CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp. has kicked off its new shopper loyalty program, dubbed Rite Aid wellness+ customer rewards, nationwide.

Rite Aid Corp. has kicked off its new shopper loyalty program, dubbed Rite Aid wellness+ customer rewards, nationwide.

The drug store chain said Monday that customers and patients can now sign up in stores and online for the free wellness+ customer rewards card, which provides members with health and wellness benefits plus shopping discounts and special prices.

The program will be supported by a national television, radio, circular and digital advertising campaign, the retailer added.

Immediate everyday benefits provided by the customer loyalty card include 24×7 toll-free access to a pharmacist and 10% off Rite Aid brand products. Member-only discounts are listed each week in Rite Aid’s weekly circulars, and special member-only temporary price reductions and offers are given on register receipts, via e-mail and online.

Members build up points with eligible pharmacy and store purchases to get free health screenings and additional merchandise discounts, including 20% off nonprescription regularly priced items every day, Rite Aid said. Member wellness+ points are tracked automatically, and a tiered benefits structure combines health and wellness rewards with savings rewards.

A coupon for $5 off the member’s next $25 purchase is available when members set up their wellness+ account online at www.riteaid.com, which allows them to manage their benefits, including how many points they have accrued.

Customers also can call 1-800-RITEAID to apply for the wellness+ program, and the account will be activated in 24 hours. Once the card is activated, members can use their phone number at the store to obtain the immediate 10% discount on Rite Aid brand products and other special price reductions until they receive their wellness+ card in the mail.

Members receive both a wallet-sized wellness+ membership card and smaller version for their key chains.

"Our customers told us they wanted a program that offered more than just discounts. The wellness+ program marries our customers’ fiscal and physical well-being, and we reward them with both member-only shopping discounts and health and wellness benefits that increase the more they shop and the more prescriptions they fill at Rite Aid," John Learish, senior vice president of marketing at Rite Aid, said in a statement.

"We’ve tested this program in four markets over the last six months, and results exceeded our expectations," Learish pointed out. "This is the drug store industry’s only customer rewards program focused around pharmacy and wellness."

Rite Aid noted that one of the program’s key benefits is 24-hour toll-free access to a pharmacist by calling 1-800-RITEAID. The number can be called at any time to ask simple questions about anything, such as medication interactions, diabetes care or even allergies, the pharmacy chain said.

Wellness+ card members earn one point for every dollar spent on nonprescription store purchases and 25 points for every eligible prescription they fill at Rite Aid. At 125, 250 and 375 points, members get a one-time-use shopping pass via e-mail or mail good for 10% off any nonprescription regularly priced purchases.

When customers earn 500 points, they’ll receive 10% off all nonprescription regularly priced items every day at Rite Aid as well as get a certificate for free health screenings — blood glucose and total cholesterol screenings at a local lab — and can pick up their test results at their local Rite Aid. And once members earn 1,000 points, they receive 20% off all nonprescription regularly priced purchases every day.