As a makeup junkie and lover of saving money, I have spent years perfecting my shopping tactics. I first thought, “What the heck is ULTA and why would anyone shop here?” Oh, how naïve I was. Flash forward 5 years and I am a Platinum Ultamate Rewards member at ULTA and VIB at Sephora. I need to stop shopping, I know!

A common question among makeup lovers is which beauty rewards program is better – ULTA’s Ultamate Rewards or Sephora’s Beauty Insider? For starters, you should join both immediately if you have not. They are both free to join and by enrolling and opting to receive promotional emails, you will automatically be up to date on sales, special offers for members and best of all, a FREE birthday gift.

Now, let the comparison begin!

ULTA’s Ultamate Rewards Benefits

FREE Birthday Gift!
Earn 1 point per dollar spent
2x bonus rewards during your birthday month
2x-5x bonus rewards points through special offers and sale events (i.e. bonus points on your entire purchase or on purchases of specific brands or products)
Points STACK! So, if there is a 2x bonus point offer and it also happens to be your birthday month, you get 2x + 2x points! Stay tuned for a detailed post explaining how points add up
Spend $450 in a calendar year/earn 450 points (which can easily be done by taking advantage of bonus point offers) to reach Platinum status.
If you reach Platinum status, you get even more: 1.25 base points for every dollar spent, special bonus offers, special Platinum only gifts with purchase, Platinum “Hot Buys” and free shipping (no minimum, yay!) during 21 Days of Beauty events that happen twice a year (YES!), and even an annual Platinum Appreciation Day when you earn 10x bonus points on specific brands and/or products!
Redeem points like cash. Yes – cash, money, dinero. This means you can redeem points on ANYTHING your heart desires. Since it works like a cash discount, there are no restrictions.

Sephora’s Beauty Insider Benefits

FREE Birthday Gift! It’s always high quality and amazing. I look forward to this every year.
Earn 1 point per dollar spent -
Tier 1: Beauty Insider - Free to join
Tier 2: VIB – spend $350 in a calendar year. You will also receive a 10% off coupon to use on anything, one free makeover and 2-day Flash shipping for $10 per year
Tier 3: VIB Rouge – spend $1,000 in a calendar year – includes 2-day Flash Shipping on all orders, free makeovers, early access to new products and invitations to special events.
Redeem points on high quality deluxe samples in the Rewards Bazaar

The Verdict: Which One Is Better?

ULTA is the clear winner. Nothing is better than earning actual cash value discounts – not even an adorable mini Burberry lipstick or tiny Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. Who needs that when you can save up points and get the full-sized version in a FREE $125 ULTA haul?

Sephora’s Beauty Insider program is designed with the Sephora brand in mind – exclusive and high end. Their image cannot be tainted with discounts because discounts would make the brand seem cheaper.

Enter ULTA. ULTA carries many of the same high end brands yet still offers 20% off your entire purchase coupons 3-4 times per year (including prestige brands). Which means there is no real reason to buy any product at Sephora if it is available at ULTA. Additionally, you can also shop for essentials like shampoo, body wash and drugstore makeup and toiletries while still earning points! Simply put, you have more options at ULTA.

The biggest advantage of the Ultamate rewards program is the ability to easily earn a lot of points incredibly fast if you shop smart and at the right times. Turn your points into actual significant cash discounts by saving your points and cashing in on $125 worth of free stuff when you reach 2,000 points. I have cashed in on 10,000 points and trust me, it’s glorious.