Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
Walgreens is one of the top pharmacies in the United States and consistently ranks in the top 10 retailers alongside names like CVS and Target. If you frequently shop at Walgreens, it might might sense to pick up a card specifically to use at Walgreens. Fortunately, there are many credit cards that are good to use at Walgreens that are also useful outside of the pharmacy chain.
Here’s an overview of the best cards to use at Walgreens.
The list: The best credit cards to use at Walgreens
Here are the best credit cards to use at Walgreens. These cards offer the best rewards and benefits at Walgreens. We’ll get more into each card as well as our methodology below.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® for 3% cash back at drugstores, paired with 1.5% cash back everywhere.
- Chase Freedom Flex® for 3% cash back at drugstores and quarterly opportunities to earn 5% in other categories.
- Citi Custom Cash® Card can get you up to 5% cash back on up to $500 spent in a single category each month, including drugstores.
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card for 3% cash back or 4.5% travel rewards when you use it with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Great for 3% at Walgreens, cash back everywhere and extended warranty benefits
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of our favorite cards for general use. But when you consider that the card offers 3% cash back at drugstores, it becomes one of our favorites for Walgreens shopping.
While some cards offer great rewards but skimp on the benefits, the Freedom Unlimited offers both an extended warranty benefit and purchase protection. This isn’t going to be terribly relevant to most of your Walgreens spending, but it will come in handy when you use the card for durable goods elsewhere.
Read more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited card in our card overview.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a great card to have as your “default” card to use everywhere and its 3% cash back rewards at drugstores, including Walgreens, are a nice perk.
Sign-up bonus
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® currently offers three different sign-up bonuses for new cardmembers.
Online affiliate offer: bonus_miles_full
Learn how to apply for the “extra 1.5%” offer being promoted through affiliate channels.
Best bonus in-branch: As of August 27, 2024, the following offer is available in branch: Earn up to $800 cash back: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus earn 5% cash back on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (not including Target® and Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (That’s $600 cash back.) To get this bonus, you must apply in-person in a branch with a Chase banker.
Easiest bonus online: Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. This bonus is offered directly on the Chase website or through personal referral links.
Rewards
- 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
- 5% on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
- 3% on dining at restaurants, including eligible takeout and delivery services.
- 3% drugstore purchases.
- 1.5% on other purchases.
Rewards are marketed as cash back, but earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Ultimate Rewards® can be combined across cards you hold. If you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards card, you can transfer your points to Chase’s transfer partners or use your points for increased value when you book travel through Chase Travel℠. For more about using Ultimate Rewards, check out our guide on the Ultimate Rewards program.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
Travel insurance benefits
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver.
- Travel and emergency assistance services.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- 3 complimentary months of DashPass. After your 3 months, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at 50% off for the next 9 months. Activate by January 31, 2025.
Chase Freedom Flex®: 3% cash back at Walgreens, plus rotating 5% categories
The Chase Freedom Flex® offers the same unlimited 3% cash back at drugstores like Walgreens that you’ll get with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® but is meant for the person who enjoys the game of chasing rewards. That’s because the Freedom Flex earns 5% on up to $1,500 spent in categories that rotate quarterly.
The card offers the same collection of benefits and perks as the Freedom Unlimited, but adds cell phone protection. If you’re deeply invested in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® ecosystem, you’ll probably want both cards, but most casual collectors of rewards will probably prefer having just the Freedom Unlimited.
Annual fee: $0
Foreign transaction fee: 3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars
All information about the Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
The Chase Freedom Flex® offers 5% rewards on up to $1,500 in purchases in rotating categories each quarter when you activate.
Sign-up bonus
Learn more about sign-up bonuses in our article covering the best Freedom Flex bonuses.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers different sign-up bonuses based on the channel you’re applying through
Best bonus online: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply.
In-branch offer: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
These bonuses are marketed as cash back, but earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Rewards
- 5% in quarterly rotating categories
on up to $1,500 in total combined purchases each quarter when you activate. - 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 5% on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
- 3% on dining, including eligible takeout and delivery services.
- 3% on drugstore purchases.
- 1% on other purchases.
Rewards are marketed as cash back, but earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Ultimate Rewards® can be combined across cards you hold. If you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards card, you can transfer your points to Chase’s transfer partners or use your points for increased value when you book travel through Chase Travel℠. For more about using Ultimate Rewards, check out our guide on the Ultimate Rewards program.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
- Purchase protection.
