Rx coupon worth $25 In The Columbus Dispatch today, page A6

$25 value for TRANSFER of prescription.

Same as coupon described in last blog entry.  Half-page advertisement by Kroger Pharmacy with coupon at the bottom. 

It expires Dec. 31, 2011.  If you don't get the Dispatch and don't get a copy at the newsstand before they sell out or the day is over, you may be able to have the offer met without a coupon -- at least at Kroger and maybe at Giant Eagle (or some of them).   Kroger has been advertising the "We make prescription transfers easy" for the past month on billboards, television ads, and radio ads as they go after the Express Scripts members whose insurance coverage for Rx will no longer be welcome at Walgreens after Dec. 31 (Walgreens wouldn't accept the low-ball reimbursement rates of Express Scripts for the upcoming year).

As I've mentioned before, these coupons (and most competitor coupons) are accepted by Giant Eagle, CVS, and Meijer.

For details and limitations, see the fine print at the bottom of the coupon (there's always a lot at the bottom of a Kroger Rx coupon).

Rx coupon ($25 value) good through Dec. 31 in The Columbus Dispatch today (Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011)

Find this coupon in
The Columbus Dispatch,
Saturday, Nov. 26, 2012;
Section A, Page 8.

With the Kroger coupon in The Columbus Dispatch today (Nov. 26, 2011) on page A8, your prescription transfer is worth:

• $25 gift card at CVS (bring as many coupons as you have prescriptions to transfer; no daily limit or other limits).
  
• $25 in free groceries at Kroger (credited to your Kroger PlusCard; they usually have strict limits -- one per day and a "lifetime" limit after 5 to 10; however, with Walgreens Express Scripts customers having to find a new pharmacy starting in January 2012, they seem to be relaxing those constraints a bit for now).
  
• $25 gift card at Giant Eagle (limit of one Rx coupon per day; but you can transfer multiple ones -- let's say 5 -- and then pick them up one per day over 5 to 10 days ... each one with a coupon ... except those that are part of the $4 generics program or free antibiotics program).

The other pharmacies take the Kroger coupons (and any other local competitor's coupons) because they offer to match any competitor's offer.  This is detailed at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .

This is the first coupon I've seen from Kroger in Columbus, Ohio, area that expires Dec. 31, 2011 (rather than Nov. 30, 2011).

Another $25 Rx coupon in Dispatch today (Page A5)

Same as coupon mentioned two days ago (below):

• $25 Rx coupon in Thursday Dispatch (good at Kroger, Giant Eagle & CVS)

$25 in FREE GROCERIES
when you transfer
and fill a prescription
(valid through Nov. 30, 2011) .

Kroger ad appears in The Columbus Dispatch today (Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011) in A section on Page A5.

This is also accepted by Giant Eagle and CVS (at least at locations in Columbus, Ohio, area).  Kroger will put this credit on your Kroger Plus Card.  Giant Eagle and CVS will provide gift card.  For more details on which pharmacies accept competitor coupons and give you the least hassle or limitations (or most hassle/limitations), see http://matrix.Rx4Less.net.

If you have more prescriptions to transfer than you have coupons, ask the pharmacist at Kroger or Giant Eagle if they will honor this special without a separate coupon for each.  Some of their pharmacists have indicated they will do so (especially because Kroger is advertising the offer on bulletin boards and at the top right of The Dispatch on days there is no coupon included in the paper). For the rest of this year and through January, expect to see more Rx coupons and stores being more open to taking more than one a day (at least at some Kroger locations; Giant Eagle is sticking with one a day -- even of their own).

For those of you who are Express Scripts customers who were using Walgreens but won't be able to do so any more starting in January, see suggestions for finding a new Rx home (and getting some incentives to shop around) from earlier blog entry:

• Nov. 15

   

$25 Rx coupon in Thursday Dispatch (good at Kroger, Giant Eagle & CVS)

$25 in FREE GROCERIES when you transfer and fill a prescription (valid through Nov. 30, 2011).

Kroger ad appears in The Columbus Dispatch today (Nov. 17, 2011) on Page B3.

This is also accepted by Giant Eagle and CVS (at least at locations in Columbus, Ohio, area).  Kroger will put this credit on your Kroger Plus Card.  Giant Eagle and CVS will provide gift card.

$25 to transfer Rx to Kroger or Giant Eagle (without coupon)

It's back!  

What's better than an Rx coupon that gives you free groceries, a free gift card, or some other incentive for transferring your prescription? 
--> An incentive where no coupon is even required. Just mention the advertised deal when you are asking to have a prescription transferred and filled.

[Kroger is advertising the deal in Columbus, Ohio, but Giant Eagle stores in the area will match it!  If your pharmacist won't, ask her/him to contact their Pharmacy District Manager who told me today that they would match the offer -- without a coupon.]

This week, Kroger brought back their "no coupon needed" incentive for you to transfer prescriptions from competitors (especially Walgreens -- which on Jan. 1, 2012, will no longer honor Rx insurance from Express Scripts or Medco Health which is merging with Express Scripts). 

