Here is an updated Rite Aid 101. Note: This is a VERY long post.
There is alot of information in this post, so if I missed something please politely leave a comment.
Rite Aid has a very detailed coupon policy, which can be viewed HERE.
Rite Aid features a program called Single Check Rebates and + UP Rewards, referred to as SCR and UPR in this post. Lastly, they have the Wellness Card program and Video Values Coupons.
CLICK BELOW TO READ THE ENTIRE POST.
The SCR Program
Like traditional rebates, Rite Aid has a rebate for each individual item. Instead of sending separate checks for $1.00, $2.00 etc, the Single Check Rebate program is designed to allow you to shop at Rite Aid during a predefined cycle and get one single check for the entire amount back. There are no UPCs to cut, shoppers card or rebate forms to keep track of. You need to save your receipt from your qualified purchases. You will join theSCR program online HERE and enter your receipts each month.
Rite Aid issues a SCR book with each offer in it for that cycle . You can also find the shopping list for the products online HERE. This book will list dates that the rebate is valid. Note: Rebates are not necessarily valid during the entire rebate cycle. Most rebates are only available for one week. You must check the rebate dates.
Most items will require a single item purchase:
To qualify for single item purchase SCR:
- Purchase one item listed during the rebate period
- Coupons can be used and will not be deducted from the rebate amount
There are rebate offers that require multiply purchases of the same product line
To qualify for offers that require a purchase of multiple products :
- You can make purchases during the entire valid period
- Purchase do not have to be on one receipt
- List of products that qualify for the SCR will be shown
- You may be able to earn multiple levels of rebates
- Coupons can be used and will not be deducted from the rebate amount
There are rebate offers that are for multiple product purchases in the rebate cycle.
To qualify for offers that require a purchase of multiple products :
- You can make purchases during the entire valid period
- Purchase do not have to be on one receipt
- List of products that qualify for the SCR will be shown
- You may be able to earn multiple levels of rebates
- Coupons can be used and will not be deducted from the rebate amount
There are rebate offers that will span more than one monthly SCR cycle:
These offers will list dates that the offer is valid, as in the example from purchases 09/27/09 – 12/26/09.
For offers that span more than one cycle:
- You can make purchases during the entire valid period
- Purchase do not have to be on one receipt
- List of products that qualify for the SCR will be shown
- Coupons can be used and will not be deducted from the rebate amount
You can also view the rebates available HERE.
Each rebate will have a rebate #, valid date and the amount of the rebate.
It will also include a description and the rebate limit.
Once you have made your purchase you will need to keep your receipt.
The key information from your reciepts is as follows:
- Store #.
- Register #.
- Transaction Code
- Date of Purchase
You will then enter your receipt into the computer system.
When you enter a receipt, the status of the receipt is “Waiting for Purchase Information to Confirm Your Rebate”, it means that the receipt information you entered has not yet downloaded into Rite Aid’s system. If you entered your receipt on the same day that you made the purchase please allow up to 2 to 5 business days from the purchase date for the data to show on your account. If you have waited more than 2 to 5 business days from your purchase date and the information is not showing on your account, please review the following information carefully on your account.
Once your receipts are entered, you can confirm your rebates. Once each receipt is entered, you will see a list of the rebates you qualified for:
If you made an error entering your reciept:
If the rebate program submission has not passed, reenter the receipt.
If the rebate program submission or sign up date has already passed, resubmit your receipt information to Special Services for manual processing by fax at 800-457-2243.
At the end of the period, you can request your check once all the receipts are entered.
You will receive a check in about 2-3 weeks after you submit your request.
If the store is out of stock, you can still participate in the SCR program.
Rainchecks will be honored for all rebate offers during any promotional rebate period. Rainchecks must be used within 30 days of issuance to purchase the product on rebate and qualify for the rebate.Your receipt must state “Raincheck” under the participating rebate product item to qualify for rebate.
• If you purchased the item on raincheck within the valid rebate dates then the rebate item will show on your account.
• If you purchased the item on raincheck outside the valid rebate dates then you will need to resubmit your receipt information to Special Services for manual processing.
