Walgreens is the first retail store to implement store loyalty cards into Apple Pay. Here’s how to use your Walgreens Balance Rewards loyalty card on your iPhone with Apple Pay.
Apple announced in September that with iOS 9, stores will be able to integrate loyalty cards into Apple Pay, not just Wallet. The first store to do this is Walgreens.
This was part of a big change for iOS 9 that rebranded the Passbook app and is now called Wallet. It still behaves as before, but this is an effort by Apple to make the app more like a wallet rather than a passbook (what is a passbook? Exactly).
Additionally, store-branded credit cards are a new feature in Apple Pay where stores with their own store credit cards can be used with Apple Pay, allowing iPhone users to enjoy credit card benefits while using Apple. Pay to pay for products at checkout.
Kohl’s is currently the only store to support this feature, and Walgreens is the first store to integrate loyalty cards into Apple Pay. Here’s how to use your Walgreens Balance Rewards card with Apple Pay.
How does it work
Prior to this new feature, you could still have your Walgreens Balance Rewards card in the Wallet app and simply pull it up to reveal a barcode that the cashier would scan with the scan gun.
This time, however, users can pick up their Balance Rewards card in the Wallet app and scan it themselves at the payment terminal, just as they would if they were using Apple Pay to buy something, but this time you’re just scanning. your loyalty card at the terminal.
After the scan is complete, you can pay with your credit or debit card using Apple Pay. If you want, you can still do it the old-fashioned way of pulling out your Walgreens card and having them scan the code manually, but this new way makes it a little easier and faster.
How to Use Your Walgreens Card with Apple Pay
If you already have a Walgreens Balance Rewards card in the Wallet app, you’re good to go and you can use it with Apple Pay at the payment terminal. However, if you don’t have a card in Wallet yet, here’s how to add it.
To set up your Walgreens Balance Rewards card for use with Apple Pay in Apple Wallet, you must first: Download the Walgreens app from the App Store.
After downloading the app, open it and log into your Walgreens account. You need one to get a Balance Rewards card, so if you don’t have a Balance Rewards card yet, go ahead and get one by signing up for a Walgreens account.
After logging in or registering, tap on the home screen of the Walgreens app.
Your card will appear on the screen with its barcode. Go ahead and tap on it.
You can choose whether you want the card to automatically unlock when you’re at your preferred Walgreens location. If you don’t want this, simply tap .
You will then get a preview of how your card will look in the Wallet app. Go ahead and tap Next in the top right corner.
On the next screen, you can choose whether you want your Walgreens card to be automatically selected when paying at Walgreens. Select or .
After that, your Walgreens card will now be in the Wallet app. Pulling it up will prompt you to place your iPhone next to the card reader on the payment lane, and simultaneously hold it there and scan your fingerprint.
If you want to do it the old-fashioned way, simply tap to show the barcode of your Walgreens card to have the cashier scan it.
