July 31, 2017

Sephora Points Do Expire But It Isn’t a Big Deal

About a week a half ago word broke that Sephora points expire and the Internet literally exploded along with my head. I have a huge bank of points that are sitting around getting dusty but I liked the idea that they would never expire because at some point if there was an awesome reward that tickled my fancy at least I’d have the bank to indulge it. Thus far, the rewards have been uneventful and they can’t even tempt me with some of the 100 perk point makeup and beauty items they have up for grabs. I don’t think I’ve redeemed points since the Marc Jacobs Beauty 1,000 Point Reward.

So, here’s the deal about Sephora points and when they expire.

Ok, so technically I don’t even know if you’d consider them as expiring. The terms and conditions state that if you don’t make a purchase within an 18 month period at Sephora your points will expire. Seriously though, you’re a makeup junkie do you think you’ll go that long without making a single Sephora purchase?

Sephora also states that if you do become inactive they’ll send you a few reminders before your points expire via e-mail so, you can redeem them before they disappear.

I honestly, don’t know why they even bothered implementing these terms because they are equivalent to points having no expiration anyway since most Sephora shoppers won’t go a year and a half without making at least one purchase.

But in just in case you are one of the rare breed that only shops Sephora occasionally at least you know your reward points have an expiration date.

What do you think of these new terms and conditions?

Personally, I’m not really bothered by them at all. I don’t feel they imply to me.

How about you?

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Heather

    My love affair with Sephora is fading. They need to completely revamp their awards program. The Rewards have been boring and small lately. When I order online, I rarely get the 3 samples that I ordered and sometimes they only send 2. Also, no extra birthday gift for VIB Rouge and a $3 random brush as a welcome gift. It just isn’t worth it anymore to get to VIB Rouge. The Sephora in-store experience is still far better than Ulta, which needs to clean their stores, restock and hire professionals. But Ulta blows away Sephora on the reward program category!

    • Isabella Muse

      I think it would be nice of Rouge members had a different bday gift that was a little more luxe!

      • Heather

        VIB Rouge used to get an extra goodie on their birthday. I think it stopped this year.

    • Heidi

      I thought that was only me, Heather. I’ve ordered and only gotten two samples or it’s samples of things I wouldn’t want. I still love Sephora, but I can’t say I’m as wild about them as I was a year or two ago.
      As for expiring points, I’ve never waited long enough where they could actually risk running out, so that’s not as big a deal to me.

    • kjh

      Funny. My Ulta is light, airy, and clean. My big Sephora looks like a dump that the seagulls picked over. Horrendously bad lighting, half the testers stolen, everything dirty, and the SAs following you around…must be anti theft. Little S, which is in a more upscale, smaller mall with higher end stores, is clean and has a pleasant, more boutiquey vibe. Ulta and little S seem to be far overall better experiences. Avoid big S, unless there is s.t. that is not available online or at little S. A decade ago, lived at big S. How the mighty have fallen. LMVH notwithstanding. Big S is about as luxury as the local landfill.

    • Deb

      Heather, it’s like you read my mind! I’ve been unhappy with their crap reward and sample programs for ages now. I’m slowly pulling away from them. I’m finding it’s not that difficult to shop more and different places to buy what Sephora sells. I know they have exclusives occasionally but big whoop. I’m planning on being Sephora free by the end of the year.

      It’s not me, it’s them!

    • Randi MacDonald

      Don’t get get me started on the sample choices( 3 packets). I NEVER get what I order. Never, Ever.

      • Kaitlin

        I used to always get what I chose but lately I never do! They also recently didn’t ship a point perk when they said they did. I think their rewards are terrible–think about it, you basically spend $100 to get a .35 oz sample. That’s crazy compared to what other stores offer!

      • Amanda

        I have the exact same issue with “I picked out these 3 samples and I got 3 I didn’t ask for” and actually tweeted them saying that. They kept telling me to dm them my order number, even when I said this is something that has happened the last 5 times I’ve ordered from them. What’s the point of getting to pick your samples if you don’t get what you pick? The stuff I get isn’t even similar. And their rewards system in general sucks.