Valid rebate date refers to the date the rebate item should have been purchased such as the entire program month or a limited time only rebate. If you have purchased the rebate item on raincheck outside of the specific dates on the website or in the directory of the rebate program then you will have to resubmit your receipt information for manual processing.
The + Up Rewards Program
Note: The program is still new. They are still working out the internal kinks in the program and this information is subject to change.
To be eligible for the +UP Rewards, you must have a Rite Aid Wellness card. Without this card, you will not receive the +UP rewards.
UP Rewards are Rite Aid’s Cash Register Receipt Rewards program. See photo above. (I will refer to them as UPR from here on.)
UPR’s are earned when you purchase a specific item that is advertised. There will be a tag that says +UP Rewards. In the photo above, you would get a $2.00 UPR when you buy Colgate for $2.99. You will see signs in the store like the one below telling you how much of a reward you will get.
You may use multiple UPR to pay for a transaction. If you have 10 UPR you can use them as long as it is more than your total (minus tax)
Your total must be over the amount of the UPR before tax. For example, if your UPRis $2.00, your total cannot be $1.99 plus tax. It must be $2.00 and then tax.
UPR will not be adjusted if the price is lower. (this is the official policy and your store may choose to do it differently, but I would presume that they will not adjust it)
There are some restrictions on usage – no prescriptions, tobacco, prepaid cards, or any other items excluded by law.
Do not confuse the UPR with the Wellness Coupons that print on the bottom of the receipt. They are $1.00/$10.00 purchases- the same rules do not apply.
Are there any limits to how many +UPs that can be used in a single transaction?
No. Valid +UP rewards should be thought of as gift cards, and may be combined without limit to pay for a sales total. If the sales total is less than the value of the +UP reward then the total may be rounded down to prevent overage, which is never allowed. Please note, however, that when a +UP reward is handed over and scanned, it can never be scanned again, even if the system does not credit it automatically for whatever reason.
There are also UPR that require you to purchase $x Dollars of select products to earnUPR.
1. The required purchases are pre coupon prices.
2. There doesn’t seem to be a set standard of whether they can be purchased in multiple transactions – some work and others don’t.
Video Value Coupons are Rite Aid store coupons that you earn by watching videos online. To get the video values coupons – you must register for an account using Ad Perk. You can sign up for an account here. The video values can be watched each month and the coupons are good thru the following month. You may only use one coupon per person per wellness account. The coupons are all individually coded – so you may not use them twice.
Video Values Coupons can be combined with manufacturer coupons. You can check out the video values program here.
Wellness Card
The main benefits of the program:
- Earn one point for every dollar spent on non-prescription purchases.
- Earn 25 points for every prescription you purchase.
- Get special wellness+ only sales
- Get special wellness+ coupons
- Earn Free Health Screenings
wellness+ card
You will receive a card and key tag when you sign up for the program. You will hand it to the cashier before every transaction.
Your card will look like this:
Rewards Earned
For every 125 points**
a one-time 10% off shopping pass
500 points
10% off all non-prescription regular price purchases every day- see terms below for clarification on when the 10% applies.
500 points
free health screenings
1000 points
20% off all non-prescription regular price purchases every day – see terms below for clarification on when the 20% applies.
How it works
1. Points accrued based on calendar year. Customers earn one (1) point for every dollar spent on eligible front-end purchases they make when they scan their card at the register. Excludes cigarettes, alcohol, gift cards, online purchases, lottery tickets, licenses, money orders, money transfers, prepaid cards, stamps, other mail services and items prohibited by law. Items paid for in whole or in part by state or federal healthcare programs are excluded (e.g. HealthFirst). Customers earn 25 points for every prescription purchased when they scan their card at the register. Prescriptions paid for in whole or in part by state or federal healthcare programs such as Medicare or Medicaid are not eligible. Prescriptions filled in NY/NJ are not eligible.
