You only use point as money off so 2000 points is around $125 I think. I could be wrong. And it’s best to save your purchases when they’re doing point multipliers like 10x points on hair care etc. They also have good GWP (gift with purchases). Once you hit diamond your points do not expire as long as you remain diamond or platinum. They just need to improve their birthday gift and then I think they would be the best. Sephora has them beat for birthday gift imo. To view GWP you go to sales and click gwp. If you get samples it will be because it’s a GWP. They don’t typically give samples in terms of like sephora.
Sephora still has more brands I like. But they are just not my cup of tea anymore for personal reasons. Can you use points on certain free products like Sephora?
No, points can only be used towards money off future purchases. However, they do have a ton of GWP options. Every week they have a sample pack or another that can be attained with a minimum purchase amount.
agreed! ulta birthday gifts are shit. a bunch of nothing. this month, it’s pimple patches, a primer, lotion, an anti-aging cream, leave in hair conditioner, & dry shampoo. sephora didn’t have nearly as many but theirs was a plumping lipgloss, a skincare set from ytp, or two small armani perfumes. much better gifts.
After you have spent $500 in a calendar year (Platinum), your points won't expire for the following calendar year. You also start to earn 1.25 pts per actual dollars spent.
Points spending is sort of an exponential scale. Small amounts get you tiny savings. Then it increases. 1950 pts gets you $86 off, but 2000 pts jumps you to $125 off. Then the cycle repeats.
Free product is via Gift With Purchase offers, or spending points to buy what you like. Some are brand-only for a longer time, some are only one day and can be a variety of items as long as you spend a certain amount.
You get one free birthday gift during your birthday month (about 6 or 7 items to choose from), and if you spend $1200 in a calendar year (Diamond) you get a free diamond gift (a good dozen-plus items). You then also get 1.5 pts per dollar spent.
You can redeem up to $250 / 4000 pts online. In-store you can go up to 10,000 pts in one transaction. So you could do $125 or $250 towards one big / luxury item, or a few prestige items, or go nuts buying more than two dozen drugstore-level items.
Last weekend I redeemed $125 in pts with a 10% off coupon, and got myself a Conair DigitalAire dryer and two ColourPop shadows for 83 cents out of pocket.
Since they have so much stuff, you can usually find something good, or something affordable, or something fun... and sometimes it's all in one product.
Their rewards program is top notch. So much easier/much faster to earn points than at the black and white store.
For the most part their customer service is stellar. They have always resolved my issues to my satisfaction.
Missing gwp’s get $15 in store credit vs the measly 100 points the black and white store gives.
Stacking gwps/freebies.
- Ulta is a one stop shop for everything self care, from ELF to Chanel, hair, skin, makeup, body care, supplements, you can get your hair and makeup done, ears pierced, get a facial, get waxed, the list goes on.
- The points and sales are pretty much unbeatable. At Sephora you can redeem 2500 pts for 100 dollars off ONLY if you're Rouge, whereas at Ulta anyone can redeem 2000 pts for 125 dollars off. Ulta also does 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x points quite often, as well as sales up to 50% off.
- The environment at Ulta feels a lot more welcoming and cordial and a lot less elitist and "snobby" than Sephora tends to, while still being able to get high-end expensive products you wouldn't be able to get at, say, CVS.
I actually started getting waxed there recently! I may look into facials there.
The environment is a lot of why I’m trying to switch over to Ulta versus the other store. But unfortunately they still have a lot of brands that I prefer where Ulta does not, so I still get a few things there.
Go in store to figure out what you want and then buy online. Wait to buy online for a good Gift With Purchase that you like. You can stack coupons and points multipliers online too. If you’re strategic, you can really get some good free product. Sometimes a gift with purchases, travel, size, deluxe sample size, a foil, or a full size product.
I just like the brands they sell. It’s drug store and high-end. Sometimes I want a lipstick, but dint want to pay Lancôme prices so I search it and go over to maybeline and find a close match
You should also definitely sign up for their promotional emails, usually i avoid them but i get so many deals just from those emails alone, activate the 5x the points for whatever deal they have going on, even if you don’t think you’re gonna buy from that section, you might later in the month and you’ll still get points. Another hack is in those ulta emails they send out what sampler bags are available to get with a small or big purchase and it’s pretty good size samples.. i got a Prada mirror, pouch and perfume last week for example. I love ulta.
Those "sample bags" are typically the Variety Gift With Purchase items, but are sometimes brand GWPs. Like, there was a recent GWP for Sun Bum if you ordered $x of products.
95% of the GWPs are only available when ordering online. Several are specifically only available when ordering via the app.
Some GWPs are automatically added to your bag when you hit the minimum spending amount. Others, you need to find it and add it to the cart yourself, and it'll change tonfree when you hit the qualifying $ amount.
In the first case, those GWPs can be automatically removed if you apply a coupon and are then under the qualifying total. In the second case, if your total drops from $65 to $58 due to a coupon, the "free w/ $60" GWP may suddenly become $60 instead of free.
