Walgreens $25 gift card for Rx transfer; expires 3/31/2013; use @ Giant Eagle, CVS, Kroger too

Walgreens has a coupon to encourage people to transfer prescriptions to them-- for $25 gift card.  Expires 3/31/2013.

Other pharmacies (CVS, Giant Eagle & Kroger) accept competitors' Rx coupons in many areas (including Columbus, OH).  See matrix.Rx4Less.net for details.

If you plan to use at Walgreens and intend to transfer more than one, ask pharmacist prior to transfer whether she/he will honor one coupon PER prescription (as competitors will) or just one per transaction, day, week, month, 6 months (previous policy at most), or worse.

Coupon is on page 20 of THIS week's ad in stores until tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 22).  It was in most Sunday newspapers on Dec. 16.

They take Express Scripts again and are bring more aggressive than usual with coupons and more flexible about taking multiple ones for multiple prescriptions.  You may need to ask for pharmacy manager to find the flexible mind that knows how badly they need to regain market share lost in fight with Express Scripts to draw line on absurdly low reimbursement rates from the ever-larger Rx plan behemoth.

Happy Rx-medicated Holidaze,
Tom

$25 in FREE Groceries @ Kroger (coupon-less offer) with Rx transfer

In the Kroger sales flyer in most areas of Central Ohio (Greater Columbus), you'll find on the bottom of page two mention that the Kroger Pharmacy is offering $25 in FREE Groceries when you transfer a prescription.  This is in the sales flyer for the week of Oct. 22 to 28, 2012.  In the fine print, it says the offer expires 11/30/12.

As they've been mentioning in radio ads in the area recently, it also says "We accept competitors' pharmacy coupons."  This should include the Giant Eagle coupons that are good through the end of 2012 which show a $30 offer -- $1 off up to 30 gallons gas for an Rx transfer.

If you cut out the Kroger ad and take it to CVS or Giant Eagle, most locations will accept that as a coupon and match the offer with a gift card as shown at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .

Giant Eagle: Up to $30 gas savings with each Rx transfer; For each 5 Rx* (including refills), get 25 cents in bonus FuelPerks; perks for Flu Shot

 

The popular Giant Eagle Rx transfer coupons
(for $1 in FuelPerks each) are back!!!

For each prescription you transfer to Giant Eagle, present one of the coupons that appear wrapped around this week's sales ad (that just landed in stores Thursday, Sept. 6) and you'll get $1 in FuelPerks.  That saves you $1 per gallon when you buy gas (on up to 30 gallons of gasoline).  These coupons are valid through the end of the year -- 12/31/2012.  For 4 prescriptions, that would be a total of $4 in savings at the gas pump.  So, if the price is $3.99/gallon, you get a fill up for FREE.  And if your car/truck/SUV can't hold 30 gallons, they're cool with you bringing gas cans to get the rest.  Just be careful.

Also, for anything you pay
(co-pays, out-of-pocket expenses), you  also earn the usual 20 cents in FuelPerks per $50 spent.  (In Columbus, it's 20 cents ... for "a limited time" while 10 cents per $50 in most other markets.)
So, if you had $50 in co-pays for those 4 prescriptions, you'd earn another 20 cents in FuelPerks to use later -- up to 60 days after the end of the current month.



But, wait, there's more ... something new ...

For each 5 qualifying prescriptions filled
(not just NEW or TRANSFERRED ones but any ... unless they are FREE or part of the $4 / $10 discount generics),
you'll earn 25 cents in FuelPerks.  This is valid through at least 3/31/2013.



And, remember, when you get gas at GetGo -- even FREE or discounted gas -- you earn FoodPerks that give you a discount on groceries.

One more bonus:  Get a FLU SHOT and get even more FuelPerks to save more on gas!

(Also look for a Target coupon for $10 gift card awarded when you get a flu shot.  I received one of those along with some other pharmacy/health coupons in direct mailing from Target recently.  This would be a better deal -- $10 being better value than 30 gallons x 0.20 discount = $6.)

Walgreens accepting Express Scripts insurance again starting Sept. 15

In short: 

The big fight between Walgreens and Express Scripts is over. They've come to an agreement. And, Express Scripts customers can again have their insurance accepted at Walgreens starting September 15.    [Details.]



So what? ...

