Learning the Rite Aid ropes!

Whenever I write about deals at Rite Aid I assume that they are the same across our nation. This being said, you want to make sure you consistently read the weekly advertisement circulars to double check available deals within your region. You should receive the circular in the mail, or if that is not the case, you can find them in the Sunday Paper, view the online version on the Rite Aid homepage, or you can pick one up at your local Rite Aid store.

Like Walgreens, Rite Aid doesn’t have any kind of store loyalty card.

Rite Aid, once again, is a little different from Walgreens and CVS. It also requires you to do some extra work by having to submit rebate offers online instead of getting Register Rewards (Walgreens) or Extra Care Bucks (CVS). So, if you’re not good at remembering to submit rebates etc, this might not be a good deal for you.

In March 2009 Rite Aid has updated their corporate policy. The store now accepts Internet Printable (IP) coupons. Currently, they will only accept 1 IP per transaction and in addition, the value of the IP cannot exceed $5.  Rite Aid also does not accept any IPs for free items.

Single Check Rebate (SCR) System

Rather than giving you instant savings like Walgreens and CVS does, Rite Aid uses a Single Check Rebate (SCR) system. This means that selected products each week and each month are eligible for a SCR.  Participating items can be found in both the weekly circular as well as the monthly Single Check Rebate book (available in the store or online).

Rite Aid doesn’t have any kind of store loyalty card you need in order to be part of the SCR program. All you will have to do is go online and register for a Rite Aid account. It is very important to remember that this program only allows you to request one single check per month. If you buy eligible items in the beginning of the month and immediately request your refund check, you will not be able to participate in the program for the rest of the month. You will have to wait for new deals during the next month. As I mentioned earlier, if you’re not very good about remembering to put in your store receipts on time, then maybe this is not for you because you won’t get the best deals from this store.

Submitting your store receipts is easy; simply visit the online Rite Aid Site, log into your account and follow the instructions. Once logged in, you will be asked to enter the store number, register number, and transaction number from your Rite Aid receipt. Rite Aid will send you an email shortly after asking you to verify the information and in case of any errors to resubmit the receipt. Allow 2 – 5 days for the processing to complete. Once the processing is complete, your receipt status will no longer display “Waiting for Purchase Information to Confirm Your Rebate” and you will be notified by email. The email will also show a link to track your rebate. If you click on the link you will see all the rebates that are still processing and the rebates that have been completed already. You will also see the total of your current check and a Request button. At the end of the month, simply log back into your account and request your check by clicking on the Request button and a check will be sent to you within a couple of weeks! Tip: Enter your transactions as you make them during the month because it eliminates the possibility of lost or forgotten receipts.

Once you receive your Single Check Rebate, you have two options. You can either just deposit it like a regular check into your bank account or you can use it like cash at any Rite Aid store. Personally, I like to take the check to the local Rite Aid and buy a gift card with it. That way I will be able to use it for further deals at Rite Aid without spending any out of pocket (OOP) money. I usually limit it to a certain amount. But that is my personal preference.

Please note that with very few exceptions, Rite Aid SCR deals are limited 1 per household.

Rite Aid frequently offers gift card deals. They are usually advertised as “buy $50 worth of e.g. Johnson and Johnson items and receive a gift card for $25”. Just know that you don’t have to purchase all the products at once in order to be eligible for the deal. You can buy these items one by one and once you’ve qualified for the gift card, it will be added to all the other SCR deals. The rest just works like the SCR deals. These deals can often turn into moneymakers!

Coupons at Rite Aid

Rite Aid allows 1 manufacturers coupon and 1 Rite Aid coupons per item. Rite Aid also frequently puts “Manufacturers Coupon” in their ads.  However, make sure you check the bar code on those coupons; if the serial number starts with the letters “RC” then they are actually Rite Aid coupons and they can be stacked with a manufacturer’s coupon.

Do you see the potential of these coupons combined with the single check rebate deals? Yes, that’s right; these deals can actually turn into moneymakers! In addition, Rite Aid frequently has “free after rebate” items and just for your information, using coupons will not reduce the amount of your Single Check Rebate. 

Rite Aid Deals Posts from Sassy Coupon Mom 

I post my deals in the following format:

• Item and Price
• - Coupon to use
• = Price after Coupon
• SCR earned
• =Price after Coupon & SCRs.

This way you can see what you will be paying OOP (out of pocket), the SCRs you should earn and your final cost for all the item(s).

This is it for Rite Aid for now! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions! I love hearing from my readers!

Remember, we’re in this recession together, so let’s save together!

Joelle