8 Ways to Save at Walgreens

For more than a century — 115 years, to be exact — Walgreens has been helping Americans get the medicines they need.

Established in Chicago in 1901, Walgreens is the nation’s biggest pharmacy chain, although relative upstart CVS is nipping at its heels.

Walgreens has more than 8,000 locations and can be found in all 50 states. So chances are good that you have one in your neighborhood. And we’ve got tips to save you a bundle the next time you shop there.

From great digital coupon offers to senior discounts and rewards for blood pressure checks, following are eight ways to save at Walgreens.

1. Get the loyalty card

Sign up for Walgreens’ free Balance Rewards loyalty card. Walgreens says you can earn “10 points per $1 on almost everything — every day. Plus, get bonus points on featured products each week.”

You also get 100 points per immunization and up to 300 points for prescriptions — even if you’re covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

When you rack up just 5,000 points, you can trade them in for $5 off your next purchase. And the more points you rack up, the bigger your cash reward. For example:

• 10,000 points — $10
• 18,000 points — $20
• 30,000 points — $35
• 40,000 points — $50

Sign up for your Balance Rewards card here.

2. Turn good health into points

Achieving and maintaining good health is another great way to build up Balance Rewards points. For example, if you set a health goal, you’ll get 250 points. Actually achieve the goal, and you’ll get another 250 points.

You can also accumulate points for walking, running or cycling (20 points per mile) and 20 points for monitoring your blood pressure and keeping a daily log. And that’s just for starters. Find out more at the Walgreens website.

3. Use age to your advantage

On certain days known as Seniors Days, Walgreens offers discounts to those aged 55-plus and AARP members. The only caveat is you must have a Balance Reward Card.

On Seniors Days, you can land great deals, such as 20 percent off regular in-store merchandise, or 20 percent off beauty and personal care items purchased online.

There are also select bonus points offers. For example, one recent Seniors Day offered 500 Balance Rewards points to any senior who asked the pharmacy staff about shingles and pneumonia vaccines.

4. Redeem Register Rewards

Pay attention to your printouts! Register Rewards are the coupons that print at the store’s register after you purchase certain items, much like the Catalinas you get at the grocery store.

You can use Register Rewards to save on future purchases of eligible items as long as you adhere to the retailer’s redemption policy, which can be found here.

5. Clip those coupons

Coupons can be found in Walgreens’ weekly circular (in the Sunday paper) or on the retailer’s website. Clip the paper coupons to bring into the store, or add the digital version directly to your Balance Rewards account to save on items you plan to purchase.

Also, pick up a copy of Walgreens’ monthly coupon book and be sure to keep an eye out for paper and digital manufacturer coupons, because the popular pharmacy chain honors these as well.

6. Shop the clearance section

The Walgreens clearance section boasts some big savings if you’re willing to hunt around a bit. I have personally seen prices slashed by as much as 50 percent. You can search for clearance deals online or take advantage of store-exclusive savings (or both).

7. Shop for discounted gift cards

Websites like Raise and Cardpool allow users to buy and sell Walgreens and other gift cards at a discounted rate. Recently, Cardpool’s top discount on Walgreens gift cards was an impressive 12.5 percent.

But Walgreens cards are popular and they may go fast. The last time we checked at Raise, they were sold out.

8. Use a cash-back site

Cash-back sites offer you rebates when you visit the site, then shop at your favorite retailers. Recently, cash-back site Ebates offered up to 7 percent off on purchases made at the Walgreens website.

Do you know of other great ways to save at Walgreens? Share them in our Forums. It’s a place where you can swap questions and answers on money-related matters, life hacks and ingenious ways to save.