Sephora vs Ulta Rewards, Sales and Beauty Deals

Ulta Beauty Rewards saves most shoppers more, because Ulta points turn into bigger dollar discounts the longer you save them, while Sephora's Beauty Insider is the better fit if you buy mostly prestige brands and want its tiered Savings Event. Both programs are free, so the real answer for many people is to join both and time big buys for each store's own sale: Sephora's Savings Event, 10% to 20% off by tier, and Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty, twice a year. For drugstore beauty, CVS pays 2% back and Walgreens 5% on its own brand. Every policy below was checked on the stores' own sites in October 2026. For more ways to cut your spending, see our money saving tips.

Sephora vs Ulta rewards at a glance

Both programs are free, both have three tiers, and both earn 1 point per $1 at the entry tier. The differences are in what a point is worth, how fast higher tiers earn, and when points expire. Ulta points can return up to 6.25 cents each, while Sephora's standard redemption returns 2 cents.

All figures as of October 2026.

How Sephora Beauty Insider works

Beauty Insider is Sephora's free loyalty program. As of October 2026, every member earns 1 point per $1, whatever their tier, and redeems points as Beauty Insider Cash, items in the Rewards Bazaar, or a $100 Rouge Reward at the top tier. Your tier depends on what you spend at Sephora in a calendar year.

• Insider: everyone starts here.
• VIB: spend $350 in a calendar year.
• Rouge: spend $1,000 in a calendar year.

Sephora's terms confirm that all three tiers earn the same 1 point per $1, so a higher tier does not earn faster. What a higher tier changes is access: VIB and Rouge members get exclusive rewards such as full-size products, earlier and deeper Savings Event discounts, and Rouge members can trade 2,500 points for a $100 Rouge Reward.

Beauty Insider Cash and the Rewards Bazaar

Beauty Insider Cash is the simplest way to use points: 500 points take $10 off a purchase of $10 or more, once per transaction, online and in Sephora and Sephora at Kohl's stores. The Rewards Bazaar trades points for samples, products and experiences instead. Rewards of 750 points or more can be ordered online without buying anything, and they ship free.

The Birthday Gift

Every Beauty Insider can redeem one Birthday Gift a year during their birthday month. In a Sephora store, or in a Sephora at Kohl's store, no purchase is needed: give the cast member your Beauty Insider email. Online, the gift needs a merchandise order of $25 or more and appears at checkout.

Using Sephora points at Kohl's

Sephora at Kohl's shops count for Beauty Insider: you can redeem Beauty Insider Cash and your Birthday Gift there. Sephora at Kohl's items are excluded from Kohl's own coupons and Kohl's Cash, so the Sephora program is the one that saves you money in those aisles. Our guide to Kohl's and Macy's savings covers the Kohl's side.

How Ulta Beauty Rewards works

Ulta Beauty Rewards is free and pays you in dollars off. As of October 2026, members earn 1 point per $1, Platinum members (who spend $500 a year) earn 1.25, and Diamond members (who spend $1,200 a year) earn 1.5. You redeem points at checkout, and bigger redemptions are worth more per point.

That curve is the heart of the program: saving up to 2,000 points more than doubles what each point is worth compared with cashing in 100 at a time. Our Ulta rewards points chart explains when it makes sense to redeem early.

Member points expire at the end of the quarter one year after you earn them, so check your account before a big redemption. Platinum and Diamond points do not expire while you keep your status. The Ulta Beauty Rewards Credit Card adds 2 points per $1 at Ulta and 20% off your first purchase with the card, as of October 2026.

Two more Ulta perks are easy to miss:

• Your birthday month. Members get a free birthday gift and 2X points on qualifying purchases that month, with activation.
• Student coupons. Ulta sends student coupons to verified Rewards members 16 and older when a student offer is live.

What are Sephora and Ulta points worth in real money?

At the entry tier, Sephora returns about 2% of what you spend and Ulta returns 3% to 6.25%, depending on how many points you redeem at once. The gap widens at the top: a Sephora Rouge Reward (2,500 points for $100) returns 4%, while an Ulta Diamond member earning 1.5 points per $1 can get over 9%.

