Walgreens New Balance Rewards Program: Questions Answered + Lots of New Info
So I headed to Walgreens today to really get a handle on the New Walgreens Balance Rewards program… and that I did! Here are the main questions that I got answered today by testing many of the Weekly Deals:
(1) Do the Balance Rewards on each participating item/items have a limit? Can you purchase double the amount required and earn double the Balance Rewards?
Well, I am excited to let you all know that from what I can see there is not a limit. Now of course that doesn’t mean you need to go clear shelves and hoard items, but it is nice to know that you score additional Balance Rewards. Plus, I like, that unlike Register Rewards, you can purchase all of your “like” Balance Rewards items in the same transaction. For example, I purchased 4 bags of Halls Defense Drops in the same transaction and received 2,000 Balance Rewards points! 🙂
(2) If a Balance Reward deal requires a certain amount needed to earn the reward, will using manufacturer’s coupons deduct from the total needed?
From the deal I tested today, the answer is NO! Awesome news for all of us couponers! I tested a deal which requires you to purchase $15 worth of participating products to earn 5,000 Balance Rewards points. Well, after manufacturer’s coupons my total dipped below $12 and it is still showing that I earned 5,000 Balance Rewards! Yay!
(3) When will my Balance Rewards show up in my account?
Right Away! In fact, you will see the Balance Rewards you earned on your receipt print-out. Plus, you can immediately go online to view all of the points you have earned.
(4) When can I redeem my Balance Rewards?
From what I can tell, right after you earn them! When I got home from testing these deals, I went online to see if I could redeem the Balance Rewards I had earned with an online purchase and it did give me the option to apply them.
(5) Can you pay with Balance Rewards to earn additional Balance Rewards points?
From reading through the comments, it appears that you cannot! If you do, you will not earn additional Balance Rewards points. So keep that in mind when planning out your transactions and shopping trips. On a positive note, you CAN use Register Rewards to pay for transactions where you are earning Balance Rewards and you will still get the points back! And if you use Balance Rewards to pay for a transaction that includes Register Reward items, you will still get the Register Rewards back. So a great way to make use of both rewards programs is by using Register Rewards to pay for Balance Rewards transactions and Balance Rewards to pay for Register Reward transactions. 🙂
So hopefully that helped to answer some of the questions you may have had. I will try and answer even more as I continue to test deals this week. Also, here’s a recap on how to sign up and the general guidelines of the Balance Rewards Program:
Walgreens has rolled out a brand new rewards program called Balance Rewards! You can enroll in-store, online or via the mobile app and begin earning points and special savings, and start redeeming rewards starting this Sunday, 9/16.
Earning Points
Balance Rewards Members will earn points with the purchase of specified products and/or services during specified promotions periods. Online orders delivered to your home will earn points as if purchased in store. Online orders picked up in store will earn points after the items have been picked up from the store. Points will be awarded to the Member’s account 3-5 days after purchase. Members can also earn points for making healthy choices, such as getting an immunization or participating in Walk with Walgreens (walk.walgreens.com).
*Walgreens reserves the right to limit points awarded with respect to any offer or promotion to reasonable household quantities. On a return and/or exchange the Points will be deducted from the Member’s account that was used for the original purchase.
Redeeming Points
Your points will be equal to the following rewards, redeemable for redemption dollars:
When you choose to redeem your points, they will be converted into redemption dollars to be used on your purchase. Redemption dollars cannot be paid out in cash or in store credit.
*Point Promotions will not apply to rain check items purchased after the promotion has ended. Points will not be earned in a transaction where Redemption Dollars or Store Credit is used. 
Point Promotions and Redemption Dollars will not apply to and Points cannot be earned on purchases of: alcohol; dairy; tobacco; stamps; phone/prepaid cards; money orders/transfers; transportation passes; lottery tickets; charitable donations; or pharmacy items or services that must be excluded by law as determined by Company. Points will not be awarded if in Company’s reasonable opinion the merchandise purchased will be used for resale or commercial use and any Points awarded on such purchases will be forfeited.
Points Expiration
Keep in mind that if you do not earn or redeem points for 6 consecutive calendar months, the membership will be deemed to be inactive and all accumulated Points will beforfeited. For active Members, all Balance Rewards Points expire on a rolling 36 month basis.
