My Rite Aid secret goes public!

OK, it's not actually a secret, but for months and months now, I've had the privilege of using Rite Aid's customer rewards card, the Wellness+ Card, since I happen to live in a test market. But starting this Sunday, April 18th, the rest of the country will now have access to the Wellness+ Rewards Card when the card becomes available to ALL Rite Aid shoppers!

This is a pic of my actual card, in case you were curious about what it looks like (and yes, you do get a smaller keychain version when you sign up, and cashiers can also use your phone number to access your card in case you forget your card completely when you want to make a purchase).

Here is a link to the official "Coming Soon" page, which lists ALL of the benefits of the Wellness+ Rewards Card.  But I'd actually like to give you some personal info about my own experiences with the Wellness+ program, in case you'd like to know first-hand how I've been able to take advantage of this program.

First and foremost, I love the fact that, just by becoming a member, you get an instant 10% off ALL Rite Aid brand products (no limit, no expiration, no fine print).  It's an automatic reduction and quite a no-brainer. This extra discount has come in handy plenty of times since Rite Aid often runs sales like BOGOFREE on all Rite Aid brand manicure tools, etc.  I was able to get some new Rite Aid brand nail files recently, along with a new nail clipper, and since the retail price of these products is just $1.99, and I got them during a BOGO, I actually spent under 99-cents a piece for these products (hey, anything that's better than a 99-cent store is awesome in my book!).

The next thing I love about the Wellness+ Card is that you get great coupons at the bottom of your receipt, and just like CVS, Rite Aid bases your coupons on your shopping history.  For instance, just the other day I got a "Take $1 off any pain reliever" coupon.  In this week's Rite Aid mailer, there was a coupon for $4 off a 200 ct bottle of Advil. So I actually ended up getting $5 off by combining this register coupon, for a total price of $10. 

I've also received $1 coupons for any Rite Aid brand paper product, and Rite Aid often runs sales for their eco-friendly paper towels (three rolls for $1.99) so with the receipt coupon, you can get three rolls of paper towels for $1, plus the extra 10% off you get when you purchase a Rite Aid brand product.

What I really like about these receipt coupons is that, for the most part, they are NOT brand-specific.  I got a coupon the other day for $1.99 off any oral care product.  I used this in combination with Rite Aid's current sale on Colgate toothpaste ($2.49) and snagged my toothpaste for just 50 cents.

Also, I want to let you all know that once this card becomes available across the nation this Sunday, all Rite Aid weekly sales will probably only be valid if you use your Wellness+ card. That's how it has been in San Diego for quite some time, so I'm assuming that's how it will be after this Sunday.

One last thing: You earn 1 credit for every non-prescription dollar you spend at Rite Aid (you get 25 credits for every prescription you purchase), and when you hit 125 credits, Rite Aid will send you a one-time only pass for 10% off a total purchase. Again, great to stack on top of other deals and coupons you may have.  And for the longer term, once you hit 1000 credits, you will automatically receive 20% off ALL non-prescription purchases EVERY DAY. Pretty cool.

Those are just a few examples of how you can make this card work for you if you're a Rite Aid shopper and you pay attention to weekly sales and promotions.  And don't forget Rite Aid's Single Check Rebate program and also the Video Values program for even more savings.

And don't forget about that $3 coupon for any Borghese nail polish that's also available in the Video Values program, as well as lots of other beauty product coupons which you can use in addition to your manufacturers' coupons. :)

So, do you plan to sign up for the Wellness+ Card this Sunday? And if you live in a test market, do you already have one? If so, how do you like it?