$30 in free gas for new/transferred prescription at Giant Eagle

Summary:

• Up to $30 in Free Gas ($1 in FuelPerks per prescription, 30 gallons)
  
• New or transferred
  
• Expires 1/21/2009
• This week's Giant Eagle sales flyer in 7 Central Ohio locations

In the sales flyer that premiered today as doors reopened at several Central Ohio locations of Giant Eagle was their awesome coupon for up to $30 worth of free/discounted gas.  Each new/transferred prescription earning you $1 in FuelPerks.  And when you redeem each $3 in FuelPerks, you earn 3% in Food(/Rx) Perks.  After getting 200 gallons of free gas, you've reached the maximum 20% off a purchase of up to $300 at Giant Eagle -- groceries or prescriptions -- for an additional savings of $60.

So with current gas prices at about $1.50, taking 30 prescriptions there (with these coupons) over the next few months (within 90-day period), you get 200 free gallons of gas (thanks to FuelPerks earned from just the coupons -- faster with 20 cents in FuelPerks per $50 spent on Rx co-pays and groceries) plus get to save $60 on groceries or prescriptions when you cash in the FoodPerks earned by pumping gas (that was free thanks to FuelPerks).  Wow!  What a deal, eh?

Plus, they do not limit you to ONE per person/household/family or ONE per day with THEIR coupons like this ... at least not at locations where I have shopped.  I have heard that the Hayden & Cosgray location cuts the coupons out of their sales flyers that lay out for people to pick up at door and keep them "hostage" at the customer service desk.  There's a sign that tells you to ask them for one.  The most they'll let you have is two.  And at their pharmacy there's a sign that says they limit you to one coupon per the life of a prescription.  That appears to be a local exception by that pharmacist and/or store's general manager.

Remember, NOT ALL locations have this coupon in the sales flyer and even if you live near one of the locations I identify below as having them in their sales flyer, you may not live in the right zip code (bulk mail zone) to get the one with the coupon vs. the basic one with just an ad for the pharmacy sans coupon.

Here are Giant Eagle locations to look between now (Dec. 26) and next Wednesday (Dec. 31) for these coupons:

East Whittier Street Giant Eagle
280 E. Whittier Street
Columbus, OH 43206

Hamilton & Route 33 Giant Eagle
3841 S. Hamilton Road
Groveport, OH 43125

Hayden & Cosgray Giant Eagle
6700 Hayden Run Road
Dublin, OH 43026

Lancaster Giant Eagle

1394 Ety Shops Way

Lancaster, OH 43130

[NOTE: Coupon says it is valid *only* at Lancaster location]

Lincoln Village Giant Eagle

4780 West Broad Street

Columbus, OH 43228

McCutcheon & Stelzer Giant Eagle

2900 Stelzer Road

Columbus, OH 43219

New Albany Giant Eagle

5461 New Albany Road West

New Albany, OH 43054

The front of the flyer says "Happy New Year" at top of first regular-size page. The short wrap-around pages promote FuelPerks and it appears the Rx coupon is on last page of that wrap-around section.

See this example of one of the flyers with an Rx coupon and go to page 16.

Where else will take this?  Well, because it's "FuelPerks" being given away and many competing pharmacies don't have a gas station, they'll just say they don't honor this even if they usually accept competitors' coupons.  Try CVS.  Some will give you a gift card for $30.  Others will say to bring them a recent receipt for buying gas locally and they'll redeem up to $30 when you present the coupon and a new/transferred prescription (not filled with them before perhaps as another stipulation). My Wal*Mart turned it down when I last tried about a year ago. Can't stand that place anyway. ;-)  Didn't bother to try Meijer.  Dislike that place even more.

COMMENTARY:  To thank Giant Eagle for being the most generous and courteous when it comes to incentives to take your Rx purchases there, I recommend you leave them there for at least a few refills before Rx Ping-Pong'ing elsewhere.  Otherwise, their ROI reports will likely cause them to act more like some of the others who are rarely issuing coupons, refusing to taking any competitor coupons (or cutting people off for life after a certain number redeemed), or limiting any single coupon of their own to a "once per person/family" deal -- penalizing those customers with the biggest # of prescriptions to buy (seemingly, the customers these stores would most want to attract ... especially as some of those are likely to be expensive/profitable).  Just a thought.  I've tried to do more refills at locations that have given me the best customer service and/or best coupons and/or coupon redemption policies.