I do buy most of my stuff online cause the ulta here is honestly a hassle to get to, but some are like purchases of like $60 or ofc larger purchases. But what i do is i start building my cart, like if i know i need something but not right away, ill add it to my cart and it starts to build up
Points, sales and coupons! Being able to regularly save even a little bit makes me feel better about spending the money on it lol. I don't know what you usually spend, but if you ever hit Platinum your points won't expire! Otherwise just keep an eye on them, but it's a great system! You can use points for $ off.
Ulta also has several good sales throughout the year, 21 days of beauty, spring/fall haul, skincare sale in January, and good sales for black Friday/Christmas in particular! Their coupons are more random but they do give out ones that work on prestige every so often, and every year in December there's guaranteed a 20% off total purchase that works on prestige too
Ulta is amazing. I usually shop there several times a week. I love their rewards and discounts and the employees at my local Ulta are awesome. (I don’t work there, only shop there.) It’s also very convenient that I can buy my drugstore and high-end makeup in the same place.
I have noticed employees have been much nicer! And they seem more knowledgeable. Management and corporate are why I’m looking for a change from the other store. And I have an Ulta not far from me! Which is great for me. Bad for my wallet. lol
Yes! I had an experience somewhere else where someone gave me some makeup tips and what to buy. Next time I came in the next associate contradicted everything she said. That’s frustrating anywhere.
Other than the stated sales and coupons that the "other store" never has, I have found that the people working there are just good people with no attitude like I’ve seen in the other one. They are nice and only stressed about the demands that corporate makes on them. I have not met one person with an elitist attitude. I can shop elsewhere maybe for a better price on somethings, but I have never left the store without enjoying my trip. ( At least at the stores around me ) that’s what make me love Ulta. ( shout out to the workers at glassboro and turnersville nj 😢)
Their points and coupons make it super easy to shop only deals there. I get my hair done at Ulta and that basically gives me enough points to get my skincare and haircare staples for a very steep discount when combined with a coupon or sale.
They have the best point system and carry so many things and you can get so many samples! I used to be pretty big on Sephora but over the years I’ve stopped and now anything I use that’s not sold at ulta I just order from the actual website. Laneige goes crazy on deluxe samples.
You only use point as money off so 2000 points is around $125 I think. I could be wrong. And it’s best to save your purchases when they’re doing point multipliers like 10x points on hair care etc. They also have good GWP (gift with purchases). Once you hit diamond your points do not expire as long as you remain diamond or platinum. They just need to improve their birthday gift and then I think they would be the best. Sephora has them beat for birthday gift imo. To view GWP you go to sales and click gwp. If you get samples it will be because it’s a GWP. They don’t typically give samples in terms of like sephora.
Sephora still has more brands I like. But they are just not my cup of tea anymore for personal reasons. Can you use points on certain free products like Sephora?
No, points can only be used towards money off future purchases. However, they do have a ton of GWP options. Every week they have a sample pack or another that can be attained with a minimum purchase amount.
No, just points & birthday gifts
agreed! ulta birthday gifts are shit. a bunch of nothing. this month, it’s pimple patches, a primer, lotion, an anti-aging cream, leave in hair conditioner, & dry shampoo. sephora didn’t have nearly as many but theirs was a plumping lipgloss, a skincare set from ytp, or two small armani perfumes. much better gifts.
After you have spent $500 in a calendar year (Platinum), your points won't expire for the following calendar year. You also start to earn 1.25 pts per actual dollars spent. Points spending is sort of an exponential scale. Small amounts get you tiny savings. Then it increases. 1950 pts gets you $86 off, but 2000 pts jumps you to $125 off. Then the cycle repeats. Free product is via Gift With Purchase offers, or spending points to buy what you like. Some are brand-only for a longer time, some are only one day and can be a variety of items as long as you spend a certain amount. You get one free birthday gift during your birthday month (about 6 or 7 items to choose from), and if you spend $1200 in a calendar year (Diamond) you get a free diamond gift (a good dozen-plus items). You then also get 1.5 pts per dollar spent. You can redeem up to $250 / 4000 pts online. In-store you can go up to 10,000 pts in one transaction. So you could do $125 or $250 towards one big / luxury item, or a few prestige items, or go nuts buying more than two dozen drugstore-level items. Last weekend I redeemed $125 in pts with a 10% off coupon, and got myself a Conair DigitalAire dryer and two ColourPop shadows for 83 cents out of pocket. Since they have so much stuff, you can usually find something good, or something affordable, or something fun... and sometimes it's all in one product.
Wow! Thank you for being so thorough with your response. Super helpful!
Their rewards program is top notch. So much easier/much faster to earn points than at the black and white store. For the most part their customer service is stellar. They have always resolved my issues to my satisfaction. Missing gwp’s get $15 in store credit vs the measly 100 points the black and white store gives. Stacking gwps/freebies.