2. Passes delivered to members via email (or mail if no email address is provided). Members must present pass at check out to receive discount. When used with a sale priced item the customer will receive the lower of the discount price or sale price. Discount not valid on prescriptions, prescription co-pays, cigarettes, alcohol, gift cards, online purchases, lottery tickets, licenses, money orders, money transfers, prepaid cards, stamps, other mail services and items prohibited by law and may not be combined with any other offer. Offer void if member’s card already gives 10% or 20% off purchases when scanned.
3. Discount will remain active through the end of the calendar year. Members will be informed of discount eligibility via email (or mail if no email address is provided). Members must present their wellness+ membership card at check out to receive discount. When used with a sale priced item the customer will receive the lower of the discount price or sale price. Discount not valid on prescriptions, prescription co-pays, cigarettes, alcohol, gift cards, online purchases, lottery tickets, licenses, money orders, money transfers, prepaid cards, stamps, other mail services and items prohibited by law and may not be combined with any other offer.
4. Members will receive a certificate good for one free blood glucose and total cholesterol health screening at Quest Diagnostics (or an equivalent service) when they earn 500 points within the calendar year. Certificate delivered to members via email (or mail if no email address is provided). Complete information on how to redeem free health screening will be provided with the certificate. Please note that free health screening is not intended to replace the care offered by your physician.
5. Members will receive 10% off Rite Aid Brand products every day when they scan their card at check out. When used with a sale priced item, the customer will receive the lower of the discount price or sale price. Discount may not be combined with any other offer.
Source: Rite Aid.com
Amber says
I called corporate on this and was told that the cashiers should actually make out the raincheck for the amount of the sale produce MINUS the UP. So, if there was product for 5.00 with a 3.00 UP reward, they are supposed to make the raincheck out for 2.00. I haven’t tried this yet and the cashiers/managers seem completely ignorant of what corporate tells me.
Bree says
Lets say a product is $4 with a $2 UPR; I have a $4 UPR [from a prior shopping trip] that I want to use to pay for this pruchase. Will I still get the $2 UPR even though I used a $4 UPR to pay for my purchase? I thought this would be considered “rolling” and in many cases, with many stores, you can’t “roll” these “rewards.”
Thanks for any info you can give me Shannon! :o)
Shannon says
@Bree,
Yes Rite Aid is like CVS , not Wags.
Samantha C says
Thank you for this post! I was told a few weeks ago by my local store that I can only use 1 UPR per item. Didn’t have the coupon policy on me (I should know better).
Shannon says
Sam,
You need to tape that to your forehead when you go in.
hannah says
about the raincheck on an item with an UPR, my store has already given me a raincheck with the price at the “after UPR price”.
Shannon says
@hannah,
This is not official policy so I don’t want anyone to expect or demand it. I do know that store managers can do things at their discretion.
Tracy says
Also I know in the past if a cashier scanned the up reward and it was more than the total you couldn’t use and it wouldn’t scan again but yesterday I wasn’t paying attention when I checked out and my total was down to .96 cent and the casher scanned my $1UP and then realized it wouldn’t take so I added something on and she scanned it again and it went through.
Andrea says
Kristin, yes the coupons you mentioned do work more than once/month. I have used them. I have also found that they will take off even if you didn’t buy the correct items(same with VV sometimes). Has anyone else experienced this?
Also, I’m wondering if the VV coupons can be copied and used more than once/month to stretch out its value. Anyone tried this before?
Shannon says
@Andrea,
No that is fraudulent use of the Video values.
Dorothy says
@Andrea, you can not copy a vv coupon. at register it will say duplicate coupon. i know this because i worked at rite aid.
Kristin says
They mess up your UPR? Do you have any guess why that happens? I’ve never had a problem (knock on wood)….
Shannon says
I cannot figure it out. I think it may have something to do with the dollar amounts — I have an email into my contact at Rite Aid about it. I have had such a hassle with them, it isn’t worth my time for the $1 —
Dorothy says
@Kristin, it will show on the register that the upr has been previously used. if this happens to you get the cashier to write on the coupon that she or he scanned it and didn’t take it because it required more money spent. and get them to sign and date it.
