Walgreens weeks away from entering the loyalty program market with Balance Rewards

NEW YORK — Details of Walgreens' new loyalty card — Balance Rewards — that's debuting next month were revealed in a New York Times report published Friday.

Leading that effort is Graham Atkinson, who joined Walgreens in 2011 from his position of president United Airlines Mileage Plus.

The card makes its official debut Sept. 16, though Walgreens will be encouraging first-adopters to sign on earlier in September for a chance to win 10 million rewards points, the report noted.

Shoppers across the pharmacy and front end will be able to accrue points. But the loyalty program will also reward healthy behaviors by granting points to participants of Walk with Walgreens, for example. Loyalty card members will be able to cash in 5,000 points for $5 to use in store or online. The point-reward system is accelerated as more points are accrued — 40,000 points will earn $50, for example.

For the full report, click here.