Register Rewards
Register Rewards will continue in its current form for the foreseeable future. Register Rewards is a couponing program while Balance Rewards is a comprehensive loyalty program that offers exclusive savings and the opportunity to earn points and instantly redeem rewards.
And if you are curious, here are the deals that I tested out today that earned me a total of 11,000 Balance Rewards….
Bought 4 bags of Halls Defense Supplement Drops 17 pk 2/$3
* Buy 2 = 1,000 Balance Rewards points (which equals a $1 reward)
Total = $6
Used (2) $1/2 17 ct+ coupons found in the 9/16 SS
Paid $4
Got back 2,000 Balance Rewards points for buying 4 packages (which equals a $2 reward)
Bought 4 packs of Stride ID Gum 14 piece 2/$2
* Buy 2, get 1,000 Balance Rewards Points (which equals a $1 reward)
Total = $4
Used (2) buy 1 get 1 free Stride ID gum coupons found here – use zip code 62946
OR use the buy 1 get 1 free Stride Gum manuf. coupon found on the Target Coupon Site here (page 7 for me) or the new coupon found in the 9/16 SS
Paid $2 (for 4 packs)
Get back 2,000 Balance Rewards points for buying 4 packages (which equals a $2 reward)
Bought Mitchum or Lady Mitchum Deodorant 1.5 to 2.7 oz $1.99
* Buy this product = 2,000 points (in the weekly ad it states you get 1,000 points, but at my local Walgreens the signs stated 2,000 points and I did in fact earn 2,000 points!)
Used the $0.75/1 or $1.50/2 Mitchum or Mitchum for Women Product coupon found in the 8/19 SS or 9/16 SS
Paid $1.24
Get 2,000 Balance Rewards points (which equals a $2 reward)
Buy $15 worth of participating Product below = 5,000 Balance Rewards Points (which equals a $5 reward!)
Coca-Cola products 12-pack 3/$11
Coca-Cola products 2 liters 4/$5
Nabisco Cookies or Grahams 10.5 to 16 oz $3.49
Belvita Breakfast Biscuits 5 pk $3.49
Hershey’s Pieces, Drops or Reese’s Minis 8 to 10.5 oz 2/$6
Planters Peanuts 16 oz 2/$7
Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Meat 9 oz 2/$5
Kraft American Singles 12 oz 2/$5
I bought…
4 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almond Pieces 2/$6
1 Nabisco BelVita Breakfast Biscuits 5-pack $3.49
Total = $15.49
Used 4 $1/1 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almond Pieces coupon found here (need 2 computers)
Paid $11.49
Got back 5,000 Balance Rewards points (which equals a $5 reward)
So for testing these deals out and really getting a handle on how the program works, I don’t feel like I did too shabby. I spent out of pocket for everything pictured above a total of $18.73. Plus, I earned a total of 11,000 Balance Rewards which basically equals $11 worth of rewards. So after factoring that in, it’s like I spent $7.73. But hey, this was money well spent as it helped answer quite a few questions regarding the Balance Rewards program! 🙂
Q: I recently purchased 2 Listerine mouthwashes to claim the 2000 points. Paid in cash…Then 2nd transaction, i purchased 2 Rembrandt toothpastes to get the 3000 points. Now, I told the cashier to use my 2000 points from the Listerine and Ill pay inc ash whatever balance I have after the 2000 points..She said its ok BUT I wont be able to get /earn the 3000 points anymore since ill be using the 2000 points from the 1st transaction. So I ended up paying in cash again…so whats with this? I wanna roll my points so Ill only pay lil in cash. thats basically the reason why I purchased the items with qualifiying rewards points..Like how can u say u only paid this little when in fact you cant get bal. points when u use the balance rewards points to pay ?
It’s simple you can’t get points on an item when you pay with points. Because the points are a bonus from Walgreen’s themselves they don’t get paid by manufactures for them like register rewards which are basically manufacture coupons. If you could buy points items with points that would create an infinite loop of free items and they would have their shelves cleared by everyone and be going bankrupt pretty fast.
But if you want to use old points balance in your account, not use the new ones you would accrue that day, I think you should be able to. I still think it’s not a fair rule!
Even though I signed up and got a card in the store, which I use for every purchase, and get prescriptions refilled regularly I have never accrued ANY points, ever! I went online and there is a list of purchases, but no points! This has been the last year and a half or more. I don’t get it!