The top right of the front page of The Columbus Dispatch on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, featured a Kroger ad that said you can get $25 in FREE GROCERIES when you transfer and fill a prescription at a Kroger Pharmacy (See store for details).  

A similar message recently began appearing on billboards in the area -- as shown at right (this one on an electronic board on Henderson Road).  Fine print mentions "Limited time offer.  Limitations apply."

Before the return of the "no coupon required" advertising on Monday, there were two full-page ads by Kroger in The Columbus Dispatch that did feature coupons.  So, if you prefer to transfer your prescriptions to some place more likely to want you to hand them a competitor's coupon for them to match (like CVS -- yes, they will match competitor Rx coupons), get ahold of a paper from either:

• Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011 (back page of A section); usually available throughout the week at Giant Eagle locations and many bookstores.  (Don't bother looking at the one on Sawmill at Bethel; I bought the last 5 they had this morning.  Sorry.)
  
• Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011 (back page of A section); shown below.

The advertisement in The Columbus Dispatch (on back of A section last week -- on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011) mentions:

• ALERT!  Your insurance plan may force you to change pharmacies!
  
• If your pharmacy can no longer accept your prescription insurance, Kroger is here to help.
  
  
• We accept thousands of insurance plans.

More Rx coupons are likely to turn up during November, December and January from many pharmacies as they vie to take away the biggest share of customers from Walgreens -- especially in areas where Walgreens has a larger presence than they do in Columbus.

If you are a Walgreen's customer and are moving all of your prescriptions, you may want to do so gradually or try out a few different pharmacies -- perhaps split them up between CVS, Giant Eagle and Kroger ... but be sure you take your entire list of medications (prescription and over-the-counter) to each pharmacy so they can watch out for dangerous interactions as your doctors prescribe new meds later.

If you've been a faithful Walgreens customer who is becoming a "free agent," make sure you get some sort of "gift" -- gift card, free groceries, and/or discount on gas -- for giving a new pharmacy a chance to impress you (or not).

Many in the area will be vying for your patronage.  And they may make exceptions to their usual "daily limit" or "lifetime limit."  CVS (most locations) do not impose a limit.  Giant Eagle and Kroger both have had a "one a day limit" (at least in the past).  Kroger will sometimes impose a "lifetime limit" -- banning people from receiving any further Rx transfer credits on their KrogerPlus Card ever again (ask for a written copy of their current policy -- as they agreed to make available after the Better Business Bureau helped mediate consumer complaints.   Giant Eagle, although they will only let you use one Rx coupon per day, is fine if you want to transfer 5 prescriptions all at once and then pick up those prescriptions in 5 separate visits over 5 to 9 days.

How do you get your "free groceries"?

• At Kroger, the $25 is added to your KrogerPlus Card (that lets them track how many times you get Rx Rewards so they can cut you off some day if you hit their arbitrary lifetime limit; or you just annoy them or whatever).
  
• At Giant Eagle, they'll give you gift cards -- one $20 one and one $5 one probably (they have pre-printed Rx gift cards in those denominations).
  
• At CVS, they'll give you a $25 gift card.  (If you're redeeming more than one coupon at a time, some pharmacists/techs will be able to put the multiple $25 amounts on a single card.)

NOTE: Don't waste your time going to Kmart or Target with this coupon.  They no longer accept competitor coupons (Target has been that way for quite a while now; Kmart just recently changed their stance).  Kmart has also not published any of their own coupons in the Columbus area for a long time.  And it's almost as bad as the pharmacy at Meijer in terms of awful customer service ... plus they are open very limited hours (close at 7 each night) and not open at all on Sunday.


TIPS:

In case you're having to shop around because of changes in whether your favorite pharmacy will still accept your Rx insurance, let me share some tips with you that may be helpful.

I've tried many pharmacies (all listed at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net ) and have been happiest with these pharmacies in Columbus area:

• CVS (especially the one on Henderson Road) and 
• Giant Eagle (especially the one on Powell Road and the one at corner of Sawmill Road and Bethel Road).

What makes them better?

It's not just that these have been the best about being friendly and professional about my need to transfer prescriptions back and forth frequently -- to allow me to use Rx coupons (to help me afford the $2,000+ I spend on Rx co-pays annually ... which I know will go up to at least $2,500 in 2012 with Rx plan changes). 

