Customers at US pharmacy chain CVS can now make purchases by presenting an on-screen barcode at the point of sale using CVS Pay, the retailer’s own mobile payment service. The feature has been integrated into the existing CVS mobile app and is available in markets including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, with a nationwide rollout expected later this year.

“Customers will have the ability to refill, manage multiple prescriptions and get alerts when prescriptions are ready, all within the app, and then pick up and pay using a single barcode,” CVS says. “Customers can also link their ExtraCare card with CVS Pay, meaning a single scan at checkout will process all ExtraCare deals, earn new rewards and handle payment for the transaction.

“To use CVS Pay, customers simply add any of their credit or debit cards in the CVS Pharmacy app. When they are ready to check out at a CVS Pharmacy store, they’ll show the store associate the barcode in their app — at the drive-thru, they’ll share their pickup number.

“The associate will scan the barcode, ring up the purchases, let the customer choose a payment method from those stored in the app and then process the payment. All verifications for prescriptions and payment like name/birthdate, signature and PIN take place directly in the app, so transactions are hassle free. Once complete, the customer will receive a confirmation of payment in the app.”

Widely available

The service is available on iOS and Android devices and works with all major credit, debit, health savings account and flexible spending account cards.

“Over the past year, our digital team has brought to market numerous new digital tools like CVS Pay that make shopping at CVS Pharmacy easier and more convenient,” says Brian Tilzer, senior vice president and chief digital officer at CVS.

CVS is a member of US retailer-led consortium MCX, which ended its CurrentC mobile wallet pilots in June 2016. The pharmacy chain also turned off support for NFC in the wake of Apple Pay’s launch in October 2014. Reports emerged in June this year that the retailer had begun piloting Apple Pay and was in the process of “evaluating” mobile payment options in its stores.

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