How to Use Register Rewards at Walgreens & Save Money Easily

What are Register Rewards?

They look like this. They're essentially coupons that you can use when you get them, and you can use them on your next purchase. There are two different types. There are manufacturer Register Rewards as well as store Register Rewards. You'll know which one it is because it says up at the top.

The difference is that manufacturer Register Rewards will behave very similarly to manufacturer coupons. With Walgreens, you cannot have more coupons than you have items.

So if I have three items and I have a coupon for all three of those items, and then I try to pay with a manufacturer Register Reward, I won't be able to do that because that's having four coupons on three items.

Store Register Rewards will only allow you to use one per transaction, whereas manufacturer Register Rewards will allow you to use multiple per transaction.

The great thing about these Register Rewards is it allows us to pay down our balance, so less money comes out of our bank account, or we don't use Walgreens cash to pay. It's a great way to reduce your out-of-pocket spending.

I prefer Walgreens cash because they have a much longer expiration date than Register Rewards. Register Rewards typically expire one to two weeks out, and I'm bad about remembering if I have them.

Is there a limit to how many times you can use a Register Reward deal?

The answer is no unless your store tells you you can't use that deal again because you've already done it today. Stores can put rules in place for their specific store, but there's no Walgreens policy limiting how many times you can do a Register Reward deal. You can't do the same deal in the same transaction more than once.

Using a Register Reward

Let's say Colgate is buy two, get a $4 Register Reward. If I buy two, I am going to get a $4 Register Reward. If I buy four of them in the same transaction, I will only get the one Register Reward. Two will not print.

Now, if I buy two in one transaction, I'll get the register reward. If I go pick up two more and buy two more once that transaction is over, another Register Reward will print out. That's how it works at Walgreens.

How I use Register Rewards and why

As I said, I'm not great at remembering if I have them. So I keep them in the front of a little envelope in my purse because I want to make sure I use them before they expire. One way I use my Register Rewards is on clearance items.

These are items that are already at a good price. Typically 70% to 90% off is when I would buy something at Walgreens on clearance. I think all those items are a great price that I could use either for my family or give to someone.

I make sure to get enough items that reach the value of the Register Reward.

Another way I choose to use my Register Rewards is on deals that give Walgreens cash. Let's say Colgate was buy two, get $4 in Walgreens cash. I could buy them using my Register Rewards and still get the Walgreens cash back. You're rolling them, essentially.

Can you use Register Rewards to pay for a deal that gives you Register Rewards back?

Yes, you can. It gets a little tricky with the different rules regarding Register Rewards, and this is where I deviate from what others might choose to do.

I don't use Register Rewards to do deals that give Register Rewards back because I don't want to deal with the headache. If I have to argue for the coupon, it's not worth my time.

Other times I don't use Register Rewards

I also don't use Register Rewards when I have digital manufacturer coupons that I want to work. In my experience, when I use Register Rewards with an item I have a digital coupon for, the digital coupon tends not to come off.

Now, it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes it works beautifully, and all the coupons come off, but a lot of times, when I have a manufacturer digital coupon and a Register Rewards that I'm using, one of them doesn't come off.

Rebate apps and Register Rewards

Now that you know what I don't use them for, let me keep telling you what I use them for. I use Register Rewards for amazing deals because I have another rebate app offer. Those are other deals that I do.

For instance, Kellogg's products have been buy one, get one free all month. These little guys are only $4 and change, but there was a $2 rebate on the Ibotta rebate app. So I bought two for $4 and change.

I used a Register Reward, paid the change, then submitted my receipt to my Ibotta app, where I was getting $4 back, and then I can cash out to my bank account. I essentially roll the register reward into my bank account.

Register Rewards and sale items

The other items that I use with my Register Rewards are sale items. This week, the old El Paso products were buy one, get one free. I used Register Rewards to pay for these items with zero issues. It's a great sale price, and I use Register Rewards to pay even less than I would pay at the grocery store, with $0 coming out of my bank account.

How to use Register Rewards at Walgreens

Walgreens Register Rewards are a way to save at Walgreens with quite a few different ways to get the most for your money. How do you like to use your Register Rewards, and what works best for you? Post in the comments below.