It's also because most of the pharmacists who work there most often are among the most customer-friendly ones I have encountered and they are especially friendly, helpful and knowledgeable -- always willing to take time to patiently go over questions about medications and cheaper, equally-effective options that might exist that can be brought up with my physician.   Also, most of the pharmacy interns and pharmacy techs who work there better measure up to high standards of customer service -- more so than any Kroger or Meijer pharmacy I ever visited.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you shouldn't judge a pharmacy by its brand name.  My favorite pharmacy changed from being Target on Sawmill to the Giant Eagle on Powell Road when my favorite pharmacist moved there to be manager.  Although two of my favorite pharmacists were at the same CVS near my home, one left about 6 months ago and the other is retiring this month.  There's another CVS even closer to my home but I've had bad experiences with some rude pharmacy staff there.  So it's worth driving further to a location where I know I'll be treated better.  With Giant Eagle, I tried the Market District location's pharmacy while I was shopping there more often right after its newly-remodeled store opened.  But their pharmacy interns and techs (and some pharmacists) were not very good at customer service (unfortunately, the type of people who make good pharmacists don't always have the best people skills).  So try multiple brands to see which you like best for policy and how quickly they can help you (how long the wait; how overworked their staff) and whether you find their pharmacists to be friendly, helpful and knowledgeable (or whether they mostly just have young faces in those white coats -- faces that change almost as often as you bring in a new prescription ... which could mean it's a "burn 'em & churn 'em" operation that's trying to keep costs down and pay low wages and run off the more experienced pharmacists who would make more and know more).

Hope you found something helpful.


-Tom
   
     

Questions? 
Corrections? 
Updates?

You can reach me at:

RxCoupons @ Gmail.com

Unlimited Rx transfers allowed in Ohio again (started June 16)

The same group that enacted a new rule in Ohio that forbid pharmacists to transfer a prescription more than one time reversed themselves earlier this month by voting to change the language of the rule about Rx transfers back to what it was before Jan. 1, 2011 when the limit was enacted.

As of June 16, 2011, Ohio residents can again transfer their prescriptions (most of them) as often as they need to or want to.  The only exception are controlled substances (narcotics) which are mandated to a  one-transfer limit by federal rules.

For details, see Freedom2Transfer.com .

And keep a look out for a lot more Rx coupons to show up soon.

Keep in mind many pharmacies accept coupons from competitors as listed at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .

Kmart: Up to $110 in gift cards -- Up to $20 gift card for each TRANSFER (up to 5 prescriptions; one coupon for all 5); $10 gift card with NEW prescription

In this week's Kmart sales flyer (in the ad bag that arrived today on my door step and in the Columbus Dispatch and available near the Customer Service counter when you enter Kmart), there are two great coupons to help you save on Rx purchases:

-- Get up to $20 on each TRANSFERRED prescription (up to 5 for a total of $100).  If the total cost of your prescription (your co-pay plus the amount your insurance pays) is less than $20, then they give you a gift card equal to that total amount you would have paid if you had to pay cash (had no insurance).  Expires April 30.

-- Get a $10 gift card with the purchase of a NEW prescription.  Expires May 7.

Who else accepts these?
--> CVS, Giant Eagle (limit one per day; even on the coupon that says "up to 5"); Kroger (limit 2 to 3 per lifetime ... or whenever they decide to blacklist you); Meijer might take competitive coupons (not sure because the service I got there 4 years ago was so bad I never went back).

Details: See the competitor coupon acceptance matrix at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net.

Coupon is on the back of the sales flyer's half-sheet wrap-around.

Target: $10 gift card for NEW or Transferred Rx

In the Target sales flyer this week, there is a coupon on the inside of the back page.

It's the usual incentive to bring a NEW or transferred prescription to Target for a $10 gift card (regardless of the amount of your co-pay or even if there is none as long as it's not the government paying for the drug).

Expires: March 28.

REMINDER:  Most CVS, Giant Eagle, Rite Aid, and Kroger locations will also accept these "competitor coupons" and give you a $10 gift card or something similar.  To see which ones give you least/most hassle, go to http://matrix.Rx4Less.net.

OHIO residents:  Remember that the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy enacted a new rule on Jan. 1, 2011, that limits your ability to transfer a prescription (any prescription) to just ONCE.  So, if you have something with 11 refills and use a NEW prescription coupon on it at Target and then a TRANSFER coupon to take it to CVS, you won't be able to move it again.  You could, however, ask your doctor to write 2 or 3 prescriptions for a single drug -- each with fewer refills.  Each script/paper could be transferred once.   Just be sure to submit them before the 6-month limit is reached and they expire earlier than they usually would (a year after written).

Kmart: Up to $100 for 5 transfers

Sorry I didn't mention this sooner -- like last week when it first showed up in the Sunday newspaper.

The sales flyer that was in Kmart stores through Saturday had a wrap-around half sheet that on the back had a coupon for Rx transfers.

Bring up to 5 for up to a $20 gift card each.  Also, for each transfer, a $5 donation would be made to March of Dimes.

The amount you receive is $20 or the total of whatever you paid as a co-pay plus the amount your insurance paid, if anything.  For example, your co-pay is $5 and the insurance paid $7.  You get a $12 gift card for that one rather than a $20 one.   But if you pay $5 and your insurance paid $80, you get the full $20 gift card.

Although these aren't in the stores any more, check with your local friendly Kmart pharmacist.  She/he may have saved a few behind the counter or even made copies of them that they're willing to accept -- if you ask nice. ;-)