The numbers for your balance reward card and the one that is inn your account different? Can’t figure out how to link my already card to acct so that numbers match
Barbara – is you prescription coverage from a government agency? Federal, state, county, and city government coverage does not accrue Rewards. Walgreens considers it the same as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare and other government paid insurance. So all teachers, fire fighters, civilian government employees, etc do not earn rewards. Walgreens clearly discriminates against government coverage. Their defense is an IG statement that those with Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare may not receive rewards or kick backs. I agree with those receiving benefits without being considered an employer based benefit plan. But all of the people who are employees of the government, and pay their premiums like any other employer, are actively discriminated by Walgreens Balance Rewards.
I’ve been trying to figure out that, if I want to redeem some of my Balance Rewards points, I CANNOT be purchasing any item that has points that would be added to my account – or I would not get credit for the new purchase/points – is that right? So —- how do I know in advance if there will be points awarded me on my purchases? I have quite a large amount of points in my Balance Rewards account, but don’t want to lose any new ones. I think this is a “not fair” clause, and that probably a lot of people are not aware of it. After reading Paragraph #5 above, it’s almost as clear as mud – not quite, tho’.
Why is dairy excluded in the rewards programs ?
I used my balance rewards card this afternoon and once I got home I checked my account and it showed I gained 20 points but I saw that those points were forfeited due to inactivity. I want to know if I will have to get another balance rewards card or talk to someone at Walgreens to re-instate my account to keep my points
Good question about the milk because CVS gives rewards on milk!
Everyone better start looking VERY closely at their receipts for the correct amount of points. I am owed 23580 from last weekend and 2500 from this weekend. I returned an item that the points were not given for the day before but 300 points were taken away the next day.
How can I correct my zipcode, I am told it is wrong and can’t redeem any points till this problem is corrected.
Have you tried getting them to correct it for you in the store, if you don’t have a account through the Walgreens website create one and see if you can update your zip code.
This can be easily corrected if you still know your phone number just ask a cashier when you are in store, but use your phone number don’t have them scan card, it’s easier for them to then click update info. They will be glad to correct this for you.
I am trying to figure out how to sync my balance rewards with my employee purchase card (retired). Can you please help me?
Is Hyoscyamine Sulfate Tabs SL covered under BALANCE REWARDS PLAN?
WHAT DO I DO WHEN MY PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED?
You can still use the old phone number you have for the card,it’ll still be in the system. But i’m sure you can update it
Can you use your balance rewards points to purchase dairy (eggs)?
The times I have made 2 purchases, at the same store, on the same day, but at
different registers, (e.g.- 1 at pharmacy & 1 at front), only one of the receipts will
show points (opening,earned,&closing points balance). The other receipt shows my Balance Rewards Account #, but nothing else! Nothing earned, No Balance, No
Anything!
This discrepancy alone seems wrong, (and bad enough), but am I also being cheated out of points I should have earned on the second transaction?
Can you use your points to purchase prescription drugs?
I know you get points for getting your prescription filled, after you get 5,000 points it can be used to buy anything
No, you cannot. Only OTC.
I’m having trouble remembering what zip code i used for one of my cards,is there a way of checking that rather than giving the person at the register multiple zip codes
If you have a Walgreens account you can change any information that needs to be corrected.
You can also use your phone number at store and simply ask cashier to update the zip code. Don’t have them scan card key in your phone number attached to it, so it will immediately popup on thier screen to update. Also make sure you tell cashier before you do this you want to update your zip so they will know to select option.
Do we have to buy all items included in one transaction to get the RR? Or does it track like cvs and break up transaction?
What is RR?
I have points equaling $35 on my balance reward card. Can I use it all at once to buy one item, ie Blood testing kit?
If I use my food stamp card am I still able to receive the points?
how do I go about edit my personal information with walgreens balance rewards card.
when I get to the point of trying to use some of my 86,000 points they ask for a zip code. I try the ones that I know and the machine kicks me out.
Pat
Ask a cashier at the store to update your zip code. Then key in your phone number associated with your balance rewards (don’t have them scan card) and they will update your zip code for you to new one. Also if you have a walgreens.com account you can always update your info whenever you need through website. If you don’t have one just sign up and use your phone number that is linked to your balance rewards, it should still be able to find you. You will get a screen saying it found your card account and an option to link it.
I have gone to Walgreens to refill my prescription several times and I haven’t been awarded any points at all how can I claim for my last past transactions I do have a balance reward card with Walgreens.
