Last Week for a Free Flight from Rite Aid

Earlier this month I wrote about this pretty generous FABuary promotion where you could get a free flight after spending $250 on participating products at Rite Aid. This is a reminder that this is the last week to take advantage of this offer as it ends this Saturday February 28, 2105.

I am actually taking advantage of this promotion since there is a Rite Aid a few blocks away from my apartment. While Rite Aid typically charges slightly more for their items then let’s say Target, I am typically able to seek out the good offers where I can use a coupon and receive an UP reward for my purchase. Currently, I am about $150 shy, but will complete my purchases later in the week. Out of the $100 earned towards the reward I’ve actually spent about half of that out of pocket. If I can keep up that streak, the free flight will really only cost me about $125. Although, I actually purchased items I need or will eventually need down the line so it was by no means money wasted. Yesterday, I was actually able to make money on toothpaste and the difference was applied to another item, so it can be done! I must admit though, matching up the coupons to the rewards and the participating products does take time. But I love it!

If you are thinking about taking advantage of this promotion, here are the details… Spend $250 at RiteAid on specific items and get 1 free round-trip domestic flight. You also have the option of a free 7-night timeshare room at an RCI property, or a two-nights stay at a camping/cabin rental, or a 2-3 night cruise. You can also spend less (thus redeeming less reward codes), for another offer.

• For every $50 you spend on participating products (by using your wellness+ card) you’ll receive 1 reward code. Earn 5 reward code and you can receive one of those mentioned travel rewards. You can read more about it here.
• Once you spend $50 you will receive a Unique Reward Code on your receipt. The $50 does NOT need to be in the same transaction. Go to riteaid.com/fabuary to enter your Reward Code and ultimately select your reward.
• There are 6,390 participating products! You can view all the products here. They seem to be similar as last months participating products. On the weekly Rite Aid circular and in-store items listed with a “Buy & Earn” sticker should qualify. Just double check that the item is on the long list of participating products and not mis-marked in the store.
• You must make your purchase by February 28, 2015.

Redeeming your free flight… Once you enter your Unique Reward Code on the Rite Aid website, you will have until March 28, 2015 to confirm your reward selection. I have not yet gone through this process yet, but I have read reports that it has been pretty simple. If you have redeemed your reservation, feel free to comment below with your experience. Were they flexible on allowing you to select any flight you wanted? Does your flight need to be within the 4 month booking window? Have you had luck booking a really expensive flight and then canceling it for the credit to use at a future time? Is there any fee you need to pay aside from the minimal taxes?

Participating destinations… Little Rock, AR; Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Fort Myers, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Miami, FL; Orlando, FL; Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL; Sarasota, FL; West Palm Beach, FL; Atlanta, GA; Des Moines, IA; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, KY; Detroit, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Branson, MO; St. Louis, MO; Charlotte, NC; Atlantic City, NJ; Las Vegas, NV; Buffalo, NY; New York, NY; Islip, Long Island, NY; Plattsburgh, NY; Cleveland, OH; Oklahoma City, OK; Puerto Rico, PR; Charleston, SC; Greenville, SC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Memphis, TN; Nashville, TN; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Virginia Beach, VA; Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA; Milwaukee, WI; Huntington, WV; Washington DC/Baltimore.

Unfortunately, they took Honolulu off of the list after the promotion went live. I am not sure how they are going to handle those requests, but the terms do state that they can make changes. It is disappointing when a company makes a change half way through a promotion, but I was surprised they included it to begin with. Although, San Juan is on the list and flights there can sometimes be pricey. It seems as though they just pulled random cities out of a hat. Especially since there isn’t even an airport in Virginia Beach! Has anyone been able to book Honolulu?

Tips for booking the right flight… If you do not actually need a flight over the next four months, my assumption is you can give them expensive destinations and then work directly with the airline to cancel. Keep in mind though, most airlines have heft change/cancellation fees those. If you want to ensure an American Airlines flight, book out of Huntington, WV, if you want a Spririt Airline credit (why I do not know!), book out of Plattsburgh, NY or Atlantic City, NJ. I am personally going to attempt to find a route that is serviced only by Southwest Airlines. This way I can cancel and change for a credit with no fee, if needed, and add my husband on as my companion since I have the companion pass. That means I can get two flights for free! For example, out of Islip Airport, Southwest has a monopoly and US Airways is the only other carrier with flights to Philadelphia and then connecting to where ever they fly. Although I am not quite sure that is possible, but this will give me some control on at least limiting my options to two airlines I typically fly. The only problem is Southwest doesn’t pull up on all third-party booking engines, so I am not sure if they will see that option. Has anyone successfully had them book a Southwest flight?