  • kjh

    Foolish. I tried to not go rouge, but only made it to late July. Sometimes you have no choice other than Sephora. If you buy so little m/u that these rules would apply, why would you care about the 200 points that you had accrued, rather than the few Ks that most of us blog readers have…and never use? S.t. I think this is a publicity stunt for big S. Who reads good press on Sephora, except kvd or mjb releases? Ulta took them on, much in the way that Komatsu took on Caterpillar: with a big tractor wrapped in wire atop their corporate headquarters. Kill! Kill! Has worked for me. S was a very exciting game when they first opened stateside. Far more exclusive..Paul and Joe, etc. now, half their stuff is available everywhere. Who needs dept store lines at Sephora, when there is a dept store next door? Clinique, Lancôme, really? I’d rather see Bourjois back again any day. Nowadays, if there is a non-Sephora option, I take it.

    • Eraser

      Ah, so I’m not the only one who remembers! When Sephora first came stateside, it was like an exclusive European perfumery with brands you couldn’t find anywhere else. I still prefer it to Ulta, which is always low on stock (in my area anyway). I dislike how the department stores, Sephora & Ulta all have pretty much the same stuff. It gives me little incentive to shop at one or the other.

  • kimkats

    Yeah, I agree with you, Muse. Ulta points have always expired in waaaaay too short a time frame, imho. I think they expire like every quarter? I don’ t shop enuf at Ulta to rack up sufficient point to spend a lot of the time, so it’s really kind of a waste for me. Sephora needs to step up their rewards products – they aren’t all that great. And Ulta needs to put a LOT longer expiration date on their points.

    I personally don’t get the big love for Ulta – I can find the drugstore stuff at cheaper prices 99% of the time, and a lot of the high end lines are excluded from coupons, or they just hand out the coupons to the people who already spend enuf cash there to be platinum, so they clearly aren’t trying to recruit new people to platinum status. just not all that much a fan of Ulta, I guess… all of which is WAY off the mark of your original post, but I totes agree – the technical expiration of Sephora points just ain’t that big a deal to me……

    • Isabella Muse

      If you’re a platinum member aren’t they always good? I only spend at Ulta when they have 20% off everything or if they have a BOGO on their drugstore stuff because I agree they are expensive on DS stuff.

      • kimkats

        Dunno, I’m not platinum and probably never will be. I think that’s right, but not sure. 🙂

    • Denise

      If you’re NOT Platinum, ULTA points expire annually.

      I’ve been VIB at Sephora since 2008. That will end in 2018, as I have spent zero dollars in 2017. I have around 1000 points which will likely disappear, but there hasn’t been anything worth using them on in ages. That same amount of points at ULTA can be redeemed for $50 in the products of your choice. So that’s where my money goes!

      • kjh

        Good job, Denise. I tried, but failed. But it’s a def trend to vote away from Sephora with one’s dollars.

    • Heidi

      I agree with a lot of that, kimkat. Ulta is pricey on the DS brands. I mainly go there because they tend to have more NYX, and NYX products to swatch, and now CVS and Bed Bath & Beyond/Harmon’s seem to be expanding their NYX stock dramatically, so they’ll get my money more frequently because of CVS bucks/BBB coupons, and they are both closer to where I live, too, and I mentally count time and gas mileage as currency… Ultas are wildly uneven, too. One will be beautiful and orderly and another’s swatching stations looks like a herd of four-year-olds went insane.

      • kimkats

        ROFLOL!!! That’s funny about Ultas – and totally true. Mine is usually clean and well stocked, but I just don’t find that much there… And time and gas are absolutely currency!!! Both are limited so they surely do count!! My local BBBs don’t stock MU – which really chaps my hide, but CVS is getting more and more NYX in; I think one of them around here has the whole flippin’ line, or darn close to it…. and CVS always has codes or coupons to use.

    • Christina

      I completely agree with kimkats. I only pick up a few items here and there, so I never reach platinum to make purchasing from Ulta worth it. I live close to a target, CVS, and Walgreens, so if I need my drugstore makeup, I’ll get it from there; plus, my local mall has a NYX boutique, so I don’t really have a reason to go to Ulta other than to quickly pick up some higher end haircare lines.