- Extended warranty protection.
- Cell phone protection.
Travel insurance benefits
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver.
- Travel and emergency assistance services.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- 3 complimentary months of DashPass. After your 3 months, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at 50% off for the next 9 months. Activate by January 31, 2025.
Citi Custom Cash® Card: It can get you 5% cash back on up to $500 spent at Walgreens, but you’ll probably find a better use for this card.
Without a doubt the Citi Custom Cash® Card deserves to be on this list, but if you have the card, using it for rewards at Walgreens likely isn’t the most profitable way for you to use the card.
Drugstores features in the card’s list of 5% eligible categories, which means you could use the card to earn up to 5% cash back at Walgreens. But with grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, home improvement stores also on the list, you might find a better use for the card in those categories, since you’ll only earn 1% on purchases outside your highest-spending category each month.
Keep in mind that you can get multiple Citi Custom Cash cards, but until you’ve amassed an arsenal of Custom Cash cards, you’re likely going to want to use the card for one of its other categories.
Annual fee: annual_fees
All information about the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers 5% rewards on up to $500 spent in your highest eligible category each statement cycle.
Welcome offer
Best sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus is marketed as cash back, but earned as ThankYou® Points.
Rewards
- 5% cash back on your top eligible spend category each billing cycle on up to $500 spent.
- 5% on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Rewards are marketed as cash back, but earned as Citi ThankYou® points.
5% eligible categories
5% eligible categories include:
- Restaurants
- Gas stations
- Grocery stores
- Select travel
- Select transit
- Select streaming services
- Drugstores
- Home improvement stores
- Fitness clubs
- Live entertainment
Benefits
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers no notable benefits beyond its rewards.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: Use a mobile wallet and get 3% cash back or 4.5% travel rewards.
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card will be one of the top credit cards to use in any store that accepts mobile wallet for purchases, thanks to its 3x rewards on all mobile wallet purchases where you use tap to pay. And since Walgreens accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay, you can easily earn 3% cash back or 4.5% toward travel using the Altitude Reserve.
You likely won’t justify getting the card solely on the strength of its rewards at Walgreens—the card carries a $400 annual fee. But between the card’s extensive list of consumer insurance and travel protections, travel benefits, and an easy-to-use $325 in annual credits toward travel and dining purchases, you’re likely to get more than enough value to justify the card if you travel.
Annual fee: $400
Foreign transaction fee: None
All information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® card offers some of the best rewards—equivalent to 3% cash back or 4.5% travel rewards—anywhere you can use mobile wallet to pay.
Sign-up bonus
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® card is no longer available to new cardmembers.
Rewards
- 5x points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
- 3x points on mobile wallet spending with Apple Pay®, Google Wallet, and Samsung Pay.
- 3x points on eligible travel purchases.
- 1x points on all other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as Altitude Rewards points.
Altitude Rewards points can be redeemed for cash back at 1 cent per point or used to book travel through the Altitude Rewards center at 1.5 cents per point. You can also redeem your points against travel purchases through Real Time Rewards at 1.5 cents per point.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
- Extended warranty protection.
- Purchase security.
- Return protection.
- Personal identity theft protection.
Travel insurance benefits
- Auto rental collision damage waiver.
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Travel accident insurance.
- Emergency evacuation and transportation.
- Trip cancellation/interruption coverage.
- Trip delay reimbursement.
- Travel and emergency assistance services.
Travel benefits
- Airport lounge access. Complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership with 8 free visits annually.
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry statement credit.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- $325 annual statement credit for eligible travel and dining purchases.
- Free Shipt membership until 12/31/24 with enrollment. After free membership expires, you are automatically enrolled in an annual Shipt membership at then-current prices until you cancel.
How we picked: What we looked for for
When putting together our list of the best cards for Walgreens, here’s what we considered:
- Cash back. The rewards you can earn play a role in most of our best-of lists, but cash back rewards is a higher priority at drugstores like Walgreens. Since you’re likely buying consumables, benefits are secondary.
- Reward caps. If you’re looking for a card to use at Walgreens, you’re likely spending more than the average customer at the store. Most of our picks have no rewards cap, though pay special attention to our note about the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card if you’re planning on buying gift cards.
- Extended warranty, return protection, and purchase protection. Although you’re likely to be buying consumables like groceries and prescription drugs at Walgreens, there are plenty of smaller electronics available at the store.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
