12/10 Update: I was at CVS again yesterday (I don’t live there, I swear!), and they’ve extended their gift card promos to include GAP gift cards. The offer was $10 Extra Bucks on any 2 GAP gift card purchases. I’m not exactly sure what the lowest amount is that you can purchase (my guess is $10-$25). However, if it’s $10 or less, you’re getting a buy 1 get 1 free deal on these gift cards.
Yesterday, I visited my local CVS and came across an interesting promotion. The store was offering $5 in Extra Bucks for the purchase of any 2 Visa gift or prepaid cards and $10 Extra Bucks for purchasing 3 American Express gift cards. The fees for the Visa cards were $3.95, while Amex was $5.95. Cards were available in increments of up to $500.
For those who are unfamiliar with Extra Bucks, these are rewards offered by CVS’s ExtraCare program, which is free to join. Every time you shop at CVS, simply swipe your ExtraCare card. You’ll earn 2% back in the form of Extra Bucks (excluding gift cards and prepaid cards).
Extra Bucks are paid out quarterly in the form of coupons at the bottom of your receipt. They can be applied towards your next purchase. The terms exclude redemptions on gift cards and prepaid cards.
However, they also state that savings will be applied to total purchases. So, you might be able to redeem your points on gift cards as long as an eligible item is included in your total purchase.
Through this promo, you’re essentially getting a 64% discount on the Visa fees and 56% off Amex fees. If your local CVS lets you pay with a credit card, you’ll also come away with a nice 6 points per $1 by using the or Amex Hilton Surpass cards. I saw no signs indicating there was a limit to the number of cards that could be purchased. But this may differ at your local store.
A $6,000 purchase will earn 36,000 Hilton Honors points. Visa gift/prepaid cards cost $47.40, and Amex cards cost $71.40. Factoring in Extra Bucks earned ($30 for Visa and $40 for Amex) brings the final cost down to $17.40 and $31.40, respectively. Obviously, Visa is the better option here. It offers the biggest discounts, and these cards can be cashed out.
This is a great way to meet spending requirements, especially for the various Hilton credit cards, which offer lucrative bonuses in addition to 6 points per $1 at drugstores. Cards like the American Express Premier Rewards Gold, Delta Reserve, Delta Platinum, Chase British Airways Visa, Chase Hyatt Visa, United MileagePlus Explorer cards also offer annual spending bonuses ranging from elite-qualifying and redeemable points to companion certificates.
Is this deal available at your local CVS? If so, please comment below with the location and whether they impose a limit on the number of cards that can be purchased.
Disclosure: I do not earn a referral for any of the credit card links in this post.
I have an ExtraCare card, but I’m not familiar with ExtraBucks. A few weeks ago, I noticed my CVS receipt had a coupon at the bottom, I think it was for $5 off a $15 purchase. Was that an ExtraBucks offer? I think the coupon expired 3 days later, so I didn’t get to use it! Is that normal for ExtraBucks?
@ Jen, those coupons are different. ExtraBucks will appear at the bottom of your receipt as well, with the following text: “You have earned $__ ExtraBucks. Expires dd/mm/yy.” If you do a google search on ExtrBucks, photos of actual receipts will show up. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!
You’re welcome!
Thanks for sharing this! It will be a nice incentive for anyone who does gift card churning. Good thing you mentioned which credit cards earn multiple points at drugstores.
Glad you found it useful! I was just there again yesterday and they’ve extended this offer to Gap giftcards (I believe it was $10 Extra Bucks on any 2 GAP giftcards). I didn’t check on the increments these cards are sold at, but if its $10 or less, you’re essentially getting a free second giftcard.