What Is Walgreens Balance Rewards? (All About Their New Program)

As you may know by now, Walgreens rolled out a brand new Balance Rewards program this week. I know that none of us like change, and I was pretty skeptical at first. After doing some research this week, however, I feel that it’s going to be a pretty good program. I’m going to at least give it a chance. 😉

What is the Balance Rewards program?

It is a new program where you earn points for specific items you buy in-store and online. Look for new point-earning offers in the weekly ad, online, and in-store.

How do I sign up?

Head over here to sign-up. Everything is tracked through your Balance Rewards card. If you forget your card while shopping, they can look you up by your phone number. The card will also give you access to the in-ad prices and sales. (In other words, you will need your card – or your phone number – every time you shop. Kind of like the Extra Care Card at CVS.)

How do I earn points?

There are a few basic ways to earn points:

• Buy items that help you earn points.
• Get 500 points for each prescription.
• Get 500 points for a flu shot.
• Walk with Walgreens to earn 10 points for every mile you walk.

How much are the points worth in dollars, and how do I “cash in” my points?

Each 1,000 points is equal to approximately $1. You can “cash in” your points when your account reaches 5,000 points (which is worth $5). You have to redeem your points in the intervals listed below:

5,000 = $5
10,000 = $10
18,000 = $20
30,000 = $35
40,000 = $50

As you can see, 1000 points is worth approximately $1, but it’s not an exact science. It seems that the longer you save up your points, the better “bang for your buck” you get.

To cash in your points while you’re shopping, just let the cashier know during checkout. Everything is done via the credit card machine.

How do I know how many points I have on my account?

Look at the bottom of your receipt to see a summary of your current Balance Rewards points. You can also use their mobile app to keep track.

Do points expire?

Points expire 36 months from the day you earn them, but they expire sooner if you don’t have any account activity for 6 months. Be sure to watch these dates closely so you don’t lose out on the points you’ve earned.

What about Register Rewards?

It appears (at least for now) that Register Rewards is staying. You will notice in the weekly ad that there are both Register Rewards and Balance Rewards deals. I’m not sure how long this will last, though. We’ll just have to wait and see.

What else do I need to know (coupons, details, how transactions work, etc.)?

As couponers, you know we need the nitty gritty on how all of this is going to work for us! Here’s what I’ve discovered so far:

• Coupons do not affect the number of points you get on advertised Balance Rewards offers. So just keep on using your coupons like you normally would, and you’ll still receive the amount of points advertised for the item you’re buying!
• There is not a limit per transaction like there is with the Register Rewards. You can buy as many items per transaction as you’d like, and get points for each item. For example: If you buy 4 deodorants that each earn you 1,000 points, you’ll earn a total of 4,000 points!
• However, on the Buy $ Get Points deals, you’ll have to do separate transactions. So if the deal is Buy $15 worth of something Get 5,000 points, you can only do one per transaction. But if it is buy a specific item Get 5,000 points, you can do multiple per transaction.
• If you pay with points, you will NOT earn any points on your purchase.
• If you pay with points, your Register Rewards WILL print.
• If you pay with Register Rewards, you WILL earn your Balance Rewards points.

You can read more details about the program here. That’s all I’ve figured out so far! We’ll have to see how it goes! Let me know your questions, discoveries, and experiences along the way!

For more Walgreens information, check out Walgreens 101 and the weekly Walgreens deals.