Walgreens Balance® Rewards Program Expands Opportunities to Earn Points for Healthy Behavior

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Since the launch of the Balance^® Rewards loyalty program, Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) has awarded more than 15 million points just for healthy behaviors such as walking. Today, the company announced members can participate in additional health-related activities and goal tracking to earn even more points to redeem for valuable rewards.

“By enhancing our loyalty program to further promote healthy behaviors, we’re encouraging customers to take steps to help them achieve overall wellness”

Previously, members earned points for physical activity through participation in the Walk with Walgreens^™program, and 10 points were awarded per mile walked. Now, walking, running and weight management goals can be logged and tracked through Steps with Balance Rewards. Members will receive 20 points per mile, as well as 20 points per day for tracking their weight. Users also can log individual frequent activities that will earn points when recorded.

“By enhancing our loyalty program to further promote healthy behaviors, we’re encouraging customers to take steps to help them achieve overall wellness,” said Graham Atkinson, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, Walgreens. “It’s also another way Walgreens helps people get, stay and live well.”

Members can register for Steps with Balance Rewards simply by signing into their Balance Rewards account online or through the Walgreens mobile app. Additionally, members can sync wireless activity trackers such as Fitbit, Withings and BodyMedia to automatically load the number of steps taken – each device linked will earn 250 points. Fitbit and BodyMedia provide wireless activity trackers, and Withings offers wireless scales.

In order to help participants stay motivated and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Walgreens is making it easy for members to set goals, which earn 250 points for the first goal set, track progress and find encouragement from virtual community members. Members can also promote their participation by sharing their activity badges within social media.

In addition to the expanded healthy living opportunities, customers also can earn points for the following:

Featured Items: Each week Walgreens and Duane Reade offer select items that are eligible to earn points. These products are featured in weekly ads and can be identified by easy to recognize blue tags.
Prescriptions and Immunizations: Each eligible prescription filled or immunization received earns members 500 points.*

Click here to learn more about the Steps by Balance Rewards program.

About Walgreens

As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,072 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

*Due to state and federal laws, points cannot be earned or redeemed on some items, and points will not be earned in a transaction where Redemption Dollars are used. Points will not be awarded to anyone who is currently, or was at any time in the 6 months prior to purchasing Pharmacy Items, covered by Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare or any other government-funded healthcare program. Pharmacy Items must be purchased at participating Walgreens Drugstore, Rxpress, Duane Reade, USA Drug or Walgreens Pharmacy locations (“Participating Stores”) to earn points. Excludes Pharmacy Items purchased from AR, NJ or NY pharmacies and prescriptions transferred to a Participating Store located in AL, MS, OR or PR. At Participating Stores located in AR, NJ, and NY where points cannot be earned on Excluded Pharmacy Items, Balance Rewards Members will earn 10 points per $1 spent at those locations for every purchase of a non-prescription vitamin or cough, cold, pain or sleep medication. Limit 20 points per mile, 1000 points per month. Limit 20 points per log, one log per day. For terms and conditions, visit Walgreens.com/Balance.