12 CVS Coupon Tricks Californians Use to Pay Almost Nothing

A lot of California CVS stores started life as Longs Drugs, the old Golden State chain CVS bought back in 2008.

The sign changed, but the deal-hunting tradition only got better because CVS brought its ExtraCare rewards along with it.

Learn the system, and you’ll never pay full price for a drugstore staple again.

Here’s the shopper’s playbook for paying almost nothing at CVS.

Start With the Free ExtraCare Card

None of it works without this little card, and it costs nothing to get.

Sign up in the store or on the app, then scan your ExtraCare card or punch in your phone number every single time you check out.

It unlocks the member sale prices, and it earns you 2 percent back in ExtraBucks on nearly everything you buy.

New members often get a few dollars in ExtraBucks just for joining.

No card, no deals. It’s the front door to everything else on this list.

Learn the Triple Stack

This is the heart of CVS couponing, and it’s where the near-free deals happen.

On a single item, CVS lets you combine three discounts at once: A manufacturer coupon, a CVS store coupon, and your ExtraBucks rewards, all on the same purchase.

Layer all three and the price can crater.

Coupon pros routinely knock 50 to 70 percent off a basket this way, and sometimes the item ends up free.

Few drugstores allow this kind of stacking.

CVS built its whole reputation on it.

Live in the CVS App

The paper-coupon era is mostly over, and these days the deals live on your phone.

Download the CVS app, link your ExtraCare card, and open the Deals and Rewards section.

You’ll find digital coupons you can clip with a tap.

Hit Send to Card, and the coupon loads straight onto your account to apply automatically at checkout.

Fresh deals drop every week, and plenty of the best ones are app-only.

Californians who coupon check that app the way other folks check the weather.

Chase the ExtraBucks Deals

ExtraBucks are the currency that makes this whole thing run, so go where they’re handed out.

Each week, CVS runs promotions like “Buy 2, Get $5 ExtraBucks” or “Spend $20, Get $10 ExtraBucks” on featured products.

You buy the qualifying items, and the ExtraBucks print on your receipt or load to your card to spend next time.

These rotate every week in the CVS ad and the app.

Build your trip around the items earning ExtraBucks, and you’re earning store credit on stuff you’d buy anyway.

Roll Your ExtraBucks Forward

Here’s the move that separates the dabblers from the pros. It’s called rolling.

You use the ExtraBucks you earned on one deal to pay for the next deal that also earns ExtraBucks.

Do that a few trips in a row, and you’re essentially shopping with the store’s money, turning one initial purchase into weeks of near-free runs.

The trick is to spend each ExtraBucks reward before it expires, since they only last a few weeks.

Roll them right, and your out-of-pocket cost barely moves.

Add a Whole-Basket Coupon on Top

While the per-item stacking works its wonders, don’t forget the coupons that hit your entire order.

CVS regularly sends out offers like “$5 off $20” or a flat percentage off your whole purchase through the app, email, and the bottom of your receipt.

These apply on top of your item-level deals, taking another chunk off the total.

Always check your account for one of these before you head to the register.

Stacking a basket coupon over your other savings is how the total drops to almost nothing.

Double Up on a BOGO

This one surprises even seasoned shoppers, and it’s straight out of the CVS coupon policy.

When an item is on a Buy One, Get One Free sale, CVS lets you use a manufacturer coupon on each item, including the one ringing up free.

So if the shampoo is buy-one-get-one and you have two coupons, you use both, and you can walk out with two bottles for the price of the tax.

Plenty of stores won’t let you coupon a free item. CVS will.

Never Waste an ExtraBuck

ExtraBucks work like cash, with one catch the rookies miss: CVS won’t give you change.

Hand over a $5 ExtraBucks reward on a $4 order, and that extra dollar vanishes.

So spend your ExtraBucks on a total that’s at least as big as the reward.

If you’re a little short, toss a pack of gum or a filler item into the cart to get there.

Treat every ExtraBuck like the dollars-off coupon it is, and you won’t leave value on the counter.

Raid the Beauty and Health Aisles

If you want the richest stacking, point your cart at personal care.

CVS loads up the beauty and health sections with ExtraBucks deals, like “Spend $30 on beauty, get $10 ExtraBucks,” and these pair beautifully with manufacturer coupons.

Toothpaste, shampoo, razors, deodorant, vitamins, makeup.

These are the aisles where the free and near-free deals pile up week after week.

Stock the bathroom cabinet here, and you’ll wonder why you ever paid full price at the grocery store.

Scan at the In-Store Coupon Center

Before you start shopping, find the little coupon kiosk inside the store and scan your ExtraCare card.

The machine spits out coupons chosen just for you, based on what you’ve bought before.

These are different from the app deals, so it’s worth grabbing both.

You might get a percentage off your whole trip or a deal on a brand you already use.

It takes ten seconds on your way in, and it’s free money you’d otherwise walk right past.

Cash In at the Pharmacy

Your prescriptions and shots can pad your ExtraBucks too, which a lot of shoppers never realize.

Through CVS pharmacy and health rewards, you can earn ExtraBucks for filling prescriptions and getting vaccines like your flu shot.

The app also lets you track healthy habits to rack up more rewards over time.

If you’re picking up medication anyway, you may as well earn store credit that you can turn around and spend on the rest of your cart.

It’s found money for something you were doing regardless.

Run the Numbers on the Paid Membership

If you’re at CVS nearly every week, the paid tier can be a no-brainer worth a hard look.

CVS’s membership, now called ExtraCare Plus, runs about $5 a month or $48 a year, and you may still see it called CarePass.

It hands you a $10 reward every month, which more than covers the cost on its own.