1-800-SHOP-CVS

What is ECB?
A: ECB Stands for Extra Care Bucks and can be used just like money. You can use them on almost anything in the CVS Store. The exclusions are as follows: Prescriptions, Alcohol, Tobacco, Gift cards, lottery, stamps, money orders and pre-paid cards. You need to use the full amount of the ECB as any part of it you don’t use you will loose.

When Do ECB’Ss Expire?
A: Generally four weeks after they are earned. The expiration date will print at the bottom of your ECB.

What is the “Point Balance”?
A: If the promotion requires the purchase of a specific number of items, the point balance is the number of items you have purchased. If the promotion requires a specific dollar amount, the point balance is the dollar amount you have spent.

When Do ECB’s Print?
A: ECB’s will print or show up in your online account 48 hours after your purchase. You can print them from your online account but they will not show up on your receipt if you print them from home.

If a Promotions says spend $15.00 on X item do I have to purchase everything in one transaction?
A: No you don’t have to purchase everything in the same transaction you just have to make sure all your items are purchased before that sale week is over. Be sure if the promotion requires $15.00 that you actually spend $15.00. If you spend only $14.95 you won’t receive the ECB’s.

Will CVS reset my ECB’S if they expire?
A: Yes, just call customer care and explain to them that you didn’t use your ECB’s before they expired they will reset them up to 3 times.

Will CVS reset coupons that printed on the bottom of my receipt?
A: Yes, they will reset those coupons for you. But use caution when doing this as they may no longer do this.

Can I return or exchange an item(s) purchased with ECB’s?
A: If you purchased something with your ECB’s and now need to return it you will get a store credit on a CVS gift card. More than likely your store will allow you to exchange your item with no problem.

When will the ECB’s I just used disappear from my online account?
A: ECB’s show in your online account until they expire, regardless of whether you have used the ECB or not. If you allowed your ECB to print on your receipt and you have redeemed that ECB, you cannot print it again from home and use a second time. If, however, you have not used the ECB printed on your receipt and you lost it, you can either print it from home or call CVS Customer Care and ask them to reset the ECB to print again on your receipt.

Does CVS accept manufacturer coupons?
A: Yes, CVS accepts manufacturer coupons as long as the coupon matches the product you are purchasing, is current (not expired), and does not state “Redeemable only at Kmart” or other similar statement.

Does CVS accept expired coupons?
A: No, CVS does not accept expired coupons.

Does CVS accept internet printed coupons?
A: Yes, CVS accepts them as long as they match the product you are purchasing.

Does CVS accept competitor’s coupons?
A: ONLY for new/transferred prescriptions and you are limited to two coupons per year per person, whether CVS coupons or competitor coupons.

Will I get overage from my coupons if the item is less than my coupon?
A: Generally you will not get overage from your coupons although this can be YMMV. In most cases, the register knows the value of the item you purchased and tells the cashier to adjust the value of the coupon. If you purchased (3) deodorants at 97 cents each and presented (3) $1/1 coupons, the register will take off $1, $1, and then prompt the cashier to adjust the value of the third coupon to 91 cents.

If CVS has a B1G1F Sale can I use two manufacturer coupons?
A: Yes, you can use two manufacturer coupons, one for each of the items. Some cashiers and managers are not knowledgeable about this, but it is CVS policy to accept one coupon on each item.

CVS has purchase $x.xx for a product get $x.xx amount in ECB’s. Is the amount before or after coupons?
A: The amount is before coupons.
Ex: Purchase $20.00 worth of Almay products and get $10.00 in ECB’s. You purchase (4) Almay products at $5.00 each for a total of $20.00. You use (2) $5/2 manufacturer coupons which means your OOP is $10.00. In 48 hours you will receive $10.00 in ECB’s. You can use any coupons (manufacturer, CVS coupon, or ECB’s) to reduce your total and still qualify for the ECB.

CVS has purchase $x.xx for a product get $x.xx amount in ECB’s. The products are on sale B1G1F. Do even the free items count?
A: If the ECB is based on a certain amount spent then only the item you are paying for will qualify for the ECB promotion. If the ECB deal is based on a certain number of items purchased, such as buy three get $x.xx in ECB’s, then both of the items will count towards the promotion.

What do you mean when you say “rolling ECB’s?”
A: Rolling ECB’s means just that, taking a current ECB and rolling it into either a smaller ECB or a larger ECB. So if you earned ECB’s from a previous promotion and now want to use them to pay for another CVS ECB promotion that is what is considered rolling of ECB’s.
EX: Buy 2 Sunsilk get $5.00 in ECB’s. You purchased 10 and earned a $25.00 ECB. CVS now has an ECB promotion buy any Rolaids get 2.00 ECB. The Rolaids sell for $2.00 each and you have a $1/1 coupon for each package you purchase. You purchase 25 of them and use (25) $1/1 manufacturer coupons and your 25.00 ECB to pay for them. In 48 hours you will have a 50.00 ECB and you just rolled one ECB into a larger ECB.