Here is the same spending at both stores, starting at the entry tier, as of October 2026:

Ulta wins on points alone at every spending level, and it carries more drugstore brands. Prices on the same products are usually similar at both stores, so the rest of the difference comes from perks and sales. Sephora claws some of Ulta's lead back with free shipping on every order, its Birthday Gift and the Savings Event discount, which is a percentage off a whole order rather than points you have to save up.

When beauty stores run sales

Beauty sales follow a yearly pattern. Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty runs in early spring and late summer, Sephora's tiered Savings Event runs for about ten days, and Black Friday week brings gift sets and value sets. In 2026, Ulta's event ran March 6 to 26 and August 28 to September 17, and Sephora's spring Savings Event ran April 10 to 20.

• Sephora Savings Event: a percentage off almost everything, scaled by tier. In spring 2026, Rouge members got 20% off from the first day, then VIB members got 15% and Insiders 10% from April 14, and Sephora Collection was 30% off for everyone. It suits a planned stock-up.
• Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: new products on deep discount each day for three weeks. It suits shoppers who watch for specific products.

Both stores announce the exact dates shortly before each event, so join their free programs and apps to hear first. Our Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale guide covers that brand's calendar in detail. If you are planning a holiday haul, our Black Friday game plan shows how to track prices so you can tell a real sale from a normal one.

Free gifts, samples and codes at Sephora and Ulta

Both stores give free trial sizes and gifts with a minimum purchase, which often beats a small percentage off. Sephora runs most of them as checkout codes, while Ulta lists its gifts and deals on its offers page. In mid October 2026, Ulta's coupon page had no codes at all, so its savings came from deals and gifts.

As of October 12, 2026, Sephora's offers included two, four or six free trial sizes with $55, $80 or $105 spent (code MORE4U in the app) and a free Caudalie trial size with $40 (code LIFTCREAM). Ulta had a free gift with a select $65 online purchase and a free Tarte brush with Shape Tape Concealer. Codes like these change every week, so check our Sephora coupons and Ulta Beauty coupons before you order.

Gifts and codes usually combine with points. You can use Beauty Insider Cash alongside sample promos and Rouge Rewards, and Ulta points come off as a dollar amount like any other discount. Our guide on how to stack coupons explains which discounts combine.

Samples let you test a product before paying full price, which is often the biggest saving of all. They come from three places:

• Birthday gifts: Sephora, Ulta and Bath & Body Works all give members a free birthday gift; see our list of birthday freebies for how to claim each.
• Checkout samples: Sephora and Ulta often offer free samples with online orders; check the options at checkout.
• By mail: brand programs and sample sites send free products; our guide to free samples by mail lists the legit ones.

Drugstore beauty deals

Drugstore beauty is cheapest when you stack the store's free rewards with its weekly ad and coupons. As of October 2026, CVS ExtraCare pays 2% back in ExtraBucks Rewards on qualifying purchases, and myWalgreens pays 1% back in Walgreens Cash, or 5% on Walgreens brand products. Both programs are free.

• Check the weekly ad for buy one, get one deals on makeup and skincare.
• Use the rewards before they expire. CVS ExtraBucks Rewards expire 90 days after the end of the quarter they are issued in, and Walgreens Cash expires 12 months after it is earned.
• Compare store brands. Many drugstore brand cleansers and moisturizers cost much less than national brands.

Our guide to the best store rewards programs compares these with other free programs.

Which beauty rewards program should you choose?

Choose Ulta if you buy a mix of drugstore and prestige products and can let points build up, because its points are worth more. Choose Sephora if you buy mostly prestige brands, value free shipping on every order and plan around the Savings Event. Since both are free, join both and buy each product where the current offer is better.

1. You spend under $350 a year on beauty: Ulta. Your points will be worth more, and Sephora's higher tiers are out of reach.
2. You spend $1,000 or more at Sephora: Sephora. Rouge gets the biggest Savings Event discount and the $100 Rouge Reward.
3. You shop at Kohl's anyway: Sephora, because you can redeem Beauty Insider Cash and your Birthday Gift at Sephora at Kohl's.
4. You want the most from every dollar on points: Ulta, saved up to 2,000 points.

Both stores also offer credit cards that add extra rewards, but store cards carry high interest. Only open one if you pay the balance in full every month.

Sephora vs Ulta FAQs