DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. has launched a customer loyalty program called Balance Rewards. The drug chain says the program will offer customers ways to save, earn points and get rewarded for purchases, services and healthy behaviors.

Walgreen Co. has launched a customer loyalty program called Balance Rewards. The drug chain says the program will offer customers ways to save, earn points and get rewarded for purchases, services and healthy behaviors.

"The Balance Rewards program and its features build upon our efforts to give customers easy, multichannel access to health and daily living needs," says Graham Atkinson, senior vice president and chief experience officer at Walgreens.

To kick off the program, which was set to launch in all Walgreens and Duane Reade stores yesterday, the company had an online enrollment period earlier in the month complete with a sweepstakes called the Walgreens 10 Million Point Giveaway.

Consumers were entered in the sweepstakes when they enrolled in the Balance Rewards program, and they could earn additional entries by getting friends and family members to enroll as well. The sweepstakes will award 1 million points to 10 grand prize winners.

A number of retailers, including CVS Caremark Corp. and Rite Aid Corp., already offer loyalty card programs. Walgreens says its program has a number of unique features, including its integration into the free Walgreens mobile app. Balance Rewards members can scan their mobile devices at the register to earn points and savings, or redeem awards, freeing them from the need to carry around a plastic card. Members will also have the ability to review all their purchases, points activity and special member savings anytime and anyplace within their mobile network area.