A “CVS EXTRACARE” or “CVS CAREPASS” line on your bank or credit card statement is the membership fee for CVS ExtraCare Plus, a paid loyalty program that runs $5 per month or $48 per year plus any applicable sales tax. Most people who spot the charge on a bank statement didn’t set out to subscribe: they signed up for a free trial at checkout or online and the trial rolled into a paid membership.
Why the Charge Shows Up
CVS ExtraCare Plus launched in January 2024 as a rebrand of the older CarePass program. If you enrolled before the name change, your descriptor may still read “CVS CAREPASS.” Newer enrollments generally post as “CVS EXTRACARE.” The amount is the same either way: $5 monthly or $48 annually, plus tax where your state applies it to subscription services.
The usual trigger is a free trial that wasn’t canceled in time. CVS requires cancellation at least three days before the renewal date. Miss that window and the membership renews automatically, with no separate warning before the charge posts. Store associates also sometimes offer enrollment at checkout, and a tap on the payment terminal is enough to start a trial that most customers don’t remember agreeing to weeks later.
How to Cancel ExtraCare Plus
You can cancel online or by phone. You cannot cancel in a CVS store.
- Online: sign in at CVS.com, open your account settings, and use the option to manage or cancel your ExtraCare Plus membership. Follow the prompts to confirm.
- By phone: call 1-800-746-7287 (1-800-SHOP-CVS), available Monday through Friday. Have the email address tied to your account ready for identity verification.
The deadline that matters is three days before your next renewal date. Cancel inside that window and the charge still processes; your cancellation takes effect the following cycle. Cancel in time and you keep your benefits through the end of the current billing period rather than losing them the same day.
Getting a Refund
CVS’s terms state that membership fees are not refundable once a recurring charge has been processed. If the charge has already posted, the company’s default answer is that you owe it. A polite call to customer service sometimes produces a goodwill credit, especially if you never used that month’s $10 reward, but there’s no written policy that guarantees one.
If CVS refuses and you believe the charge was unauthorized, your next step depends on how you paid. For credit card charges, contact your card issuer and file a billing dispute. For debit card charges, federal rules let you stop preauthorized recurring transfers by notifying your bank at least three business days before the scheduled payment; the bank can then block future charges from that merchant. The FTC recommends following up any phone dispute with a written letter to your card company so there is a paper trail.
One caution on chargebacks. They fit situations where you genuinely didn’t authorize the charge or where CVS ignored a timely cancellation. Filing one because you forgot to cancel a trial you did agree to can backfire, because your bank looks at whether the original authorization was valid. Save screenshots of your cancellation confirmation, note the date and time you called, and write down any case numbers the representative gives you.
Avoiding the Charge Next Time
If you ever take another CVS free trial, set a calendar reminder for two days before it ends. The three-day cancellation window makes waiting until the final day risky. Many banks also let you set transaction alerts for specific merchants, so a CVS charge pings your phone the moment it posts and you can act inside the same billing cycle instead of finding it on a statement weeks later.