One of the ways that I am able to make our budget stretch so far is by using prescription new/transfer coupons. Despite being on so many different medications, it's actually been a huge blessing to our budget as I have been able to turn prescriptions into money makers. With our insurance, each prescription costs $10 and most of the new/transfer coupons are worth $25. So, every time I fill or re-fill a prescription, I make $15. At Fry's they load the gift card onto your Fry's VIP card and then I use the credit to buy my groceries. Your mileage will definitely vary, but at my Fry's, the pharmacists will take the transfer coupons even if I have a new prescription. They want to earn my business and because of this, I will continue to take my business here. I have the luxury of having a CVS, Walgreen's, Fry's, and Safeway all within about 3 miles so I don't have any problem actually transferring my prescription if they ever decide to not honor it. Again, every pharmacy is different so you will have to just ask.
What do you do?
I just take the CVS transfer coupon to my Fry's and they honor it as a competitor coupon. Safeway and CVS will also honor competitor's coupons so you don't have to the transfer dance every time you re-fill something. Plus, Safeway will honor competitor's expired coupons! When you pay for the prescription, they will give you either a gift card or load it to a loyalty card so you can use the credit for groceries.
Where are they?
You can find these coupons fairly often if you're looking out for them. For the past several weeks, CVS had a coupon on the outside of the Sunday insert. These are good until mid-June, so I picked up a few extra to hold onto for next month. There have been some $30 coupons in the Safeway Ads and some in the Walgreen's inserts as well. And if you still can't find any, do a google search for "printable prescription coupons" and you are bound to find something. If you need one now, Rite Aid has one here.
A few other tips
*Like anything, if you take your coupon to your pharmacist with patience rather than demanding them to take your coupon, you are much more likely to be accommodated.
*If you have a CVS near you, they currently are offering 2 Extra Care Bucks for every 2 prescriptions filled, rather than the normal 1 ECB per 2 prescriptions.
*Be sure to verify the price of your medication at the various stores. With so many retailers participating in their own programs and the $4 generic plans, sometimes it makes sense to pay out of pocket rather than go thru insurance. I have had this experience many times when I'm able to do generic.
I estimate that we earn at least $100 in credits each month, so the few minutes of time it takes to find and print the coupons is totally worth it! Let me know how it works for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment