The end of EasySaver...

I heard from a couple of you over the weekend about Walgreens' decision to discontinue its EasySaver mail-in rebate program.

The April EasySaver catalog was the last one that will be issued.

I've held off on writing about it because I wanted to touch base with Walgreens' corporate office. Now I've done that. So click "Read more" for my thoughts on the matter. Also, at the request of one reader, I will share some advice on using the Walgreens Register Rewards program, which is its remaining "instant rebate" program.

Here's what happened:

According to company spokesman Robert Elfinger, the decision to discontinue the EasySaver rebate program came after an evaluation of the programs Walgreens offers to shoppers.

"After research, we learned customers are looking for more straight-forward ways to find savings," he said. "Many did not want to purchase a product and wait for a rebate to come in the mail."

Some items will still come with rebates through the summer, Elfinger said. Those items will be labeled with shelf tags in stores, and the rebate form will print out at the register when you buy the item.

After that, Walgreens may add new ways to save and get rebates, though Elfinger said no decisions have been made on that particular front yet.

What I think:

Well, I'm sad to see the rebate program go. Unlike a lot of people, I have no trouble purchasing a product, mailing in the rebate and waiting for my check. This can be one of the greatest ways to save, and I am sorry that I have one less option for rebates. We are left now with Register Rewards, a program that is kind of similar but also very different. You can read my full explainer on Register Rewards here. But the basic gist is that you purchase a qualifying product and then you get an "instant rebate" in the form of a coupon that prints out at the register and is good for a certain amount off your next purchase.

Ways to maximize:

Since its introduction, many people have said they don't like the RR program because it's a little harder to use. But I do think it provides some ways to save if you know how the system works.

There are a couple of caveats about the program that you should know about:

1) Register Rewards count as a manufacturer's coupon. Not a store coupon. So you cannot "stack" them with an additional manufacturer's coupon. So if you are trying to redeem your RR coupon on an item, you cannot use a second coupon on that item for double savings.

2) There are also some restrictions about "rolling" RR coupons into new purchases. The two basic things you need to know are: A) you cannot roll a RR coupon into the same deal. So, if you do a deal and get $2 in Register Rewards, you cannot go back to the store and repeat the deal and use the coupon you got the first time around. And B) You cannot roll a RR coupon into a new deal for an item made by the same manufacturer. So if I earn $2 in RR buying General Mills cereal, I cannot use that RR coupon to buy more General Mills cereal. That's kind of just a variation on the first rule.

If you follow these two rules, you should not have too many problems. Here are a few more tips for maximizing your savings:

*Even though the RR coupon counts as a manufacturer's coupon, I try to use them on deals where I have to buy a number of products. So if I have $4 in RR and then I do a deal where I have to buy three items, I will use regular coupons for the first two items and the RR coupon for the third.

*Even though the RR rules say you can't roll the RR coupon into a deal with products from the same manufacturer, you absolutely CAN use them on deals for products from a different manufacturer. So I try to look for deals that will get me more RR coupons that just involve products from a different company.

*You must shop at Walgreens frequently to make this work. RR coupons have a very short expiration date... usually two or three weeks. So if you aren't in the store every week or two, it may not make sense for you to partake in this program.

Those are my thoughts. Feel free to share yours. I will add the above info to my coupons 101 post on Register Rewards for future reference (you can always access those posts on the left-hand side of this blog).