The little 5-number code underneath the barcode on the ECB is the exact same number on both of my ECB’s. I know that with the ECB that you print from the website, the little number codes are supposed to be unique so that you can't use the same ECB twice. Is it the same for the ones that print up at the register?
A: Each ECB for the same promotion for the same amount will have the same code. So if you get (2) $5 ECB's for the Playtex Sport they will have the same code as well. But if you get (1) $10 ECB for Playtex Sport and (1) $5 ECB for Playtex Sport then they will have different codes.It is not a problem because the register matches the ECB to your account and knows you have a valid ECB to be used.

The only time you will have an issue is if your store allows you to use more than one ECB in a purchase and you try to use (2) ECB's with the same promotion number. The register will not allow it. Some cashiers will call a manager to override, but some will just tell you, "The register won't take this." Best to avoid the situation and plan your purchases so you use the ECB's on different purchases.

If I purchase multiple ECB promotions in one day will it be a large ECB in 48 hours?
A: Each ECB promotion generates its own ECB, however, all purchases in a given day are cumulative for that day. Purchases after 10:00 p.m. at a 24-hour store are considered the next day’s purchase when calculating ECB totals.

EX:
For every 1 Purell earn 1.00 ECB and I buy 10 of them.
For every 1 Hershey Bar earn 1.00 ECB and I buy 5 of them
For every 1 Revlon Product earn 1.00 ECB and I buy 6 of them.

I will have the following ECB’S print:

10.00 For Purell
5.00 For Hershey’s
6.00 For Revlon

Another EX:
Same promotions above:
I go to store A and purchase 6 Purell
I go to store B and purchase 10 Purell
I go to store C and purchase 9 Purell
I go to store D and purchase 8 Purell

I will have the following ECB Print

33.00 For Purell

If I find a receipt in the trash can with ECB’s or Coupons on it can I use them??
A: No, you cannot use them the ECB’s and coupons as they are tied to the specific card with which the items were purchased. Unless you have that card you cannot use them.

I see people trading CVS coupons. How can they do this if they are tied to their card?
A: CVS occasionally distributes coupons such as the following $2.00/10.00 purchase, $5.00/20.00 purchase, $3.00/15.00 purchase or 1.00 off any CVS Brand Item. These coupons are generally located either at the entry to your store or back in the pharmacy area in a booklet. These coupons are not linked to your ECB account and can be used by anyone with an ECB card.

On what products is the $1.00 off any CVS Brand item coupon valid?
A: Anything that is carried by CVS that is their brand such as paper towels, napkins, envelopes, etc. Look for CVS brand, Gold Emblem brand, or check the CVS website for more information about their store branded items.

What other types of CVS coupons are available?
A. CVS also provides CRT (cash register tape) coupons on the bottom of your receipt. This often takes several weeks to commence once you get your card. These coupons are generally on specific items in the store and can be combined with manufacturer coupons. For example, you may get a $1 on any Crest CRT which you can combine with a $1/1 Crest manufacturer coupons to save $2.00. Other examples of CRT coupons include: $4/$20 purchase, $2/$10 CVS brand purchase, $2/$6 skin care purchase, $2/$10 oral care purchase. All of these can be combined with manufacturer coupons and ECB promotions to save even more!

How does CVS handle B1G1F or B1G1 half-off sales?
A. Both items are scanned into the register and the value of the free or half-off item comes off at the end as a CVS coupon. Some stores do program their system to ring each item as half the value of the original for a B1G1F sale.

Since CVS allows you to use manufacturer coupons, can I use them on clearance items?
A: YMMV. Some stores will allow you to use coupons on clearance items. Others have signs posted that you cannot use manufacturer coupons on clearance items. This is generally because the items are entered as “taxable” with the amount and the register then cannot compare the coupon to the item.

How do I view my ECB’s online?
A: www.CVS.com

Click on ExtraCare
Click on Review my account
Enter your information from your card and the information you gave when you filled out the extra care application. Note that it takes several weeks or longer for CVS to input your information into the system, but you can still access your card by entering the card number.

If I need to get another card how would I do it?
A: Cards are limited to one per person. But if you need one just click the join now button and request one.

Does CVS limit how many coupons I can use in one transaction?
A: Sometimes the computer will say that you have used “too many coupons.” Generally, you can use one CVS and one manufacturer coupon per item, but your total number of coupons cannot be greater than the number of items plus one.