Kroger $20 in free groceries for Rx transfer to 2/07/09

Kroger has a 4-page sales flyer (that showed up in same bag on Columbus, Ohio,  doorsteps as Meijer ad/coupon mentioned in previous blog entry) that focuses on promoting items at their pharmacy and includes a coupon that says:

"Get $20.00 in FREE GROCERIES when you transfer your prescription to Kroger! Bring this offer, along with your KrogerPlus card, to your local Kroger Pharmacy to redeem. Limit (1) one per household.  Coupon is not transferable or for resale."

(I added emphasis/bolding to "transfer" because some Kroger and competitor locations/pharmacies/pharmacists are very particular about ONLY taking a transfer when it does not specifically say "new or transfer" in the wording.)

Expiration date = 2/7/09.

Effective sale prices for other items in the sales flyer are 12/28/08 to 1/10/09.  It looks like flyers that have also been included in The Columbus Dispatch on Sundays in the past although they often were only stuffed into those in certain delivery "zones" -- areas they may have higher competition or newer competition for pharmacy/grocery business ... or have lost higher market share than others.  May be worth checking your local UDF/Speedway's rack to see if it has one (if you're not a subscriber); and, if it's not there, go to one near one of the newer Giant Eagle stores (Hilliard, New Albany, etc.).  Dublin area and Bethel/Sawmill usually pretty good bet.

USE ELSEWHERE? Stores likely to accept this as a competitor coupon: Giant Eagle (limit 1); CVS; Wal-Mart, Meijer (maybe). Not going to accept: Target and Walgreen's.

Meijer in Columbus = lame Rx coupon ($10 off $20 future health/beauty purchase)

It's almost not worth mentioning. I usually don't.  But Meijer's Pharmacy is offering a coupon of sorts in its most recent sales flyer that showed up in the bag dropped at my doorstep today.

It offers you a $10 savings on a future purchase of $20 or more at Meijers on health or beauty items.  You need to bring a new or transferred prescription to them with the coupon by its 1/31/09 expiration.

Limit one coupon per family (is part of the very small fine print).  It's on back page (at top right) of flyer that says "A Once-A-Year Party ..." on front with some ribs and sauerkraut (yuck!) and dip and beer and pop on front.

See previous postings regarding which other pharmacies may honor a competitor's coupon (and what limitations they impose).  Because of the "purchase required for redemption" -- making it more of a rebate than gift card or Rx "bonus/rewards" -- some may not accept it.  Try: Giant Eagle, CVS, Kroger, and Wal*Mart.  Don't try Walgreen's or Target (they don't accept any competitors' coupons now.)

CVS $25 gift card coupon in Sunday Columbus Dispatch 12/21

Full-page ad in The Columbus Dispatch on page H6 (back of the Insight section) touts that you can "get a $25 gift card with a new or transferred prescription to CVS/pharmacy."

In the fine print:

* Limit one gift card per customer per visit.

And, a bit of a twist on "new prescription" terms I haven't seen elsewhere in Rx coupons:

* Coupon only valid for prescriptions transferred from another non-CVS/pharmacy, or for new prescriptions, that have not been previously filled at any CVS/pharmacy.

It expires 1/24/09 and is "Valid in Ohio stores only."  If you didn't get a paper Sunday or need another, Giant Eagle stores keep Sunday papers in stock throughout the week until they sell out. Dollar Tree stores may also have these beyond Sunday.

Where else can you use these?

* Giant Eagle will accept ONE of THESE through 1/24/09 under their new competitor coupon acceptance limitations.  They don't advertise they take competitor coupons (signs or ads) so I don't think it's any big deal they're being a bit more picky; especially since they have no limits on accepting their own generous New/Transfer coupons for Gas Perks ($1 each).  One location, though (Hilliard), has a sign that says it will only honor 1 coupon per life of a prescription.  That may just be a certain pharmacy manager or store manager making unilateral, arbitrary restrictions.  That same location cuts out their own coupons from their weekly sales flyers and keeps them "hostage" at the customer service counter where they will only let you have one or two.

* WalMart probably (one a day probably; haven't shopped there lately)

* Meijer (one a day ... maybe one/month; haven't shopped there lately)

* Kroger (one per customer per day; ask pharmacist for details -- they should hand you a one-page list of their many restrictions; also ask how soon your "Rx Rewards" will expire (perhaps 30, 60 or 90 days vs. gift card listed in the competitor's coupon that should last at least a year if not indefinitely under Ohio law) ... and whether you can use a portion of them at a time (like with the gift card) or whether you have to use it all at once ... and whether this is different at regular checkout lane vs. self-scan checkout.

DO NOT take COMPETITOR COUPONS:

* Walgreen's

* Target

LIMIT THEIR OWN COUPONS:

* Walgreen's (1 per person "per promotion" ... in other words, until the expiration date on coupon you used, or "per person per life" depending on which pharmacist/location you speak with)

* Kroger (same 1 per person per day limit; they might ban you from using coupons at pharmacy after a certain number according to a former employee of theirs who I spoke with; see notes above about Rx Rewards "lifespan" and "redemption" questions not clarified by any documentation I've seen lately).

