Walgreens Gift Card Policy: Balance, No Expiration, Limits & Rules

Walgreens gift cards are simple on paper – no expiration, no fees – but the fine print covers what they can't buy, how much you can load and what happens if the card goes missing. This guide pulls the rules from Walgreens' gift card terms and help pages. If you ended up with store credit after a return, see the section on Return Cards below and our Walgreens return policy guide.

Where you can use a Walgreens gift card

The terms cover both physical cards and eGift Cards, which are issued by Walgreen Co. ¹. You can use them for eligible merchandise at participating Walgreens or Duane Reade locations in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or online at Walgreens.com ¹.

• In stores: gift cards are an accepted payment method ³, and eGift cards can be redeemed in store by scanning the barcode ².
• Online: Walgreens.com takes Walgreens Gift Cards ³, and you can save a gift card under the payment methods in the Walgreens app or on Walgreens.com ².
• Prescriptions: gift cards work for retail prescription purchases ². Online prescription orders need a balance large enough to cover the whole purchase, and Mail Order Prescription purchases can't be paid with a gift card ².

Walgreens also notes that gift cards may not be combined with some forms of payment ⁴.

What you can't buy with one

A Walgreens gift card can't be used to buy other gift cards, prepaid open-loop cards, third-party gift cards, banking products or other financial services – the terms specifically name FedEx, transit, remittance, virtual banking products and stamps ¹. Eligible goods and services can change at Walgreens' discretion ¹.

Discounts don't help here either: promo codes can't be used toward gift card purchases ⁷, and Register Rewards can't be spent on gift cards, phone cards or general purpose reloadable cards ⁸.

How to check your balance

The current terms list four ways ¹:

1. Visit a participating Walgreens or Duane Reade store.
2. Check your receipt.
3. Call Customer Care toll-free at 1-833-522-2487.
4. Use the MyRetailCard balance site linked from the terms.

Older cards are handled differently: if your card number starts with 627857101 or 627857105, call 1-866-922-7312 ². Keep in mind that the balance you're quoted is an estimate; it usually updates right after a purchase, but adjustments are sometimes delayed ¹.

Expiration, fees and unused balances

Walgreens gift cards don't expire, and no inactivity or service fees apply ¹. Walgreens hasn't charged dormancy fees or expirations since September 1, 2005; a card bought or loaded before that date may have had a non-use fee of $2 per month taken from its balance ³.

There's one way a balance can disappear: Walgreens may be required to send the cash value of an unused balance to a state agency under abandoned-property (escheat) laws ¹. After that, the card shows a zero balance and can't be used, but you may be able to file a claim with your state's unclaimed property department ¹.

Card values and purchase limits

• Per card: Walgreens gift cards can be loaded with $5 to $500 ²; the maximum value of a card is $500 ¹.
• Per day: you can't buy or obtain gift cards worth more than $750 total in one day ¹. In stores, that's the most you can buy ².
• Online vs. store: Walgreens.com sells select denominations; other amounts are available at your local store ³. Physical cards and digital eGifts are both offered ⁴.
• No reloading: you can't add money to a Walgreens gift card – buy a new one instead ².
• Bulk buyers: a Bulk Gift Card account lets individuals buy more than $750 in gift cards in one online transaction ².

A card has no value until it's activated ¹.

Lost, stolen and scam protection

Walgreens isn't responsible for lost, stolen or destroyed gift cards, or for a card used without your permission ¹. Its terms tell you to treat the card's value as cash and not to share card numbers with anyone you don't know ¹.

Be careful where you buy, too. Cards obtained from unauthorized sellers or resellers, including internet auction sites, aren't valid and won't be honored ¹. You can give a card to someone as a gift, but reselling it for cash is prohibited ¹. Walgreens can void a card without a refund if it suspects the card was obtained or used fraudulently, and it can refuse a card bought with a disputed credit card charge or a bounced check ¹.

Refunds, returns and cashing out

Except where the law requires it, Walgreens gift cards are non-refundable and can't be returned or redeemed for cash ¹. Walgreens' returns page also lists gift cards, pre-paid cards and phone cards among the items it can't take back ⁶. If you bought a Walgreens card at another retailer and haven't used it, that retailer's gift card return policy applies ¹.

Some states require stores to pay out small balances in cash when you ask ⁵. An older Walgreens gift card page lists these thresholds ⁵:

That page predates the current terms (it still describes reloading, which Walgreens no longer allows ²), so check your state's current rules before you ask.

For returns of items you paid for with a gift card, Walgreens' returns page only says refunds go to the original form of payment ⁶; it doesn't describe a separate gift card process.

Walgreens Return Cards vs. gift cards

If you return something without a receipt or order number, the refund – when store management approves it – comes as a gift card ⁶. You may also get a Walgreens Return Card as store credit for returned items; it can be used in store and online ². Return Cards have different restrictions than gift cards, so read the back of the card ², and in-store refund cards can't be used as gift cards ³.

Quick tips

• Keep your receipt: it shows your balance, and Walgreens isn't responsible for lost cards ¹.
• Ordering prescriptions online? Make sure the card covers the full amount ².
• Buy gift cards only from Walgreens or authorized sellers – auction-site cards won't be honored ¹.
• Questions about a card go to Customer Care at 1-833-522-2487 ¹.
• See how other stores handle gift cards in our gift card guides, or browse the Walgreens store page and our Walgreens coupon policy guide.