William Lipovsky
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Short Answer
Walgreens (and the Walgreens-owned chain Duane Reade) offers cash back on debit card purchases. You can get up to $20 in cash back per transaction. You can’t get cash back on credit card or check purchases. Below, we explain how to get cash back from Walgreens.
Walgreens Cash Back Policy
When shopping at Walgreens, you can pay with cash, check, gift card, debit card, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, or Apple Pay. However, if you want to get cash back, you’ll need to use your debit card.[1]
You can get $5, $10, or $20 per transaction, and there’s no minimum purchase amount. You can get money in whatever form you need — bills, coins, or a combination of both.[1]
If you need more than $20, you can make separate transactions. Or, you can usually find an ATM next to the register; keep in mind that you may have to pay an ATM fee if you use an ATM.
Duane Reade Cash Back Policy
Duane Reade, which Walgreens owns and operates primarily in New York, follows the same cash-back policy.
The maximum amount you can get back is $20 using a debit card, and you can choose either $5, $10, or $20 at checkout.[2].
Other Places That Offer Cash Back
Walgreens isn’t the only large chain that offers cash back with purchases. In general, grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores are good places to look when you need cash back.
Note that grocery stores tend to have higher maximum withdrawal limits than pharmacies and convenience stores.
To find your best options, see our list of stores that give cash back on purchases.
If you need to get a lot of cash back at once, check out our list of stores that give the most cash back.
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It says on the internet that Walgreens now accepts CareCredit but at the grand opening at Paris, KY it would not accept it. This store was Rite Aid and I had always used my CareCredit there. Thanks.
Hello, Connie! Walgreens does accept CareCredit at all locations, but whether you can use CareCredit will depend on what you are buying. We have more information about this in our research on the stores that accept CareCredit. If you have any issues paying for eligible items with your CareCredit card, you should contact CareCredit directly at (866) 893-7864 for assistance. Best of luck!
As of yesterday, Walgreen’s only accept cash. No cards of any sort and no checks either. Do you know why and when it will go back to accepting cards for payment? This happened company wide.
Hi Lisa,
According to Walgreen’s website: “Walgreens stores accept cash, check, gift card, debit card, Visa, MasterCard, Discover Network, American Express, or Apple Pay.” I also spoke with a customer service rep today as well, who confirmed that Walgreens accepts this wide variety of payment methods.
There are couple times i tried to get cash back with a dollar purchase, a candy bar, they won’t let me. I think it was some sneaky way trying to minimise the loss of transaction fees.
Hi John,
That’s really unusual. Are you using a standard bank debit card?
Your best bet is to ask your local Walgreens if they have implemented a minimum purchase for cash back.
Can i use my wells fargo chip to get cash back
Hi Katlin,
If your Wells Fargo chip card is a debit card (connected to a checking account), then you can use it for cash back up to the Walgreens limit of $20. If your Wells Fargo chip card is a credit card, unfortunately, you won’t be able to use it at Walgreens for cash back, as Walgreens does not allow cash back on any credit card transactions. I hope this helps!
Informative article! The information about Harris Teeter especially helped a lot. Thanks!