Tip: Maximize your Freedom 5% Drugstore Category with Bill Payments at CVS

Drugstores is sometimes a bonus category with various credit cards, including this quarter’s Freedom 5x category on up to $1,500 in purchases. Reader Mark sent in a tip that it’s possible to pay some bills at the CVS register, pay with credit card, and earn 5x on the purchase since it codes like an ordinary drugstore purchase.

In Mark’s case, his local Blue Cross health insurance allows payment using CVS billpay, and explicitly allows credit card payment as well. The way it works, in his case, is that within the Blue Cross login, in the Pay Your Bill section, there’s an option to get a bar code which gets scanned at CVS at the regular register, and allows you to pay your insurance bill there. This triggers the 5% Freedom category, or any other Drugstores category you may have, e.g. on the Old Blue Cash card.

These are likely bills which can be paid, in any event, with a credit card. Due to the bonus multiplier at drugstores it could be worthwhile to make the payment at CVS instead.

This is what is shows for Mark in his Blue Cross login:

CVS/pharmacy® (except Target® locations) and Navarro accept cash, credit card and debit cards (checks not accepted). Dollar General accepts cash and debit cards only. Family Dollar accepts cash only. Your payment will be applied to your account within 5 business days.

Check out this Flyertalk thread about using the Moneygram machine at CVS. From a brief look, it appears that it’s cash only and comes with a fee. Not sure if the barcode/cashier payment is using Moneygram or some other system; whatever the case, apparently some bills can be paid there with a credit card. Good to know.

If anyone is aware of other bills or other insurers who accept this form of payment, please let us know in the comments below.