Ulta vs Sephora: How the Two Beauty Rewards Programs Compare in 2026

Ulta Beauty Rewards and Sephora Beauty Insider are both free to join, and both have three tiers. Ulta reported more than 46 million members at the end of fiscal 2025. Sephora said Beauty Insider hit a record 45 million members in North America in 2025. This guide compares the two from each retailer’s own pages, terms and filings. It covers earning, what points are worth, tiers, expiry, perks, cards and partner shops. Ulta’s program was called Ultamate Rewards before a relaunch under its current name in January 2024.

Is Ulta or Sephora better for rewards?

Ulta Beauty Rewards is the better pick for shoppers who want points that turn into cash off. Its published chart gives $50 off for 1,000 points. Points earn on salon and beauty services, and they never expire for Platinum or Diamond members. Platinum starts at $500 a year, and Diamond starts at $1,200.

Sephora Beauty Insider is the better pick for shoppers who want free shipping and rewards beyond a discount. Every member gets free shipping with no minimum, a birthday gift set and access to the Rewards Bazaar. The Bazaar trades points for samples, bundles and experiences. VIB starts at $350 a year, and Rouge starts at $1,000.

Ulta vs Sephora rewards at a glance

The table sets the two programs side by side. Each value comes from the retailer’s own pages, linked in the sections below. Sephora values come from its U.S. Beauty Insider page.

How do you earn points at Ulta and Sephora?

Ulta members earn 1 point for every $1 spent on qualifying purchases. Platinum members earn 1.25 points and Diamond members earn 1.5. In-store points post at once, and online points post within 72 hours after shipping. Bonus offers stack, but the base points are earned only once. Gift cards, tips, taxes and shipping fees do not earn points.

Ulta also pays points on beauty services, including salon visits. Orders placed through DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats earn base points when the member links the account first. Those orders skip bonus offers.

Sephora members earn at least 1 point per $1 and more during point multiplier events. The Beauty Insider Challenge adds up to 500 points for finishing tasks at 100 points each. Higher tiers pay in bigger savings events and better rewards.

What are the points worth?

Ulta lets members redeem at 100 points or more, in steps from 100 to 2,000 points. The chart pays $3 for 100 points, $8 for 250, $17.50 for 500, $30 for 750, $50 for 1,000 and $125 for 2,000. A member can redeem up to 10,000 points in one store purchase and 4,000 online.

Sephora turns 500 points into $10 Beauty Insider Cash, a rate it introduced with Beauty Insider Cash in May 2020. Rouge members can use 1,000 points for $20 or 2,500 points for the $100 Rouge Reward in the Rewards Bazaar. Online redemption needs a purchase of $25 or more. Sephora also trades points for samples, bundles and experiences, with rewards from 100 to 50,000 points.

For illustration, a shopper who spends $1,000 in a year earns 1,000 points at the base rate in either program. At Ulta, one 1,000-point step takes $50 off, which is 5% of that spend. Redeeming in 100-point steps takes $30 off, or 3%. At Sephora, 1,000 points buy $20 of Beauty Insider Cash in two $10 steps, or 2%. A Rouge member who saves 2,500 points gets $100, or 4%. These cash figures leave out samples and experiences, which Sephora values differently.

How do the tiers compare?

Ulta counts spend from January 1 to December 31. Platinum takes $500 a year, and Diamond takes $1,200. A member keeps the status through December 31 of the following year. That means a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 24 months.

Platinum adds 25% faster earning, points that never expire and an extra birthday perk. Diamond adds 50% faster earning and free shipping on orders of $25 or more. It also adds a full-size qualification gift, early access to launches and an annual $25 off a beauty service.

Sephora sets VIB at $350 a year and Rouge at $1,000, counted from January 1 to December 31. Its terms say both statuses last for the calendar year earned and the following full calendar year. The twice-yearly Savings Event pays 10% off for Insider, 15% for VIB and 20% for Rouge. Rouge adds the $100 reward, Rouge celebration offers and first access to product.

Do Ulta and Sephora points expire?

Yes, at both, with different rules. Ulta points expire at the end of the quarter one year after they were earned. Points earned on November 1, 2025 expire on December 31, 2026. Platinum and Diamond members keep their points as long as they hold status. Ulta also reserves the right to change the expiry policy at any time.

Sephora points expire if you go 12 months without a purchase or a redemption. That rule is in its Beauty Insider terms.

Which program has better perks?

Shipping favors Sephora on the pages checked. Every member gets free shipping with no minimum. Ulta lists free shipping on orders of $25 or more as a Diamond perk.

Birthdays differ. Ulta gives 2X bonus points on qualifying purchases in the birthday month, with activation. It also sends a gift coupon while supplies last. Sephora gives every member a free birthday gift set. Members can pick 250 points instead of a gift, in store. VIB and Rouge members get online-only gifts that rotate through the year.

Ulta’s edge is services. Points earn on beauty services and redeem against them, and Diamond members get $25 off a service each year. Sephora’s edge is its reward catalog. New rewards drop every Tuesday and Thursday at 9am PT.

What about credit cards and partner shops?