Kristin says
Great post Shannon! I was wondering if you could comment on whether the coupons that are emailed to us from Rite Aid (i.e. $1/10 pain purchase, $1/$10 beauty purchase) can be printed out and used more than once in a month or if they are like VV coupons and tracked by our store card?
Shannon says
@Kristin,
I believe they say 1 per person on them. I do not use them, every single time I have – they mess up my UPR – so I opt to skip them.
dori says
they willl just mark the price of item down Xample= shampoo on sale $4 each printing $2 upr.. when u use raincheck they will only charge $2 make sure they have mark the upr on raincheck tho
Shannon says
Actually Dori, the official policy is that the UPR isn’t offered with the raincheck.
Janet says
Seems customers are printing & using multiple $5 off coupons(thought that this could not happen!?) So my RA is now manualing entering each V V coupon with the bar code # so that it takes about 5-10 minutes to check out!! What gives?
Shannon says
Janet,
Rite Aid can only do so much to keep people from trying to take advantage of the system. Rite Aid cannot stop people from photo copying coupons and trying to use them over and over again.
Karen says
Lots of great information here worth reviewing every now and then. So many options at RA anymore that it can get confusing but makes for some good bargains. :-)
Does anyone know if Rite Aid has discontinued their “Gift of Savings” program then with all the new options now? I looked back in my feed reader and they had 2 late last year…the first one was 9/13-10/17 and the last one was after Thanksgiving to Chr Eve. I can see why they would drop it now with the other programs running now but I hope they still have it. I was looking forward to it.
Shannon says
Havent heard any news of gift of savings yet.
Anonymous says
does anyone know what happens when you have to receive a raincheck for an item that has a UPR; but when you buy the item when it’s restocked, the UPR is no longer valid? Does Rite Aid have anything that covers this topic? I’m curious because in my small town; they are sold out of a lot of the good sale items quickly.
Shannon says
No UPR on Rainchecks.
Valerie says
Thanks for clarifying the 10% discount/20% discount for wellness points. I wondered why I never saw any 10% discounts when I had well over 500 points for some time. I only ever buy the sale merchandise which I’m sure is below the regular price at 10% off. Sharon, your diligence in giving us Rite Aid information has made my shopping experience actually pleasant now. I’m informed AND the cashiers are informed, so I haven’t had to “assert” myself for some time now!
Shannon says
@Valerie,
Glad it has helped you! :)
Brianna says
I’d love to know what they say about how long we keep our discounts! The store told me a full year from the date you earn it but the web site says only the calendar year. I started at 10% but then earned 1000 points to get to the 20% level, it would be great to keep that discount a bit longer!
Dorothy says
@Brianna, i was told that if you reach your 20% mark before the year ends you get to keep it the following year
Jen says
Hello. Can you use UP rewards to pay for a Single Check Rebate item? For example, could I have used my UP rewards to pay for the diaper deal a few weeks back after I used both Manufacturer’s coupons and Video Values coupons? Thank you!
Shannon says
@Jen,
Sure can!
Amanda says
Who knows! Let’s hope that is the case!! :)
Shannon says
@Amanda,
Already sent an email out to Rite Aid PR, will let you know, if that is the case, you just made my week.month.year.
Amanda says
Hi Shannon,
I hope you didn’t mention this and I’m repeated you:
I was talking with my Rite Aid manager and he was telling me that since the wellness+ program began in April, our benefits (10%, 20%, etc.) will last through April. However, as an added bonus… starting in January our wellness+ points will start accumulating for a new year. So from January to April, we’ll keep this year’s points and benefits and at the same time start adding them up for next year!
Amanda
Shannon says
@Amanda,
Hmm , I was told the opposite – this would be great if it were true. But, I was told that since they gave many people discounts immediately when the program started, that they would end Dec. Maybe if you earned it you keep it?
Dee says
Wow. This is awesome! You’ve done a great job!!!!!!!!
Shannon says
@Dee,
Thanks Dee. I hope it covers everything. :)
Katie says
Thanks for posting this Shannon!