In addition, some Publix pharmacy locations have been making up (in my opinion) a policy of “one competitor pharmacy prescription coupon per lifetime”, while others state the policy as one every six months. YMMV.

A few points in the opinion of a senior pharmacy technician:

1.) Every day I see patients taking multiple medications, even for common health conditions (high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, etc.) who will “flip flop” and alternate scripts between pharmacies every month to get a gift card from two or more pharmacies. Two separate medications filled at two separate pharmacies could have life-threatening interactions, but the two separate pharmacists will have no idea.
You may think your doctor knows best, but you would be surprised. I have seen doctors write extremely dangerous combinations of medications ON THE SAME SCRIPT! Had the pharmacist not spotted it and alerted the doctor, that patient (and many others) would have likely suffered a heart attack, liver failure, or worse, it could be deadly. This is why the line “It’s just X-amount of pills. All you have to do is stick it in a bottle and put a sticker on it” is particularly an eye-roller.

2.) It is AGAINST THE LAW to give coupons/gift cards, etc. to any patient who’s prescriptions are paid for in any part by any state or federally funded insurance plan! This includes Medicaid and all sub-contracted companies thereof, Medicare Part D (hundreds of different supplemental private prescription plans), Government employees and retirees, Armed Forces and their families, and others.
So, when the pharmacist or technician ringing up your prescription won’t let you get the $20 off groceries, it’s not because they are being stingy or discriminating against you or your insurance in any way, it’s because it is considered insurance fraud, and our jobs are on the line. Sure, you may “get them all the time at the CVS down the street” with your Medicaid/Medicare, etc. The technician down the street can risk her job, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk mine, nor is it ethical.

3.) People who abuse the coupon programs by transferring their medications all around town on a monthly basis just to get the incentive offers increase wait times for people who just need to get their medicine and get home. I have had patients walk in with a mouth full of bloody gauze from the oral surgeon down the street, who just want to get their antibiotic and pain medication and go home to bed. It’s called “triage” to do our very best to fill these scripts quickly. The same applies for anyone who walks into any pharmacy bleeding, woozy, stitched, swollen, buckling over, holding a miserable sick child, etc.
A patient behind the guy in line with the bloody gauze and swollen face overhears me tell him, “We’re really busy but I’ll do my best to get you home quickly. Give us 15 minutes. Have a seat in the waiting room.” The next patient approaches the counter with a bottle of cholesterol medication (with 4 or 5 days worth still in it) from the CVS down the street, and a coupon, and is offended that they will have to wait more than the 15 minutes quoted to the previous patient for us to transfer and refill their prescription. The same is true when that patient brings in a new prescription, dated a month ago, and “needs it right away!” Have some compassion, please!

Transfer incentives are great high-dollar values, but please, while taking advantage of these offers and hunting bargains, remember the most important thing: You are dealing with prescription medications. Please do not risk your health and safety over 10 or 20 dollars in groceries. Be understanding to the people working in the pharmacy who are simply following rules and laws, and PLEASE be considerate to others.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe there are any current Rite Aid coupons out there.

And free Metformin:
http://www.publix.com/pharmacy/Publix-Pharmacy-Diabetes-Management-System.do

Their policy also may have changed…my CVS used to accept competitor coupons, but now they no longer do.