Many long-time fans of Walgreens (my Dad included) had to go elsewhere all year to get their prescriptions filled -- either from a competing retail pharmacy (such as CVS, Giant Eagle, Kroger, or Rite Aid) or from the Express Scripts mail order service.  It was especially annoying in areas where Walgreens is the main (if not only) free-standing pharmacy (not in a grocery store).

Walgreens will also be starting a new loyalty card program to encourage customers they lost to come back and stay with them.  That also premiers in mid September.  [Details.]

Many pharmacies tried to lure
loyal Walgreens customers
when ever-growing Express Scripts
Rx insurance was no longer
accepted by Walgreens
starting Jan. 1, 2012.

What doess this have to do with
Rx Coupons? ...

Walgreens already has  Rx coupons  out that will give you a $25 gift card for each prescription you transfer back to them (by Sept. 30).  This was mentioned in a previous posting here.  (Be sure you ask for the pharmacy manager and have her/him clarify whether they will honor multiple coupons/prescriptions ... and, if so, how many; some will try to say you only get ONE gift card even if you're transferring a dozen or more prescriptions back to them; make them show they're more grateful than that to have you back; you'll have better luck with most who are managers and/or have a clue about how much of a loss of business they suffered ... not just in prescription business but customer traffic overall -- most importantly those extra bodies walking through the store to the pharmacy counter in back who usually spend plenty of money buying other stuff in the store -- where they make their real profit margin).

More Rx coupons (from Walgreens and other pharmacies) are likely to come out throughout the rest of 2012 and into the start of the new calendar year (as UnitedHealthcare and other companies leave Express Scripts and more customers may be up for grabs as their options expand, contract, or just change).



Will they come back?: 
I suspect there are many former Walgreens customers who tried CVS or Kroger and are eager to go back to Walgreens. At least in this area (Columbus, Ohio), they have far superior customer service at the pharmacy. It seems like less of a pill mill and more like the friendly pharmacy I recall visiting 30 or 40 years ago before any Rx were sold through a drive thru or by mail.

Some market analysts think CVS will keep most of those Walgreens customers who came to it (as mentioned in this Chicago Tribune article); and Express Scripts thinks it will keep most of those Walgreens customers who tried out their mail-order service (as their CEO says in this article).      Hmmmm .... I doubt both of those projections ... especially the latter.



 My rant  (Express Scripts' Mail Order & Rx Hostage Holding "service"): 
Merck Medco and Medco Health (that emerged from the split of Merck Medco into two companies -- one that invented/made pills and the other that sold them to customers by mail and handled Rx insurance) had great customer service when I used them about 7 to 10 years ago for most of my meds.

But Express Scripts is horrible. It is the worst thing I've ever had to deal with when it comes to getting my prescriptions filled in a "timely" manner without hassle. They harass my docs with faxes that suggest other drug substitutions ... and these substitution "suggestions"/demands have to be answered "OK" or "Not OK" with a doctor signature ... or else they won't release what was prescribed/ordered ... and usually hold up every other Rx ordered or re-ordered at the same time ... and they do it every time it's reordered ... absurd).



More details on the Walgreens vs. Express Scripts battle (and resolution):

Walgreens has reached an agreement with the pharmacy insurance giant/bully Express Scripts (which recently acquired Medco Health). Since the start of 2012, Walgreens wisely refused to let Express Scripts force them to accept an unreasonably cheap amount of money for most of the prescriptions they filled for customers. Walgreens lost a lot of customer traffic and about 7% in sales. But at the rate Express Scripts was trying to force through, they'd have kept sales volume but lost money on most every prescription filled. At least that's how I understand it. If I'm wrong and you can describe it better (or provide a link to something more clear), please add it as a comment to this posting. I try to authorize them within a few days after I got an email that a new one is waiting for me to view.



The good news?

More Rx coupons!!!  Walgreens will issue them to lure you back.   Kroger and Giant Eagle will likely issue them to get people who transfer back to Walgreens to give them another chance ... or get those who tried CVS and are ready to move again to try them before going back to Walgreens.

And remember, even if you don't plan to use Walgreens and have two favorite pharmacies such as a certain CVS and a certain Giant Eagle, you can use the Walgreens Rx coupons at both CVS and Giant Eagle (in most markets) because they accept competitor coupons ... as does Kroger.    For details, see http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .

Walgreens blitzes with Rx transfer coupons ($25 gift card)

Walgreens is throwing around Rx coupons (worth a $25 gift card for each prescription you transfer to them).  They expire 9/30/2012.