Example:
Purchase:
4 Sunsilks
3 Crest

Coupons
$1/1 Sunsilk (4 of them)
$1/1 Crest (3 of them)
$2/10 purchase
$5 ECB

Your item count is 7 and your coupon count is 9. You may have to add a candy bar or another cheap item to get the computer to accept all of your coupons. This is a YMMV thing and not all transactions seem to work the same way.

erinkman · Coupon Lover Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 10643

Thank You SO much for this!!!! I have been going crazy with all these CVS posts!! Now we have 1 great one to refer to!!! TY!! Very Happy

mamagregorynjamar · Coupon Clipper Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 1520

Awesome post - thanks for putting this together!

deb's mom · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:57 pm Post subject:

Thank you so much. Giving Flowers

Old Refunder · CF Q&A Queen Joined: 28 May 2005 Posts: 10364

EXCELLENT WORK!!!!! thumbs up

twochickstwopumpkins · Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 7:31 am Post subject:

TY for getting this all together! We all appreciate the work that went into this guide!! kiss

chacha · Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:01 am Post subject:

That is so nice of you! Thanks bunches Very Happy

BethanyB · Beginner Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 75

This is sooo great! I just started doing the ECB thing this past week with this great ad! I love being prepared before I go into the store...=) Thank you so much for taking the time to type this!!

MomsTaxi · Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 2:08 pm Post subject:

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to do this.
My ECB card just came yesterday, it's easy to have this thread to reference to, before my first CVS trip Smile

scottzbabiedoll · Coupon Lover Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 7866

I actually added this post to my favorites since I have never been to CVS shopping... I think I might give it a try!!

mamagregorynjamar · Coupon Clipper Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 1520

trust me it is worth it (but buy some storage bins first!!!!!) LOL

scottzbabiedoll · Coupon Lover Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 7866

lol... yeah I cannot wait until I get to move into my apartment within the next couple weeks so i have start a stockpile

gmmunj · Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:11 pm Post subject:

I have asked when I call the CVS 1-800 number if they reset CVS Extra Care coupons and I was told they cannot reset those, they can only reset ECBs. Confused

And not all CVS's accept IPs anymore, I guess it is up to the manager of that store.

ETA ~ If you print your ECBs online, they will still print at the register as long as you have not redeemed them.

talenavigmail · Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:23 pm Post subject: so helpful!

Thank you so much for the post! It answered all my questions I had after my first CVS ECB deals shopping! I wish I knew these rules before last week's amazing deal. Sad

Definitely should catch up now...

ellapinero · Coupon Convert Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 169

I noticed that people post details about ECB offers that do not appear in the advertisements. Is there another source to find out about these offers-how do people know about them?

THANKS
Ella
In CA where we're just getting CVS conversions

gmmunj · Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:15 am Post subject: Re: Question about offers

twochickstwopumpkins · Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:49 pm Post subject:

If CVS has a B1G1F Sale can I use two manufacturer coupons?

This question was overlooked up above....

The answer is it depends on how your store rings up b1g1. If it rings them both full price then takes off one as a CVS cpn then you can only use 1 coupon as the entire price of one has been taken off already. If it rings 50% off then you can use 2 manf coupons on the 2 items.

bethn · Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:00 pm Post subject:

PerfectLady · Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:34 pm Post subject:

Question: When shopping online, can you use more than one ECB in order to pay for your purchase?

I have lots of small amount ECBs and would like to make a purchase on CVS.com over the $49 minimum in order to get free shipping.

gmmunj · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:58 pm Post subject:

ellapinero · Coupon Convert Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 169

Thanks for all the info?

One more question: When you say "business hours" would that be weekday. I bought stuff on Thursday around 4PM and nothing has shown up. Either deals are no good in CA or will show up Monday...?

Thanks to everybody for their great and contunued help!!

Ainsleysmom · Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject:

akaym · Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 5:19 pm Post subject: Re: ~~CVS HELP FOR NEWBIES~~

newmom020105 · Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:03 pm Post subject:

Ok, somewhat on/off topic for CVS...you can earn Upromise funds, too by registering your CVS card at www.upromise.com. Certain items will earn funds (I do not know which items). For those who do not know, Upromise is a college savings fund program. You can start an acocunt now even if you do not have children and transfer the funds to your child, or another family member (niece, nephew, etc.). You can also roll the funds into a qualifying 529 account. I figured with all of the purchases people make, you could make a fortune for someone's college!

ellapinero · Coupon Convert Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 169

I'm getting the hang of it, but I see posters reporting on their purchases that they're stacking $5/20 and $4/20 and $2/10, etc.

I thought in order to do this, you would have to purchase (as ex. above) $50, but posters are using it for a $20 purchase. I got handed back a coupon for doing it in an accumulative manner, not on an all-in-one manner tho the cashier was wrong as other cashiers have accepted it.

Any rules/thoughts?

bethn · Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:25 pm Post subject:

ellapinero · Coupon Convert Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 169

bethn · Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:18 pm Post subject:

cari9119 · Coupon Convert Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 914

I have a cvs question. If I spend $50 can I use 5 $2/10? I thought I had read that you can and the other day when I went in I was told only 1 coupon can be used.

KLA3384 · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:43 am Post subject:

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~~CVS HELP FOR NEWBIES~~

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