Good news for Walgreens shoppers – Walgreens does now have an official coupon policy! Below you’ll find some general tips and strategy for shopping at Walgreens, and their new official coupon policy.
Even though there is now an official policy, your mileage may vary. Some stores may have more strict policies, many of which are covered below so you’re prepared to deal with them when they happen.
Here we go!
General Tips For Shopping at Walgreens
- You can combine store coupons and manufacturer’s coupons.
Store coupons are usually found in the weekly ad, as well as coupon booklets throughout the store. The barcode typically begins with ‘0’. Store coupons may be valid for multiple items, ie, a coupon that states “Dish Soap 99¢, Limit 3” will adjust the price for up to three bottles of Dish Soap to 99¢ with one coupon.
- You can use two coupons on a Buy-One-Get-One-Free sale.
Generally (and now according to their official policy), Walgreens stores allow you to use two coupons for each products on a B1G1 Free sale, including the free product. For example, if hairspray is on sale B1G1 Free, you can use two $1/1 coupons – one on the item you buy, and one on the item that is free. (Similarly, you can also use one coupon for $1/2 on a B1G1 free sale, but only one because it applies to two items.)
- Total number of Register Rewards and coupons cannot exceed the number of items.
Walgreens will not accept more coupons/RR than the number of items. So, if you try to buy one package of diapers with manufacturer’s coupon and a Register Reward, the register will beep and will not let you continue. It sees it as you having two coupons and only one item, and figures that can’t be right!
However, you can use store coupons and manufacturer coupons together, so what gives? You’ll just need to have a second item in your order and you should have no issues. Buy one package of diapers, use that Register Reward and manufacturer’s coupon, and then throw in anything else in the store to be the second item and you’ll be fine. It can be anything from a candy bar to a ten-cent pencil.
- Register Rewards are like cash-with-an-expiration-date; they can be used to purchase anything with the exception of stamps, prescriptaions, gift cards, and a few other items.
Most RR expire within 1.5 to 2 weeks. Occasionally there will be a special promotion (typically a “spend $25 on anything and earn a $5 RR” type of promotion) and the RR will only be good for a few days to a week.
- Register Rewards cannot be “rolled”.
If you earn a Register Reward on a promotion for Huggies diapers, you cannot use that Register Reward to buy more Huggies diapers and earn another Register Reward – the register will not print another Register Reward. You can, however, use a Register Reward that you earned from a different promotion – Hershey’s candy, for instance. It just has to be a totally separate promotion.
If you’ve gotten your Register Rewards mixed up and can’t remember which ones came from which promotions, you can call the Catalina company at 1.888.8COUPON and give them the numbers on the Register Reward. They should be able to tell you which promotion it was from.
- Register Rewards cannot be used to pay sales tax.
You’ll want to make sure your coupons and Register Rewards pay for the price of the items only, and don’t dip over into sales tax. You’ll likely have to pay sales tax out of pocket. For this reason, it’s relatively hard to have a zero balance at Walgreens; you’ll usually have to pay something out of pocket.
- You can sometimes only redeem one Register Reward per transaction
This can be kind of a bummer if you have multiple RRs to redeem. Since they often only allow you to redeem one per transaction, you may end up doing more, smaller transactions in order to work with this rule.
Some stores and registers may allow you to use more than one RR, so as with everything else, this is “your mileage may vary”. You’ll need to shop around for awhile to figure out which stores allow this and which don’t.
Tips for shopping smart at Walgreens:
- Do more, smaller transactions.
Let’s say there’s a week where there’s five different RR deals you want to do. If you do them all in the same transaction, you’ll end up with five RRs. Great! Except that since they only allow you to redeem one per transaction, that means that in order to use your five RRs, you’re going to have to do five transactions to use them up, which can obviously be a pain.
I’d suggest buying one or two items that earn RR, and then use those RR to do the other promotions you want to do.
- Deal in the larger Register Rewards deals only.
Let’s say you have a scenario like this:
Cough Drops $1
Use $1/1 coupon
Net cost at checkout: FREE, plus earn a $1 RR
Net cost after RR: MONEYMAKER OF $1
Exciting, right?! Until you get stuck with three or four of these one-dollar RRs. That’s not that big of a discount, and since you can only redeem one per transaction, you’re likely going to get frustrated with having to come up with all these cheap transactions to use those $1 RRs in.