In addition to the coupon shown on the cover of this week's sales flyer (Sunday, July 8, to Saturday, July 14), you'll find a stack of them at the checkout counters at Walgreens.  And there's a good chance that when you check out, the coupon printer will give you another Rx coupon.

• OTHER STORES THAT ACCEPT THESE: 
  Giant Eagle, CVS, and Kroger (ask Kroger in advance if they are going to limit how many of these competitor coupons they will accept; it tends to differ from one location to another and even one pharmacist to another; plus, they will impose a lifetime limit sometimes -- blacklisting you from using any more of their Rx coupons or those of a competitor).

• LIMITS for WALGREENS?  Ask ...
  Ask the pharmacist at Walgreens when you drop off information about the prescriptions you want to transfer whether:
  -- Is there a limit on how many coupons you can use per day, transaction?
  -- Is there a limit on how many coupons you can use per 6 months?



• WHY THE COUPON BLITZ? 
  Walgreens has not been one of the stores that was a fan of using Rx coupons to lure people in and they hadn't taken competitor coupons.
  
  However, Walgreens lost a lot of business to its competitors in 2012 since it refused to let Express Scripts force it to accept an absurdly low fee for each prescription they processed.  This may be an effort to bring in customers who don't have insurance or have an insurance other than Express Scripts.



• EXPRESS SCRIPTS CUSTOMERS: 
  Even if you have Express Scripts, you may find that paying CA$H and getting the gift card for $25 is a better bargain.  I've seen some cases where the gift card reduces your cost for some medications by more than what your insurance pays elsewhere.  Check the www.Express-Scripts.com website (under "Prescription History") to see how much the plan is paying vs. how much you are paying (and what the total is).

Kroger continues coupon-less $25 incentive to xfer Rx

In "TheBag" that arrived in my driveway Saturday (June 9), was another Kroger sales ad that promotes their continuing incentive to transfer a prescription to get "$25 in FREE Groceries."

It's at the bottom of Page 2 and says the offer expires 6/30/2012.  Every month this year (I think), they've pushed off the expiration date once they near it.  So don't be surprised if they stretch it to the end of July or August or beyond.

Part of the fine print says: "Restrictions and exclusions apply.  See pharmacy for details."  (This is where they hide things like they'll blacklist you from getting any more free groceries after perhaps as few as 3 or 4 transfers ... or ban you from going to any Kroger for life after they think you've used way too many competitor coupons -- which their signs and ads claimed they gladly accepted.)   ;-)    They may limit you to ONE per DAY ... or ONE per TRANSACTION ... or whatever.  If so, ask if you can stop by on separate days for each Rx to get multiple rewards.

Where else will match?

Giant Eagle (at least some locations) will match this and not hassle you as much. They do limit competitor coupons for Rx to one per day (but there's no "lifetime limit" like Kroger sometimes imposes).  As it's not a real "coupon" with dashed lines around it, just rip out the bottom of the Kroger sales flyer where it describes the offer and bring that in.  Also, if it runs at top of The Columbus Dispatch front page, you can rip that thing off and take it in as a coupon too.

CVS had been accepting these but the one near me started hassling me so I used other Rx coupons with them instead.

Stay healthy!

$25 incentive to transfer extends past Leap Day to March 31

Ads on front page of Kroger sales flyer this week (and last week) as well as ads on front page and back page (A12) of The Columbus Dispatch by Kroger indicate they are still hoping to lure those shopping for a new pharmacy.

Reminder: Giant Eagle will accept these under their competitor match program (one per day) as listed at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net . It's OK to transfer 7 and use 7 coupons (or ads) as long as you split it up into 7 daily visits. CVS is less accommodating about these "coupon-less" ads than Giant Eagle ... at least at some locations and with some pharmacists, interns, techs and clerks.

The offer is for $25 in Rx Rewards (at Kroger -- added to Plus card) or for $25 gift card where competitor match is offered.

Offer extended to expire March 31, 2012.

It's a wise move by Kroger as those who had to transfer away from Walgreens in January because it would no longer accept Express Scripts insurance may not be happy at the first or second pharmacies thhey've tried -- CVS, Giant Eagle, or even Kroger (on first try ... hoping for a second chance).

I've found the location and pharmacist is much more important than the company usually in finding the best pharmacy experience. Just avoid, if you cab, using the mail order service of Express Scripts. They are so horrible in so many ways. I'm starting a separate blog to count the ways (and point to the plethora of gripes you'll find elsewhere about them).

Be well medicated, for less.