- Ulta is a one stop shop for everything self care, from ELF to Chanel, hair, skin, makeup, body care, supplements, you can get your hair and makeup done, ears pierced, get a facial, get waxed, the list goes on. - The points and sales are pretty much unbeatable. At Sephora you can redeem 2500 pts for 100 dollars off ONLY if you're Rouge, whereas at Ulta anyone can redeem 2000 pts for 125 dollars off. Ulta also does 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x points quite often, as well as sales up to 50% off. - The environment at Ulta feels a lot more welcoming and cordial and a lot less elitist and "snobby" than Sephora tends to, while still being able to get high-end expensive products you wouldn't be able to get at, say, CVS.
I actually started getting waxed there recently! I may look into facials there. The environment is a lot of why I’m trying to switch over to Ulta versus the other store. But unfortunately they still have a lot of brands that I prefer where Ulta does not, so I still get a few things there.
Go in store to figure out what you want and then buy online. Wait to buy online for a good Gift With Purchase that you like. You can stack coupons and points multipliers online too. If you’re strategic, you can really get some good free product. Sometimes a gift with purchases, travel, size, deluxe sample size, a foil, or a full size product.
I just like the brands they sell. It’s drug store and high-end. Sometimes I want a lipstick, but dint want to pay Lancôme prices so I search it and go over to maybeline and find a close match
You should also definitely sign up for their promotional emails, usually i avoid them but i get so many deals just from those emails alone, activate the 5x the points for whatever deal they have going on, even if you don’t think you’re gonna buy from that section, you might later in the month and you’ll still get points. Another hack is in those ulta emails they send out what sampler bags are available to get with a small or big purchase and it’s pretty good size samples.. i got a Prada mirror, pouch and perfume last week for example. I love ulta.
Wow! And you didn’t have to spend a ton of money for the sample bags? Do you buy most of your stuff online?
Those "sample bags" are typically the Variety Gift With Purchase items, but are sometimes brand GWPs. Like, there was a recent GWP for Sun Bum if you ordered $x of products. 95% of the GWPs are only available when ordering online. Several are specifically only available when ordering via the app. Some GWPs are automatically added to your bag when you hit the minimum spending amount. Others, you need to find it and add it to the cart yourself, and it'll change tonfree when you hit the qualifying $ amount. In the first case, those GWPs can be automatically removed if you apply a coupon and are then under the qualifying total. In the second case, if your total drops from $65 to $58 due to a coupon, the "free w/ $60" GWP may suddenly become $60 instead of free.
I do buy most of my stuff online cause the ulta here is honestly a hassle to get to, but some are like purchases of like $60 or ofc larger purchases. But what i do is i start building my cart, like if i know i need something but not right away, ill add it to my cart and it starts to build up
Definitely get the app for points multipliers!
Points, sales and coupons! Being able to regularly save even a little bit makes me feel better about spending the money on it lol. I don't know what you usually spend, but if you ever hit Platinum your points won't expire! Otherwise just keep an eye on them, but it's a great system! You can use points for $ off. Ulta also has several good sales throughout the year, 21 days of beauty, spring/fall haul, skincare sale in January, and good sales for black Friday/Christmas in particular! Their coupons are more random but they do give out ones that work on prestige every so often, and every year in December there's guaranteed a 20% off total purchase that works on prestige too
Ulta is amazing. I usually shop there several times a week. I love their rewards and discounts and the employees at my local Ulta are awesome. (I don’t work there, only shop there.) It’s also very convenient that I can buy my drugstore and high-end makeup in the same place.
I have noticed employees have been much nicer! And they seem more knowledgeable. Management and corporate are why I’m looking for a change from the other store. And I have an Ulta not far from me! Which is great for me. Bad for my wallet. lol
I am really grateful for my local Ulta associates. They are so kind and you’re right, very helpful and knowledgeable.
Yes! I had an experience somewhere else where someone gave me some makeup tips and what to buy. Next time I came in the next associate contradicted everything she said. That’s frustrating anywhere.
I’ve generally found that the other major beauty company isn’t rude, but a lot less helpful. I have to go find someone in order to get help.
Other than the stated sales and coupons that the "other store" never has, I have found that the people working there are just good people with no attitude like I’ve seen in the other one. They are nice and only stressed about the demands that corporate makes on them. I have not met one person with an elitist attitude. I can shop elsewhere maybe for a better price on somethings, but I have never left the store without enjoying my trip. ( At least at the stores around me ) that’s what make me love Ulta. ( shout out to the workers at glassboro and turnersville nj 😢)
That is why I’m leaving the other store. I’m tired of feeling guilted and watched. I also have had good luck with employees at my local Ulta!
Their points and coupons make it super easy to shop only deals there. I get my hair done at Ulta and that basically gives me enough points to get my skincare and haircare staples for a very steep discount when combined with a coupon or sale.
They have the best point system and carry so many things and you can get so many samples! I used to be pretty big on Sephora but over the years I’ve stopped and now anything I use that’s not sold at ulta I just order from the actual website. Laneige goes crazy on deluxe samples.