This is hard to explain until you’ve been in this situation. And those of you that have know exactly the frustration I’m talking about. Live and learn! I’ve found it’s best to skip the $1 RR promotions (unlesss it’s something you really need) and stick to ones that are at least a couple dollars.
- Stop and take a breather.
Shopping at Walgreens can be frustrating. Even if you have a very coupon-friendly store, there are going to be times you’ll get upset at the fact that you just two two RRs expire, or because you didn’t work a deal quite right. Or you’ll get stressed because you realize at 11 PM that your $5 RR expires tonight at midnight and you feel pressured to make a trip to Walgreens and spend it.
When you hit that point, relax. Take a breather. Step away from Walgreens. It will all be OK. You’ve got enough free razors to last you three years. You will be OK. The deals will still be there when you’re ready to start shopping at Walgreens again.
More helpful information about shopping at Walgreens:
- Walgreens stores in Colorado Springs offer a 15% discount to military on Tuesdays.
Must show ID and check out at the beauty counter. Some local readers have said they’ve had trouble with receiving Register Rewards when they use their military discount, so just be aware of this. You should be able to receive the discount and receive your RRs.
- If you have questions or have encountered a problem, contact customer service.
You can contact Walgreens corporate by completing their comment form or calling 800.289.2273.
Walgreens Official Coupon Policy
Source: Walgreens.com
General Information
* All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier at the time of checkout.
* Walgreens does not accept expired coupons.
* Coupons and their face value cannot be exchanged for cash or gift cards.
* Competitor coupons are not accepted at Walgreens.
* Walgreens cannot accept coupons for items not carried in our stores.
* The number of manufacturer coupons, including Register Rewards manufacturer coupons, may not exceed the number of items in the transaction. The total value of the coupons may not exceed the value of the transaction. Sales tax must be paid, if required by state law.
* Any coupon offer not covered in these guidelines will be accepted at the discretion of Walgreens management.
Sale Items
* Walgreens will accept manufacturer coupons for an item that is on sale.
* In the event that any item’s selling price is less than the value of the coupon, Walgreens will only accept the coupon in exchange for the selling price of the item. Coupon redemption can never exceed the selling price of an item and no cash back is ever provided in exchange for any coupons.
Multiple Coupons
* When purchasing a single item, Walgreens accepts one manufacturer coupon and applicable Walgreens coupon(s) for the purchase of a single item, unless prohibited by either coupon offer.
* The coupon amount must be reduced if it exceeds the value of the item after other discounts or coupons are applied. (For example, a $5.00 coupon for a $4.99 item will result in a $4.99 coupon value).
* When purchasing multiple items, Walgreens accepts multiple identical coupons for multiple qualifying items as long as there is sufficient stock to satisfy other customers, unless a limit is specified. Management reserves the right to limit the quantity of items purchased.
Buy One, Get One Free Coupons
* 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.
* Sales tax must be paid for any Buy One, Get One Free coupon offers, if required by applicable state laws.
Internet/Print at Home Coupons
* Walgreens accepts valid internet/print at home coupons.
Register Rewards Coupons
Earning Register Rewards
* Register Rewards will only print for in-stock merchandise during the promotional period.
* Register Rewards can only be earned for eligible items. No substitutions.
* There is a limit of one Register Rewards printed per offer per customer per transaction.
* Customers redeeming a Register Rewards against the same offer may not receive another RR.
Redeeming Register Rewards
* Customers redeeming a Register Rewards against the same offer may not receive another RR.
* Refer to Register Rewards coupon for expiration date.
* The Register Rewards coupon value cannot exceed the total purchase amount. No cash back and no cash value for RR coupon.
* The number of manufacturer coupons, including Register Rewards manufacturer coupons, must not exceed the number of items in the transaction.
* Register Rewards must be forfeited if the qualifying merchandise is returned.
* Register Rewards cannot be used toward the purchase of gift cards and pre-paid cards.
* Register Rewards can be redeemed for eligible items only. Ineligible items include but are not limited to:
o Prescriptions
o Tobacco products
o Alcoholic beverages
o Dairy products
o Lottery tickets
o Money orders/transfers
o Transportation passes
o Special event/entertainment tickets or passes
o Postage stamps
o Gift cards/phone cards/prepaid/Green DotTM cards
o Prescription Savings Club” memberships
o Health care services, including immunizations
o Any items prohibited by law