Is CVS CarePass worth paying for?

CVS CarePass is a subscription program that provides a number of benefits to CVS shoppers.

For $5 a month billed monthly, or $48 billed annually, members get:

a $10 monthly credit for CVS purchases;
20% off CVSHealth and LiveBetter branded products;
free prescription deliveries, mostly same day;
free 1 to 2 day shipping on purchases from CVS.com;
and access to a pharmacy help line any time of day or night.

Let’s go through some of the details:

The $10 monthly promo credit can only be triggered once per month.

If you buy something for $10 or more, you get $10 off.

If you go to the store and buy something for $6 and opt to use the promo (the cashier or self-checkout machine asks if you want to use it), you lose the remainder of the $10.

And if it’s not used during the monthly benefit cycle – it expires.

I’ve been a member over two years now and the $10 promo was the main reason I joined. Basically, I’m spending $5 a month for a $10 monthly credit.

I buy Systane Eye Drops for my dry eyes every month, almost without fail.

They cost over $10, so I immediately save $5 on my eye meds. I’m at CVS regularly enough that if I’m not buying eye drops on a particular month, I spend the $10 on something else.

I’ve managed to use the $10 promo every month since joining, so for me there’s no doubt that the membership has been worthwhile.

20% Off CVSHealth and LiveBetter Products

CVSHealth and LiveBetter are two of CVS’ generic brands.

I don’t know how much the 20% off has saved me over the years, but with my whole family having covid and the lingering cough that tends to come with it, well, we certainly took advantage of the discount.

Free Same Day Prescription Deliveries

With CVS being right down the road from me, I’ve never taken advantage of this myself.

According to their FAQ, on weekdays most prescriptions can be delivered within 3 hours if requested before 4pm or 4 hours before your local pharmacy closes (whichever is earlier) .

On weekends, they say requests made by 2pm, or 4 hours before closing time (whichever is earlier), can be delivered within 3 hours.

CVS also says that other qualifying prescriptions will be delivered within 2 days when the request is made by the cut off times, but they don’t say which prescriptions require 2 days and which can be delivered same day.

24/7 Pharmacy Help Line

So, for those 2am questions… can my wife on heart meds take such and such for a cough, or can my daughter take this when she took that just three hours ago… or for questions and help with pricing and discounts on medications, CarePass members have a 24/7 pharmacy help line they can call.

The first time I called, I was a bit concerned I’d get an off-shore call center with a pharmacist speaking broken English. That would have made me nervous! But that wasn’t the case.

The pharmacists I have spoken with are clearly English speakers, and have been calm, patient, and the background is quiet.

Is CVS CarePass Worth The Cost?

Like most subscription services, CVS CarePass is easily worthwhile if you use it consistently.

One of the nice things about the program is that they will send you regular emails reminding you to use the $10 promo, and letting you know if it’s getting close to expiring.

For consumers, that serves two purposes:

you won’t forget to use your promo;
and you won’t forget that you have a subscription – so if you don’t use it consistently, you’ll remember to cancel it.

If you do want to cancel your subscription to CVS CarePass, know that you can’t do it at a CVS store. You’ll need to cancel it online at: https://cvs.com/carepass/cancelplan or by calling 1-833-320-2273 Monday through Friday, 8am to 11pm ET, or Saturday and Sunday, 8:30am to 9:00pm ET (except major holidays).

Just to be clear, I’m not exactly a CVS fanboy. I find CVS convenient, and okay. I hate their 5 mile long receipts.

But the CarePass membership has been useful and I’ve saved money. What more could I ask for… okay… shorter receipts!

Have you tried CVS CarePass?

Leave your thoughts on the program in our comments section!