Why is there a redemption limit ? I had $50. in points, and bought a can of Lysol. Cashier only took $5. off !?!? I expected it to be free. I called Walgreens 1-800 number, and was told that was wrong, my purchase SHOULD have been free. I next made a purchase online, the drop box options only went as high as 18,000 points…I had 42,000 !!! Again, I was limited. Then I see my credit card had a temporary authorization on it, for the full amount ( not the discounted-after-points amount ). I don’t know what’s going on, and neither do any Walgreens employees it seems.
I had the same experience, but only 1550 points. I wanted to use them all,but the cashier said, ” you have only 1000 points.” The day before, there was 1550 points in my account so that I was really sure that I had 1550 points. When I got home, I looked up my points again, sure enough I have 550 points left.
I had the other mastery stories that I lost some money from Walgreens. Now all of my family hate to go there.
Picked up a prescription and paid for it out of pocket. Not covered by insurance, Why didn’t I receive any points? I always have before.
Evidently if you work for a government entity, even if you pay for insurance, you can’t get the points. Also evidently if you get Social Security or have any form of Medicare (even just Part A), you can’t get the points. Spent a lot of time today tracking this down.
Thank you, only shop Walgreens for the points. Will transfer my prescription to another store which is cheaper. The drive through is horrible anyway! Thanks!
I noticed that I had not accumulated any points for at least four months, although I go to Walgreen’s regularly, at least weekly. I also noticed that I had not received any points for prescriptions. So I called the customer service center and found out that Social Security law prevents my earning points on Rx, although this just caught up with me. On top of that I teach for a state, but it was SocSec that got to them first not being a teacher. This is very unjust for older Americans. I only have Part A because I am working still at age 68, but I could still use the rebates (rewards).
I have never come out on points or rewards it’s a game. I was told that it was a just a promotion they have to get you to buy. I never got anything with my reward or points. I just shop at walmart. Walgreens changes their policy too much!!!!
Stay away from Walmart.
Cannot find a way to automatically add my husband’s purchases to my account, make it like a “family” account. Any suggestions?
Yes. You CAN do that. Just call W and ask them to LINK the two accounts. My friends have done this …. so that they can use the combined points.
It’s difficult to find well-informed people in this particular subject, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
How do I get my reward points if I have failed to give my rewards card number at time of purchase. Is there a number to call so I can get it?
Have been trying to change/add card number of walgreens reward cards on my account. Just havent been able to..please help.
So when cupola print out based on your current/previous/favorite purchased products, is this historically tracked somewhere? I wasn’t sure if the program had any available history of purchases and earned points for easier record keeping or if it’s a manual process of recording receipt entries.
*Edit*
So when coupons print out…
Six months ago, I tried to redeem my points. The cashier said,”Put your zip code in.” Idid. He said , that’s not your zip code. I’ve had the same zip for 30 years. Later, I tried, with the same results. I asked to speak to the manager, He said that probably “You filled out your form wrong.” I said that the pharmacy clerk filed it out. I stopped going to Walgreen for that reason. I went back yesterday, and decided to let you know why I don’t like Walgreen!
I can’t find my card will they give me a new one
Somebody use my card without my knowledge and use the points that I earned. C
an I get it back and know who uses my card without my knowledge?
I have tried twice to use my rewards towards purchases and can’t. I’m asked for my zip code and it doesn’t work so I try my old one and that don’t work either. Now I’ve only lived in two places in over twenty years so I’d don’t know what the problem is. How can I get this problem solved?
I didn’t experience any problems with the program.
I lived in one city when I got my Balance Reward card but now I have moved. When I go to redeem it I can’t do it because it does not have my new zip code. How do I change the info on my card?
I just purchased $25 worth of items to get 5000 points. When I checked my receipt, it showed that 5000 points were automatically used to pay down my total so that the 5000 did not trigger. I did not ask them to use any points to pay because I know it will lower my total so I don’t get to $25. Why would 5000 have automatically been used to pay? My friend had the same thing happen. She bought diapers for $20 get 10000 but did not receive the 1000 because 3000 in rewards was automatically deducted as part of her payment. She didn’t ask for that either. Why is that happening!? It negates the whole idea of spending to get the reward. I’m going to call customer service but if it’s not corrected I’ll just spend my remaining rewards and never do spend/get deals at Walgreens again.
My Balance Reward card is worn out can you send me a new one?
You’ll want to call 855-225-0400 for help with that.