First you need to sign up for a Wellness + card. The card gives you the special sales prices and tracks your spending. You can do this right in the store and they will give you your card and you can start shopping right away. The other option is to apply online for a card, which you can do here. If you choose this option you will have to wait a few weeks for your card.
Single Check Rebates
First there is the Single Check Rebate (SCR) system. This is not like the rebates you are used to where you have to send in proof of purchase and a receipt via the mail. It is much, much easier. Also, you are reimbursed the full amount of the item before coupons, so they are almost always money makers!
Every month Rite Aid will put out a flyer listing all the items that will be on SCR that month. These can be found in the store next to the weekly ads. Go get one! There is usually a limit of one rebate per household.
When you make a purchase that qualifies for SCR you need to take your receipt home and log on to Rite Aid's website. Go to the Single Check Rebate page here. It will ask you to put in some numbers from your receipt and you are done! Do this each time you make a SCR qualifying purchase and at the end of the month go back to the Rite Aid website and request your check! That is why it is called "single" check rebate, you get one lump sum each month. If you do forget to request your check they will automatically send it to you within 30 days. It does take 3-4 weeks to get your check.
Once your check arrives you may notice that it says "Use this at Rite Aid", but it is an actual check and your bank will accept it.
Video Values
Be sure to set up a Video Values account! You can do that here. Each month Rite Aid has short commercials (anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes) for you to watch. At the end of the video you will get to a coupon for that product. You can print the coupon right away or at a later date (they usually last about 2 months, then expire). I would suggest printing only when you need it to save ink.
The video value coupons are Rite Aid store coupons. At Rite Aid you can pair a store and a manufacturer coupon for the same item, so you can see where this will be a great money saver.
The videos change each month, so watch all the videos you want coupons for a few days before the end of the month to be sure you get your coupon. Always watch the wellness + video. This will allow you to print a $1 off Rite Aid coupon good on anything in the store except prescriptions, gift cards, tobacco products, alcohol, stamps, or milk. And the wellness + video is there each month.
+UP bucks
Grab a Rite Aid weekly ad or you can look at the current weekly ad here, be sure to choose your store location. Look through and find the items that will give you +UP bucks. +UPs are store credit and can be used on anything in the store except prescriptions, gift cards, tobacco products, alcohol, stamps, or milk. Treat these like cash!
When you purchase these items in the store the +UPs will print on the bottom of your receipt. When paired with coupons these can make for some great deals! For example: Let's pretend Colgate toothpaste is on sale for $2.96 and it will print a $2.96 +UPs, this is technically a FREE item. Lets say you have a coupon for $1 off Colgate toothpaste. This will make your subtotal $1.96 and you will still get $2.96 in +UPs, congrats you just made $1 for purchasing toothpaste! In couponing we call that a "money maker".
Not all deals will be like this, but scenarios like the one above come around quite often at Rite Aid. You may also see deals in the weekly ad where it says something like buy $15 worth of these participating products and you will get $5 +UPs. Always remember that the $15 is before coupons. Unlike CVS, you must complete the promotion in one transaction.
Remember that there are limits on the +UP deals, usually the limit is 2 but it can be as high as 4 so always look in the fine print of the weekly ad to be sure. If the limit is 2, the +UP will print twice if you buy two of the same item.
Now you are ready to plan out your shopping trip. If this is your first time, do something small. Look at the coupons you have and try to find something that matches up that will print +UPs. If you do not have any coupons that match look for a little deal like the toothpaste one above (doesn't have to make it free but look for a good price) If the limit is two you can buy one get your +UPs then turn around and buy the same thing again, but use the +UPs you just got to pay for the second one, pay the difference, get your second +UP and go home. Now you have +UPs to use for next week. Just keep applying the same principle each week, pair coupons with the +UP deals and use +UPs from the previous week to pay for the products that will print you more +UPs.
The $3 off $15 coupon when you fill out a survey has been discontinued as of 7/26/11, if you have one still on your receipt that you did not get to print Rite Aid's facebook page claims the store will still honor it.
Wellness + Card Benefits
With each purchase you make at Rite Aid you earn points. You get 1 point for every dollar spent on non-prescription purchases and 25 points for each prescription purchase.
As these points add up you get reward:
For every 125 points: One time 10% off shopping pass
500 points: 10% off non-prescription purchases everyday and free health screenings
1,000 points: 20% off non-prescription purchases everyday
With the percentage off deals and sales the register will give you the sale price or percentage off, which ever is cheaper.
*Note: Just by having a wellness + card you get 10% off the Rite Aid brand every day.
Order in which to give your coupons:
1) Percentage off shopping pass (if you have one).
2) Give $ off total purchase (like the $3 off $15) FIRST! Hint: if you give other coupons first it will lower your total and the $ off total won't work.
3) Store and manufacturer coupons (you can combine one Rite Aid store and one manufacturer coupon for the same item).
4) +UP Bucks - remember to check your laws, in most states you still have to pay tax and +UPs will not cover tax, only the subtotal.
Now you are ready! Happy couponing!!!
**Rite Aid has an official coupon policy and it can be found here.
