CVS Pharmacy is upgrading its ExtraCare Rewards loyalty program. The program is paying 2% back in ExtraBucks rewards moments after nearly every transaction, rather than doing so on a quarterly basis.
Beginning in July, the 2% back in ExtraBucks Rewards that ExtraCare members earn on most purchases will show up in the CVS App, on CVS.com, and on digital and paper receipts, moments after purchase. The program also is adding a new birthday benefit for its 74 million members. These are the first changes to the program’s core 2% back benefit in its 20-year history.
Members can choose to use their rewards on their next visit or watch them add up and spend them later, within 90 days of each respective issuance. This change comes with an upgraded and easy-to-navigate CVS App experience, where members can view, track and send all of their earnings and personalized deals directly to their ExtraCare card.
To celebrate the changes, ExtraCare will offer special freebies exclusively in the CVS App starting in late June and throughout the month of July. ExtraCare members will find a new free gift each week in the app, ranging from better-for-you snacks and treats to health and beauty essentials.
ExtraCare members also will now have access to $3 in celebratory ExtraBucks Rewards during their birthday month that they can use toward the purchase of their own gift from CVS Pharmacy’s wide array of health-and-wellness products, beauty brands, everyday essentials, and better-for-you foods. Birthday rewards are available to ExtraCare members who’ve opted in by sharing their birthday information and can be shared via email, SMS text message and the CVS App, depending on a member’s preferences.
“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We’ve evolved our ExtraCare program following an in-depth assessment that revealed what members love most about the program,” said Michele Driscoll, CVS Health vice president of customer engagement, loyalty and personalization. “They appreciate the value their membership provides, and they told us they want more flexibility in how they access and use their rewards.”
As it revamps ExtraCare, CVS Pharmacy is encouraging members to download the CVS App for the optimal rewards experience, noting that members also can choose to receive coupon reminders and special offers via ExtraCare SMS text messages. Over the past year, CVS Health said the app has seen double-digit increases in downloads, and coupons sent to users’ ExtraCare cards from the app have more than doubled.
The app’s Rewards Tracker allows customers to easily view progress toward earned rewards from ExtraCare, the opt-in ExtraCare BeautyClub and ExtraCare Pharmacy & Health Rewards programs, as well as CarePass, CVS Pharmacy’s paid membership program. Enhancements to the ExtraCare BeautyClub program will be announced later this summer.