Target offers $10 gift card for new/transferred prescription

Target has in their sales flyer this week a coupon (on the second to last page) a coupon that is good for a $10 gift card for each NEW or TRANSFERRED prescription you bring to them.

These were in the Sunday newspapers in at least these cities -- Columbus (OH), Cincinnati, and Louisville (KY). I just happened to be in all three places and could make sure the version for each of those cities included the coupon. When you look at their flyers online by zip code it leaves these out of ALL and puts generic Pharmacy ad.

Keep in mind that Target does not limit you on how many Rx coupons you can use -- in a single day, life, or otherwise. Just be sure to acquire and bring a separate coupon for each prescription you bring or transfer there.

If you already have your prescriptions at Target (or some of them), you can use this same coupon at these other stores (last I heard): Giant Eagle, CVS (with some confusion/hassle ... might say 1 per day at some locations), Wal*Mart (possibly 1 a day), Meijer (more likely 1 a day), and Kroger (though keep in mind they definitely have a 1-a-day limit in the Ohio/Michigan region with exception of Cincy/Dayton; and I've heard they've banned several people from ever using coupons again at the pharmacy for having met some arbitrary "lifetime limit").

Hope this helps you better afford your pharmacy co-pays ... and stops someone from going off a drug they just don't think they can afford to buy (even though they may not be able to afford health-wise to not buy it).

-Tom

Walgreens $25 gift card for transferred prescription

Best part: It's good through January 10, 2009!

It says "FREE $25 Walgreens Gift Card With any transferred prescription purchase," so it would seem you can not bring in a NEW prescription. Also, in the fine print, it says, "Limit one Gift Card offer per customer, per transaction." Not sure how that will be interpreted by your pharmacy -- one per person per day? per visit? per purchase/transaction?


WHERE ELSE CAN I USE IT:

For no hassle, go to Giant Eagle with this coupon and they'll let you use as many as you have prescriptions. Whether it's a $4 or $100 prescription co-pay, you still get the $25 gift card for each. Some might insist it be "transfer" as it says on the coupon. Others might let you also bring "new" prescriptions for the deal.

For perhaps some hassle, try CVS or Meijer.

For more hassle, try Wal-Mart. I've heard that they no longer give more in gift card value than your co-pay. So, for a $4 co-pay, you only get $4 on the gift card. I haven't confirmed this yet.

For lots of hassle, go to Kroger. They'll let you use ONE per DAY per customer. If you have a prescription for TWO or more family members, you can get ONE per DAY per person. Also, their "We Gladly Accept Competitors Coupons" policy in the Great Lakes region (most of Ohio, except Cincy/Dayton, and Michigan, WV) indicates this restriction and says it's only intended to let people try out their stores and choose one pharmacy to stick with -- implying they'll cut you off from these coupon matches after 3 or 4 visits.


FINDING THE WALGREEN'S FLYER WITH COUPON:

* Pretty easy. Just walk into a Walgreen's and pick one up at the front of the store. Not sure if these are just in Columbus, Ohio, area. I received one through the "bag of junk" that gets dropped on my doorstep every week. And then I stopped by Walgreen's near me to ensure there were extras there. Sometimes the flyers in the stores don't have the same wrap-around with coupon that you get through other means -- direct mail, drop off bag, etc. (where they can more easily limit your coupon acquisition ;-).

Target has $10 coupon in sales flyer this week

Get a $10 Target gift card for each prescription you bring to Target (as transfer or new script). These were in the Target sales flyers -- at least those distributed in The Columbus Dispatch today.

If you missed it, you can go to the Customer Service desk at Target and ask for one ... and maybe do that a couple of times this week if you need more than one.

If you need a bunch, the Sunday Dispatch is on sale at Giant Eagle all week. And sometimes you can find them at the Dollar Tree store too. They're cheaper after Sunday. ;-)

Already have all your prescriptions at Target? That's OK, you can transfer your drugs to any of these stores that accept them and will give you $10 gift card or Rx Reward or something:

-Giant Eagle
-CVS
-Wal-Mart
-Meijer
-Kroger

Pretty good deal. But you might want to look around for some Giant Eagle $30 off gas coupons first. :-)

Giant Eagle coupon good through Oct. 15

Just like the coupon mentioned in previous entry, Giant Eagle has a coupon available this week in their sales circular (at certain locations) that is worth $1 in fuel perks for each NEW or TRANSFERRED prescription (up to 30 gallons; thus, up to $30 value). This one also does not limit WHERE you can use it -- any Giant Eagle shoudl be happy to honor it. The expiration date is Oct. 15, 2008. When you open the wrap-around shorter page, it's on the page to the left. The one I found was at Dublin store on Permiter Loop (off Rt. 33 from I-270). The flyers should be available until Wednesday night (before new one arrives on Thursday).

