Walgreen’s Coupon Policy

Walgreen’s Coupon Policy

Ever seen the coupons that print out of machines after you make a purchase? These are what will turn you into a cuckoo coupon lady – at most places these are called Catalinas, but at Walgreen’s they are Register Rewards.

At Walgreens, you can get a “Catalina” coupon called Register Reward. A Register Reward is a coupon that prints after you make a qualifying purchase. It is typically good for “X” amount off of your next transaction. Pictured below is what the ad will look like in the Walgreen’s Circular. When you buy the advertised item, after paying, you will receive a coupon (Register Reward) to use on your next purchase.

Here are the rules for using Register Rewards (commonly referred to as RR’s) at Walgreen’s:

1. You can only get one Register Reward per promotion in a single purchase.  You can buy 2 of the same item, but they would have to be rung up separately. You can get multiple Register Rewards in one purchase when you buy products from different promotions.

2. You cannot use the exact Register Reward on the same promotion in a following transaction.  Ie.. if you buy Olay and get a RR (Register Reward) you cannot use that RR to buy another Olay.  If you do so, you will not receive a second RR.  You either have to pay for the soap and accumulate the catalinas for a different purchase, or you’ll need to use the catalinas from a different promotion to pay for the second Olay.

3. FILLER ITEMS: You have to have as many items purchased as coupons (RR is considered a coupon)! If you bought one Olay and tried to use a coupon and a RR to pay, it would not be accepted.  You would need to buy one more item – called a “filler item” so you have 2 products and 2 coupons. The extra item you buy doesn’t have to match up with any coupons!

I receive this question a lot: if a RR is going to print at Walgreens, do you need a filler item for your coupon ratio? The answer is no, the RR that is supposed to print has no bearing on your coupon ration.  This means if you are purchasing 2 products with 2 coupons, you can still expect RR’s to print (no filler items required!) However, if you want to pay for the 2 products with 2 coupons and an RR, then get a filler item.

4. Register Rewards and coupons can not be applied towards sales tax.  You will always have to pay the full tax amount for every purchase even if the products were free.

5. Walgreens coupons from their weekly ad and/or coupon booklets (learn more about those here) available throughout the store, from the pharmacy, or even from a $0.99 Children’s activity booklet do NOT count towards your coupon to item ratio. (In other words, the register will not beep if you are using more Walgreen’s coupons than items. Remember though, that Register Rewards and other manufacturer’s coupons can only be used once per each item purchased).
Common question: Can you use or stack a walgreens in-ad coupon with walgreens monthly coupon booklet coupon? The answer is yes!
Common Question: Do i need to tear out each in-store monthly coupon and give it to the cashier when i check out? or do they just scan it and i keep it in there? if i keep the coupon, i can only use it once per transaction right? and can i use, for example, one shampoo coupon and one makeup, or is it one coupon total from the booklet per transaction? The answer is: If you use a Walgreens Coupon, it will take off up to 4 of the item with just that one coupon! So you can get 4 items and use the coupon once and it will take it off 4 times. You could buy 4 shampoos and 4 makeups, and use just one in-store coupon for the shampoo and 1 for the makeup! They would each come off 4 times.

6. Walgreen’s offers a 15% discount to military personnel/dependents on Tuesdays: The days might be different depending on locations in Yorktown Va it’s every Tuesday – so ask you local Wags!

7. Rolling Register Rewards: If an RR is “rolling” that is rare. It is an exception to the rule. It also could be rolling at the time I post the deal, and stop at any time. What it means, is you can use a RR to pay for the exact same item as the RR was triggered by, and another RR will print. All deals are NOT rolling and I will indicate otherwise if they ever are.

Register Rewards can save you a lot of money but are somewhat complicated.  Make sure you understand how they work before you get started!

Walgreen’s Coupon Policy: I recommend that you print a copy of Walgreen’s coupon policy and bring it with you while you shop. If any issues should arise, this coupon policy should definitely help clear things up!

• Walgreen’s will take all manufacturer coupons, and you can stack it with a Walgreens in-store coupon, but you must hand them the Walgreen’s in-store coupon FIRST!
• will take printable Internet coupons
• you must have as many products as coupons. If you are stacking an in-store coupon with a MFR coupon, make sure to have “filler” items. These items don’t have to match up with any coupons, they just make it so that you don’t have more coupons than products purchased.
• BOGO: When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased.  That means if you have a BOGO Free Chips sale, and chips are $2, and you have 2 $1/1 Chips coupons, you can use them both with the BOGO Free sale to score free chips!
• do not match competitors ads or prices
• do not take other stores in-store coupons
• do not take other stores catalinas
• Rain Checks: Walgreens does issues rain checks! Rain checks are good for in-store purchases only and valid for 30 days. You won’t get the RR, so if it’s just for a sale item with no RR, get the raincheck, but if you’re looking for the deal with a RR, you won’t get it.

Walgreen’s Coupon Policy on their site.

Important reader update:

1. Register Rewards are now to be scanned first, then MFG coupons, and WAG coupons/in-store coupons last. This way it is easier for the register to accept the MFG coupons because it will take off according to the amount left on the item for the WAG coupons and therefore the coupons won’t have to be modified.
2. Coupons can no longer be modified for a lower price. Ex: An item is on sale for 3.99 and you have a $4 off coupon. In order to use it, you must buy two items: One will be free and the other will cost 3.98. Because the coupon applied to both items, a second coupon cannot be used for the additional item.

Walgreens Balance Rewards

Most of you know about this, and so I put a video above released by Walgreens.

Basically, now that you will have a card, there will likely be limits on deals, like at CVS.  That is the biggest difference I see.

Here are some of the points on the new program:

• If you buy multiples in one transaction (like 4 Mitchum & 4 Stride ID Gum) you can and will NOT earn points for all of them. You must do separate transactions
• IF you pay for things with points, you can still get Register Rewards! If you pay for things with Register Rewards, you can still get points! If you pay for things with points, you CAN NOT get points!
• Shoppers will need to have the “Loyalty Savings Card” to receive sale prices
• Certain sale items will have “Bonus Points” attached to those items – this may or may not be in all markets.
• Say for example Nivea is $5.00 as a sale item – you’ll earn 5,000 Bonus Points on your rewards card – the equivalent to $5 (1,000 points per $1 spent, $10 for 10,000 points). So it would be equal to obtaining the item FREE – you can then use that $5 to apply towards your next purchase towards regular items as long as they are not one of the items prohibited to be purchased with points.
• Note: if you redeem any points in a transaction, no points will be earned on purchases in that transaction… so you are best to save those points to other items i.e. gifts, etc.
• Bonus points will expire 36 months after the date you earn, or after SIX months of no activity.
• Register Rewards will still be in place……….but, they will be reduced.
• Walgreens (like other retailers) is in a contract with the Catalina Company – so until that changes, RR’s will still be there, but they may not be as giving as they are now.  Likely it will just be the ones on CouponNetwork.com
• Your “Loyalty Card” will be monitoring your shpoping habits – the catalina machine will then use those habits to present you new coupons for items you buy most frequently.

Sign up is now open online.

What do you think?

Thanks for the details, the centsible shopper!