Yes, I am well aware that I may ultimately be declared a public nuisance by my local pharmacies, but I swear they started it! Who could possibly resist all of their enticing coupons - a $30 gift card to transfer your prescription to Safeway; $10 if you take it to Target; $25 for going to CVS or Walgreen's...I'd be crazy to pass on these deals! And so it began...!
My husband and son have asthma and allergies, my daughter and I have a couple of prescriptions that occasionally require refills...this concept is absolutely made for us! I currently have $50 in Walgreen's giftcards in my wallet and another $25 from CVS (and I just spent a $30 card at Safeway and another $25 at Walgreen's).
This seems like pennies from heaven, but before you get carried away, take note of the following important "public service" announcements:
* Always read the fine print on the coupons - some require a transfer of a prescription, while others may allow a new prescription to qualify for the cash. Some may not allow a prescription to be transferred to their pharmacy if they have filled it there within the past, for example, 3 months (ah, so discouraging to those of us shuffling them around!). If the coupon end date doesn't coincide with when your prescription can be filled (per your insurance), then you are out of luck - sorry!
* The gift cards generally cannot be used for certain types of purchases, such as alcohol, tobacco products, or other types of gift cards sold at the store you obtain the card from. In some cases, you have to use the funds received in full at the time of use and, if you don't use the full amount, you lose the balance (however, often I've received the remaining change anyway...in error? Who knows?!)
*Finally, and this is the most important aspect of this shuffling of prescriptions:
it is very important that (a) you keep strict track of who has which prescription where...keep a chart so you know for sure who to call for refills or transfers! and (b) BE SURE YOUR PHARMACISTS ALL KNOW WHAT OTHER PRESCRIPTIONS YOU ARE ON...they need to be advised in order to avoid giving you products that will negatively interact with your current regime. Getting a deal is great; messing with your health is not!
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