As mentioned below, there are some other stores that will take competitors coupons, including Kroger (see details below) which will give $30 in Rx Rewards on your KrogerPlus card (they'll convert it into a gift card if you want to spend the $30 on gas).

My local Giant Eagle I just moved near (the "Upper Arlington" location near Sawmill and Bethel intersection) was affected pretty badly by the power outage this past week. One manager mentioned to me they'd lost about $300,000 in refrigerated/frozen stuff. I decided I should take it easy on them and just get a free fill up (15 gallons) without bringing my three 6-gallon cans to get the rest of the 15 free gallons that wouldn't fit in my little Honda ;-).

Giant Eagle gives $1 off gas (up to 30 gallons) for each new or xfr'd prescription

These coupons are only available in the weekly flyers at certain locations in Columbus, Ohio, area this week -- Thursday, Sept. 4 to Wednesday, Sept. 10.

But you can find them at the Giant Eagle in Dublin (on Perimeter Loop) and probably others that are either NEW locations or near NEW locations -- such as the Hilliard Giant Eagle.

Unlike some earlier ones that said they were only "valid" at certain locations (usually the NEW store), these do not limit the location ... they just don't hand them out everywhere in town.

The ones in this week's circular are good until October 1, 2008. For each new or transferred prescription, you earn $1 in FuelPerks. That means that 4 prescriptions transferred to Giant Eagle will definitely earn you a free fill up. And they are very cool about you bringing a few gas cans to get the rest of your "up to 30 gallons" when you come to get that free or discounted fill up.

Remember, you also earn 20 cents in FuelPerks for every $50 you spend too. So even 3 prescriptions that cost $150 would get you $3.60 off your gas (making it FREE today) as long as you use those coupons to transfer them.



WHERE ELSE CAN I USE THEM?
Just used Giant Eagle to fill your last prescription? You can still utilize these coupons at Kroger locations (as long as you haven't gone beyond what they think is reasonable number of "get to know them" visits as described in their new "Rx Rewards Policy" -- be sure to ask for a copy of the full-page list of "fine print" they have attached in Columbus area to their claim they "Gladly accept all competitor's coupons" ... well, one a day, and only for so many times you come to visit, etc.

OTHER COUPONS YOU CAN USE AT GIANT EAGLE:
While you're shopping at Giant Eagle and getting free gas, if you have several prescriptions to pick up, you may want to use the coupon from Target as well for the $10 gift card. Giant Eagle will give you one of their $10 gift cards to match it. And I have never had Giant Eagle refuse a coupon from a competitor. There was one pharmacist who got picky about the language in one that vaguely said "bring it to us" or "transfer to us" instead of the usual language of "New or transferred" and he refused to let me use them on several NEW prescriptions I'd just dropped off. But, other than that (2 years ago?), no problems.

They are THE BEST place to take your prescription business ... and coupons from anywhere. They have the friendliest staff and pharmacists by far.

Get updates about new Rx coupons easier than ever

Don't want to have to keep checking back here? or use some "RSS" feed reader?

If you use Twitter, you can now "follow" news about new Rx coupons by going to:

http://twitter.com/RxCoupons and follow "RxCoupons" to get instant updates about new coupons.

Target coupon for $10 gift card w/new, xfer'd prescription

FREE $10 Target GiftCard with purchase of any new or transferred prescription.

These were in the Sunday newspaper (at least here in Columbus, Ohio) on September 7, 2008.

The coupon expires Sept. 22, 2008.

They have no limit on how many prescriptions per day you can transfer or use these coupons on.
Also, if you use your Target credit card, 10 prescriptions earns you a 10% off EVERTHING in the store "day of savings" discount card. And, on that day, you can buy prescriptions as part of what you get discounted (as long as you again use a Target card for the purchase).


WHERE ELSE CAN YOU USE THIS?
Giant Eagle, Wal-Mart, CVS, and Kroger are known to accept these Target coupons -- matching the offer (with the only "bait and switch" being Kroger's insistence in the Great Lakes region -- most of Ohio/Michigan area -- that you only use ONE PER DAY ... despite their claim on signs and print ads that, "We gladly accept all competitors' coupons."

WHAT OTHER COUPONS DOES TARGET REDEEM?
For pharmacy coupons, Target no longer matches any competitor's coupons.