Ulta offers a store card and a Mastercard. Both give 1 extra point per $1 at Ulta, for 2 points per $1 on qualifying purchases. The Mastercard adds 1 point per $3 spent elsewhere. Ulta advertises 20% off the first purchase for new cardholders. At the 1,000-point step, 2 points per $1 returns about 10%.

Sephora’s card adds 4% back in card rewards and 4% in Beauty Insider Cash on Sephora purchases. Sephora calls that 8% back. Cardmembers also get 25% off a first purchase within 30 days of opening the account.

Partner shops changed in 2026. Ulta Beauty at Target ended on August 15, 2026. Points earned there stay in the account, and purchases through that date still count toward status. Ulta’s 10-K says members could earn points but not redeem them at the Target shop. Sephora’s birthday gifts and 250-point option also work at Sephora at Kohl’s.

What happened to Ultamate Rewards?

Ultamate Rewards is now Ulta Beauty Rewards. Customer Experience Dive reported in December 2023 that the new name would launch in January. The core benefits stayed the same, and the birthday gift changed.

Ulta’s fiscal 2022 10-K calls the program Ultamate Rewards. Its fiscal 2023 10-K calls it Ulta Beauty Rewards. Members grew from 40.2 million to 43.3 million between the two filings.

Which should you choose?

• Shoppers who want cash off: Ulta. Its chart pays 3% to 6.25% of spend at the base rate.
• Shoppers who want free shipping on small orders: Sephora. Shipping has no minimum.
• Salon and service customers: Ulta. Points earn on services and Diamond gets $25 off one.
• Shoppers who like samples: Sephora. Rewards start at 100 points.
• Cardholders: Compare the cards. Sephora’s 8% is a flat rate. Ulta’s card doubles points that you then redeem in steps.
• Anyone who shops both: Join both. Each one is free.

Both programs appear in our guide to the best retail loyalty programs, and both have a profile in the retail program directory.

What do Ulta and Sephora teach a loyalty team?

Ulta shows how much of a business a free program can hold. Its 10-K says members drive approximately 95% of total sales. Ulta also offers co-branded and private label credit cards as part of the program. A free program that captures almost every transaction is a data asset first and a discount second.

Ulta’s rules push members to stay. Status is set by calendar-year spend and lasts up to 24 months. Points expire after a year, unless the member holds Platinum or Diamond. The redemption chart pays 3% at 100 points and 6.25% at 2,000, so members who wait earn a better rate. Each rule gives a member a reason to keep shopping.

Sephora pays high spenders with a better exchange rate. The standard step gives 2 cents a point, and the Rouge reward gives 4 cents. Rewards also arrive on a schedule: new items drop every Tuesday and Thursday. A drop calendar gives members a reason to open the app between purchases. The program launched in February 2007, and Sephora’s loyalty head says birthday gifts are the most-loved benefit of the program.

Partner shops add a different lesson. Ulta let members earn but not redeem points in the Target shop. That limited where points could be spent. When the partnership ended, Ulta had to answer what happens to points, status and linked accounts. Its FAQ answers each one. Any program with a partner needs those answers before launch.

How GRAVTY handles tiers, expiry and partner earning

GRAVTY, Loyalty Juggernaut’s platform, treats these design choices as configuration. Tier thresholds, earn rules and redemption steps are written in Visual Rules, its patented visual rules language. Teams launch them without an IT ticket. Partner earn and burn run as platform features. Spin Premia by FEMSA runs on GRAVTY across 33,000 stores. The platform holds a 99.99% uptime SLA with 500M+ members in production. See our tier strategy guide and our partner settlement guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ulta or Sephora better for rewards?

It depends on how you use points. Ulta pays $50 off for 1,000 points, and Sephora pays $10 Beauty Insider Cash for 500 points. Sephora gives free shipping with no minimum, and Ulta gives free shipping on $25 or more to Diamond members.

What is the difference between Ultamate Rewards and Ulta Beauty Rewards?

They are the same program, because Ulta renamed Ultamate Rewards as Ulta Beauty Rewards. The relaunch started in January 2024, with an enhanced birthday gift experience and the same core benefits. Ulta’s fiscal 2022 10-K uses the old name and its fiscal 2023 10-K uses the new one.

How much do you have to spend to reach Sephora Rouge and Ulta Diamond?

Sephora Rouge takes $1,000 a year, and Ulta Diamond takes $1,200 a year. The middle tiers are lower: Sephora VIB takes $350 and Ulta Platinum takes $500. Both count spend from January 1 to December 31.

Do Ulta points expire?

Yes. Ulta points expire at the end of the quarter one year after they were earned. Points earned on November 1, 2025 expire on December 31, 2026. Platinum and Diamond members keep their points while they hold status.

Do Sephora points expire?

Yes. Sephora points expire if you go 12 months without a purchase or a redemption, per its Beauty Insider terms.

Can you still use Ulta points at Target?

No. The Ulta Beauty at Target partnership ended on August 15, 2026. Points earned there stay in your Ulta Beauty Rewards account. You can redeem them at Ulta stores, on ulta.com and in the Ulta app.