The Freebie Blogger

Do you want to get 100% FREE full-sized products from CVS? Do you hear a lot of talk about ECBs and just don’t understand? If so, you are in the right place.

Before You Start – You will need to sign up for a CVS Extra Care card. This can be done in-store or online here. Once you have your card, create an account at CVS.com and register your card. This way you will be able to view your rewards online and earn rewards when making online purchases. It is important to check “Yes” when asked if you would like to receive emails from CVS. This is one way to get the coupons I mention later in this post.

What Are Extra Care Bucks– You earn Extra Care Bucks (otherwise known as ECBs) by purchasing qualifying items. Each time you purchase one of these items and use your Extra Care card, a slip will be printed at the bottom of your receipt showing the amount you have earned.

The slips can be used like cash, though they do have some restrictions: prescriptions, alcohol, gift cards, lottery, money orders, postage stamps, pre-paid cards and tobacco are excluded (restrictions may vary by area) and no cash back can be given if the ECBs you are paying with total more than your actual total.

Remember to save your slips and keep them in a safe place. Each slip has a barcode which the cashier will have to scan when you check out. The barcode links them to your Extra Care account so they can only be used by you with your card. They also have expiration dates, and even though some cashiers can “push through” expired ECBs, you don’t want to risk losing them.

ECB deals can be found in the weekly flyer and list how many of an item can be purchased and still earn ECBs. This limit usually ranges from 1 to 5 of each item. CVS has discontinued the monthly Extra Care Value book and replaced it with a Clip Free coupon book. This book can be found at the front of the store where the weekly flyers are located. Unlike the Extra Care Value book, it is rare for there to be monthly ECBs deals listed in the Clip Free book.

You will also earn 2% of your in-store and online purchases in the form of ECBs and $1 in ECBs for every two prescriptions purchased in-store or online. These ECBs will print out on the bottom of your receipt once every three months. Remember to have your Extra Care card scanned with each purchase or your account with not be given credit.

How To Roll Over Extra Bucks– Rolling over means paying for an item with ECBs and getting just as many back in return. The goal is always to pay as little out of pocket (OOP) as possible and to keep earning ECBs.

Let’s say that Crest toothpaste is on sale for $2.99 and earns $2.99 in ECBs with a limit of two items. Purchase one tube of toothpaste and pay for it with cash. Your receipt will include a slip for $2.99 in ECBs you have earned for making this purchase. Next, purchase a second toothpaste and pay for it with the ECBs you just earned. Now you have gotten an item for free (tax may be applicable) and have earned another $2.99 in ECBs to spend.

This is how it all plays out:

Transaction 1
Crest $2.99
Total $2.99
OOP $2.99
ECBs Earned $2.99

Transaction 2
Crest $2.99
Total $2.99
OOP $0.00
ECBs Paid $2.99
ECBs Earned $2.99

In the second transaction you see that you have paid $0.00 OOP for the toothpaste and earned $2.99 in ECBs to use on your next purchase. Now you’re rolling!

How To Make A Profit Using Extra Bucks – Don’t get the wrong idea here. No cashier is going to hand you cash after paying for a purchase with ECBs. So instead of a cash profit you will be making a profit of additional merchandise.

Let’s use Transaction 2 of the above example and say that you have a $1 off Crest coupon to use with your purchase. You still have the $2.99 in ECBs you earned from the first transaction to use as payment, but the total after using the coupon will only be $1.99. Since you cannot receive cash back when you pay with ECBs only, you will have to pick up an additional item which will be free if it is priced at $1.

Here is how it plays out:

Crest $2.99
2nd Item $1.00
Total $3.99
Manufacturers Coupon $1.00
Adjusted Total $2.99
ECBs Paid $2.99
OOP $0.00
ECBs Earned $2.99

You have paid $0.00 OOP for the toothpaste and 2nd item plus earned $2.99 in ECBs to be used on your next purchase.

How To Grow Your Extra Bucks – Growing your Extra Bucks is important because it will allow you to make larger purchases which will qualify you to use CVS coupons (i.e. $3 off $15 or $10 off $50) without having to pay with cash.

Let’s continue with our example and say that the $1 item we picked up also earns $1 in ECBs. So we have both the Crest at $2.99 earning $2.99 in ECBs, the “2nd Item” at $1 earning $1 in ECBs and the $1 off Crest coupon.

Here is how it plays out:

Crest $2.99
2nd Item $1.00
Total $3.99
Manufacturers Coupon $1.00
Adjusted Total $2.99
ECBs Paid $2.99
OOP $0.00
ECBs Earned $3.99

You see that you have paid $0.00 OOP and earned $3.99 in ECBs, $1 more in ECBs than you had before the transaction.

Save Even More With CVS Coupons – There are two main types of CVS coupons: coupons good for an amount off your total purchase and coupons good on a specific item. Both coupons can be combined with one another and with manufacturer coupons, unless otherwise stated. There are four places to get these coupons: on the bottom of your receipt (otherwise known as CRTs), by email, mail, and in print publications such as newspapers and magazines. Be wary of printable CVS coupons found on the internet. Many times these coupons are linked to someone else’s Extra Care card or are fraudulent.

Here is a recent trip of mine showing how all three types of coupons were used:

Items                       Cost         ECBs Earned            Manufacturer Coupon              CRT
Listerine                  $6.49       $4.00                       $2.00                                       None
Listerine                  $6.49       $4.00                       $2.00                                       None
CVS Allergy             $3.79       $3.00                       None                                        None
CVS Allergy             $3.79       $3.00                       None                                        None
Cottonelle               $12.97      $4.00                       $0.50                                       None
Zantac                     $7.97       $2.00                       $1.50                                       $2.00

My total before coupons was $41.50. I used a $5 off $30 CVS store coupon bringing my total to $36.50. There were $8.00 in manufacturer coupons and CRTs which brought the total to $28.50. I paid with $21.00 in ECBs leaving just $7.50 plus tax to be paid OOP and received $20.00 back in ECBs for making these purchases.

Completing The Checkout Process – Start by having the cashier scan your Extra Care card before they begin to ring up the order. Once they have completed scanning the items, hand them the $ off $$ CVS store coupon followed by manufacturer coupons/CRTs, then ECBs. Always pay in this order to get the most out of your coupons and ECBs.

CVS Advisory Panel– This is another great way to earn ECBs. For more information click here.

Abbreviations– When you read each week’s CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid deal posts you may see many abbreviations you don’t understand. Here is a list of the most common abbreviations I use:
Abbreviations: SS = Smart Source, PG = Proctor & Gamble, RP = Red Plum, B1G1 = Buy One Get One Free, WYB = When You Buy, B2G1 = Buy 2 Get One Free, ECB = Extra Care Bucks, SCR = Single Check Rebate, ESC = Easy Saver Coupon, ESR = Easy Saver Rebate, MIR = Mail In Rebate, IVC = Instant Value Coupon, CRT = Cash Register Ticket, OOP = Out of Pocket