Anyone who knows me knows I’ve spent a lot of time in Walgreens recently. When they pay you to take stuff, it is hard for my obsessive-compulsive self to say no. Anyway, just when you thought you couldn’t milk Walgreens for anything more, the fine folks at SlickDeals have discovered yet another way to be paid for shopping at Walgreens: the Prescription Savings Club!
So here’s the deal: Walgreens promotes this Prescription Savings Club to people with no or lacking prescription drug benefits. An annual membership for an individual is $20, and it entitles you to have many prescriptions (mostly generics) filled at a discounted rate. The reason why we care is the benefit that isn’t heavily promoted: you earn a 10% rebate on any purchases of Walgreens brand products using the card.
As if this wasn’t good enough, several loopholes have been found in the program. The main ones are:
- You can enter past purchases to your account to earn more rebates through their website. Although their official policy is that you can’t, their system does allow this.
- If you enter the transaction online, the 10% rebate is computed on the amount before any Walgreens coupons. Example: two weeks ago Walgreens had the 10ct. Wal-itin tablets for $6.99 less a $6.00 in-ad coupon, which made them $0.99 a box. If you enter the receipt online on your account, the rebate earned will be 10% of the $6.99 price, or $0.70.
As you can probably tell, anyone who does Walgreens deals often can rack up rebates pretty quickly. On my account, I’ve already earned about $135 in rebates, which I can use to buy almost anything at Walgreens. So I’ve now been paid even more to take all of those Walgreens diapers from the deal a few months ago!
Here is a FAQ list I prepared for the thread on Slickdeals, which should clarify how this works a bit more:
What is the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club (PSC)?
The Walgreens Presciription Savings Club (PSC) is Walgreens’ discount pharmacy program aimed at customers without other pharmacy insurance. It offers discounted prices on prescriptions, particularly generics. It also offers a 10% rebate on all Walgreens brand purchases when you use swipe the card at checkout or add your receipt to the card online.
What does it cost to join?
Membership in the program is $20 per year. If you are a frequent Walgreens shopper, you’ll probably make that back in rebates very quickly.
How do I join?
You can join at your local Walgreens pharmacy, or enroll online here. You will receive a temporary card immediately and a permanent card in about 2 weeks via mail.
Do I have to have prescriptions filled with Walgreens to enroll in the program?
No. Anyone can enroll in the program and collect the rebates. There is no requirement to have prescriptions filled.
How do I link my card to my Walgreens.com account?
Once you’ve signed up and received your card in the mail go here and link your PSC account with your WAG online account.
Can I add receipts to my card using the temporary card?
No. You cannot add receipts to a temporary card. You can only add receipts to the number from your permanent card.
What products earn rebates with my PSC card?
All Walgreens or W brand products earn a 10% rebate.
Can I add receipts to my card from prior to joining?
YES! Although Walgreens official policy is that the rebate is effective after you join, their system allows you to add receipts prior to your joining date to earn the rebate.
Do Walgreens gift cards qualify for the 10% rebate?
Yes. Another area where official policy and what their system actually allows differ.
On what price is the rebate based on, pre-coupon or post-coupon price?
In practice, this depends on whether you swipe the PSC card at checkout or add the receipt to your account later. If you swipe at checkout, the rebate credited to your account is based on the post-coupon amount. If you add the receipt to your account online later, the rebate is credited on the pre-coupon amount. Another oddity is that if you enter receipts online it also seems to ignore line items to void a scanned item, meaning it will still credit the rebate even though you didn’t purchase the product.
Example: You purchase a $6.99 Wal-itin using a store coupon deducting $6.00. If you swipe at time of purchase, you will be credited $0.10 ($0.99 x 10%). If you add the receipt to your account online later, you will be credited $0.70 ($6.99 x 10%).
How is the rebate paid?
The rebate amount is added to your PSC card, which acts like a gift card.
If I don’t use up the balance on the PSC card on my next transaction, do I lose that rebate?
No. The PSC card acts similar to a gift card. Any unused balance is available to use on future transactions.
How do I redeem the rebate on my card?
Simply swipe the PSC card at the time of payment, like you would a traditional Walgreens gift card.
What can the PSC rebate be used for?
The Walgreens website says, “All items are eligible for purchase with the Rewards excluding liquor, tobacco, gift cards, dairy and prescription copays.” Some users have reported being able to redeem the card for dairy, however.
