If you’re into beauty, then you’re probably already a regular shopper at Ulta. Ulta is like a shopping mall for makeup and other beauty products. They have a range of products from drugstore brands to high-end cosmetics and skincare.
If you shop there once a month or more, then you’ll want to know more about their “Ultamate Rewards Program” and if membership is worth it. Compared to other reward programs, Ulta’s is easy to use and gives you exactly what you want, discounts on things you already wanted to purchase.
What Is The Ulta Rewards Program?
For beauty enthusiasts, walking into Ulta feels like entering Nirvana. It’s a sacred, safe space with bright colors and beautiful smells. There is something so satisfying about the rows and rows of pretty nail polish bottles all in a row. The staff is carefully selected for their beauty knowledge and are eager to answer your makeup, skin, or haircare questions. Ulta has made shopping with them even more enjoyable by offering an extremely straight-forward reward system.
Sign up for their Ultamate Rewards, and every time you shop, you earn points. If you opt into their email, you’ll get even more discounts and bonus points. Instead of free gifts, your points give you discounts on future purchases and beauty services. There are no fees for joining or maintaining your membership.
How Do Points Work With Ulta Rewards?
Figuring out a system’s reward points shouldn’t be rocket science, so you’ll appreciate Ulta’s effortless approach. New members all get 1 point per dollar spent. However, if you spend $500 in a year, you get bumped up to the Platinum level that offers 1.25 points per dollar spent. If you happen to spend $1,200 in a calendar year (don’t worry, we won’t judge you), then you achieve Diamond status and get 1.5 points per dollar spent. Platinum and Diamond level members get other perks like early access to deals, free gifts, birthday bonuses, and more.
Members often get alerted about double, triple, and even quadruple point days, so watch out for those on the app or in emails. Receiving their updates is certainly worth it.
How To Sign Up For Ultamate Rewards?
You can sign up in-store by talking to an associate when you checkout. You can also signup online. First, go to the Ulta website and create a free account. You’ll be able to sign up for rewards and e-mails.
What Kind Of Discounts Do I Earn With My Ulta Points?
Here are the discounts you can expect:
| Points Earned | Discount worth |
| 100 points | $3 OFF |
| 250 points | $8 OFF |
| 500 points | $17.50 OFF |
| 750 points | $30 OFF |
| 1,000 points | $50 OFF |
| 2,000 points | $125 |
How To Use Ulta Reward Points In-Store Or Online?
To earn rewards in a traditional store, simply fill your cart with your favorite beauty products and head to the register. You can present your physical card or ask the cashier to look your account up by your phone number. Your points from the transaction will automatically be credited to your account. If you have reward points to use, the cashier will ask if you want to use or save your points.
If you’re shopping online, make sure that you are logged in to your Ulta account. Your member ID to the reward program should already be on file with your account, and points from online purchases will be credited to you when you check out. Keep in mind; you don’t earn points on taxes and shipping.
Keeping Track Of Your Ulta Reward Account
You can check your account balance on their website, find your membership number, be alerted to special events, and more. If you want all this information at arm’s reach at all times, download Ulta’s free app. The app is a great way to stay on top of sales and deals.
Double Points With The Ultamate Reward Credit Card
In addition to signing up for the Ultamate Rewards program, you can apply for an Ultamate Rewards Mastercard. You will be rewarded with 20% off your first purchase using the credit card.
You will also receive double points for every dollar you spend if you pay with the credit card at checkout in stores or online. You can even earn 1 point for every $3 you spend anywhere else using this card. Get 500 welcome bonus points for signing up. Make your Ulta membership worth it. To earn serious points, this card is critical.
Are There Any Downsides To The Ulta Reward Program?
Ulta’s reward program is literally free, so there really isn’t any risk. Some people simply don’t want to give their email address and other personal information to a store. Ulta’s does sell data to third parties, but you can actually opt-out of that on their website.
One potential downside is that point can expire. On a basic membership, your points will expire after one year. Platinum and Diamond member’s points do not expire as long as you maintain that status.
How Does Ulta’s Reward Program Compare To Sephora?
Sephora is Ulta’s closest competitor as their store offers a similar set up with many brands under one roof. Both plans are simple and free to register for, and both allow you to earn points.
Instead of discounts, Sephora allows members to cash in points for small gifts. The gifts rotate over time, and you’ll have several choices. Just like Ulta, Sephora’s members can get bumped up to VIP status and earn points faster if they spend a certain amount of money in a calendar year.
Sephora’s plan offers one perk that Ulat’s does not, the ability to use your points right away. If you hit a certain amount of points, you are offered a freebee right away. On Ulta’s reward program, you have to wait 24 hours before redeeming your points.
However, many shoppers have applauded the fact that Ultat’s plan lets you earn a discount that you can apply to anything in the store. You can even stack your earned discount with in-store sales to help purchase a luxury item for yourself. With Sephora’s plan, you have to select a trial size free gift from a small assortment.
A Few More Tips to Save Money at Ulta
Besides signing up for rewards, which clearly you should do to save money, here are some more tips for shopping at Ulta.
- Download the app and immediately get a $3.50 coupon off a $15 or more purchase.
- Make sure to stay on their email list. Ulta’s e-mails are full of gems, including 20% deals and their (x2,x3,x4) points days.
- If you already know you’ll hit Platinum or Diamond Status, try to get it early in the year to take advantage of the boosted perks for a longer period. This is excellent advice for beauticians, stylists, and makeup artists.
- Be on the lookout for bonus offers that give you up to 5 times the reward points for purchasing specific brands. You can search for these deals on your Ultamate Rewards account. Find “my bonus offers” at the bottom of the page.
- Did you know that Ulta offers beauty services? They don’t just sell products. You can get hair extensions, brow services, lash extensions, a makeover, and much more. You’ll also earn five times the reward points for services. This adds extra value to your membership, it’s worth it!
- Use willpower to save your points up. It will be tempting to cash out that $3 coupon every time it becomes available. If you do that, you’ll have saved $60 in discounts in the same amount of time it would have taken you to save up 2,000 points. Redeeming 2,000 points at once gives you a value of $125. Good things come to those who wait.
- Ulta takes the manufacturer’s coupons, score! You can even stack your reward point discounts with coupons for more savings.
- When shopping online, check for coupon codes at Koopy for additional savings.
- Online shopping is convenient, but if you pop into the physical store from time to time, you can snag some fantastic deals on their clearance items, only found in stores.
- Look out for the “Jumbo Love” even in December. Stock up on hair care products in the big bottles. You can stock up for the whole year and save big money with this deal alone.
- Mark your calendars for Wednesday’s “Beauty Breaks.” Ulta has big sales with a small window of opportunity on Wednesdays. Your e-mails or the app can keep you in the loop.
- When you shop online, you’ll be asked to pick a sample category and get a little gift with your order. When shopping in the store, you won’t be asked this automatically, but if you politely ask if there are any current samples, you might be rewarded!
- Participate in the “21 Days Of Beauty” event that takes place in the fall and the spring. It features luxury items for up to 50% off with different deals each day for 21 days. You can shop this sale in person or online. If you have Platinum or Diamond reward status, then your order also ships for free.
- Want more money saving tips? Check this article – 10 Simple Ways to Save Money at Ulta
By now, hopefully, you see that by not signing up for Ulta’s reward program, you are leaving money on the table. If you plan to shop there a few times a year, it’s worth handing over your e-mail address. Save up your points and buy yourself something you’ve always coveted.
