How pharmacy reward points work
A pharmacy rewards program enables a pharmacy to offer its customers a chance to save money on medications and other purchases for participating customers as well as help build goodwill and increase customer traffic.
While programs differ among pharmacies, most offer customers the chance to sign up for their free program to accumulate “points” from making purchases, including medications as well as non-medical purchases. Points can then translate into money saved on future purchases or services.
Some qualifying activities for reward points include:
- Discounts with filling prescriptions (see below)
- Non-medical item purchases qualifying for rewards “perks” or “points”
- Vaccinations or other healthy activities¸ such as logging blood pressure of glucose levels. Example: a pharmacy may give 1 credit given for flu shot or other vaccines as well as signing up for reminder emails.
How much can you save? Some pharmacy chains offer deals such as generic prescriptions for only $4 per month, or $10 for three months’ worth of medications. For those taking regular medications, especially if not fully covered by insurance, this can literally be a lifesaver.
Not all programs are offered in some states, however: for example, Rite Aid and CVS don’t offer their programs in New Jersey and New York. Items such as alcohol or tobacco products, lottery or gift cards are also excluded from most programs.
To join, you fill out a form asking for your name, address, email, phone and perhaps your birthday. Most pharmacies have privacy policies including promises to not sell customer information to outside markets without your permission.
However, you may still receive coupons, store promotions, sales ads and other marketing contacts from the store itself. For those looking for even better deals on saving money on necessary purchases, that’s a deal that’s pretty hard to beat.