      Sephora just carries more of the brands I like to use, and if I can’t find them there, there’s always Nordstrom. My purchases go to those two stores. It’d be nice if there were more perks from Sephora, but I hardly ever reach for my deluxe size samples anyway, so it doesn’t really matter to me.

    • Eraser

      I agree. If I want a drugstore item, I go to Rite Aid, which gives me 20% every day or Walgreens, where my points accrue a lot faster for good discounts. And my local Ultas are perpetually out of stock of a lot of things, and the SAs have no idea when they’ll restock.

  • Cil

    In Brazil, we don’t have the same benefits of any other beauty market in the world (didn’t like that foundation? Wrong color? Sorry baby! No sending it back or exchanging it. That eyeshadow palette isn’t performing well? Well… find the nearest trash and dump it).

    Here, sephora’s points expire by the END OF THE YEAR… every year! As you said the rewards aren’t that good here too. If you are a frequent shopper, they get repetitive.

  • Suzi

    If I like something-I might get two. The Bobbi Brown was a good 500 point perk. I just got 5 of the Sunday Riley UFO’s, and they are 5 ml, so it was half way between the two sizes of you purchased. (If I added correctly). I can never get one of the 750 point things online. And, I have a teen experimenting with makeup. She gets the mascara, lipsticks, etc I redeem for. That way I am not pouring out a fortune for her stuff!

    • Kaitlin

      It’s a bummer you can’t get multiples of the same perk online :/. And they sell out of anything good right away and the same old things have been on there for months on end.

  • Carol

    I agree with most of the comments thus far: Sephora needs a better reward system. Ulta’s is great because it is real money to spend on whatever you want. Sephora’s offerings have been extremely underwhelming lately so I have a hefty bank of points. Yes, we all order from them before the 18 month threshold but in general there is never anything of interest to me. Ulta is giving Sephora a run for their money because of the brands they are carrying and their rewards. The only thing Sephora has over Ulta is the shipping program. But I might just say the heck with it all and blow all my points next time I order from them and then be done.

  • Isabella

    I have some Sephora points but there is never anything I really want, TBH I would prefer a point system giving me a %age off something after spending a XXX amount.

    Ulta never shop there,

    for DS it’s Harmon or Dept it’s Bloomies for a real reward system, or Sephora for anything in between to rack up points for something I wont use LOL

  • Niche

    This is a financial/accounting decision. When Sephora sells you a lipstick ($24) and you get the points, Sephora records a sale of $23.50 and .50 liability for the points (made up numbers for example). When you redeem the points, Sephora takes that .50 and finally sees the sale. So imagine millions of points and millions in deferred revenue it can now record. And at no cost since no rewards are given.

    This is why Ulta points also expire. It’s all about the money.

    I wish Ulta was better in Canada. The shipping and customs/duty is not worth it.

  • Chris

    The Sephora Rewards are not that great. They should revamp it so Rewards points go into $ off items similar to the way Ulta does their Reward point system.

  • Robin

    I made Rouge once and it was no big deal. I recently used my points and I have 50 left. Ulta recently had 5X points on purchases and now I have a ton that I can use on whatever I want. Since Ulta is carrying most brands that Sephora carries, and in some cases, carried, they are getting my business. Sephora got rid of Lorac, Cargo, and Laura Geller; they are all at Ulta.
    The only thing I currently purchase thru Sephora is Elizabeth and James Black and White Nirvana perfume. Amethyst and Grey are coming out soon, but I just saw the Black and White ones in a department store so Sephora is no longer exclusive to that brand. Really no reason to shop Sephora anymore. The irony: I changed jobs and Sephora is now a five minute walk. Have yet to go there.

  • Claudia

    I haven’t purchased at Sephora in about a year. It’s Ulta or Target. Perfumes are cheaper online and Nordstrom is pretty great about giving a sample to try before committing to a high end product. I have noticed the cleanliness at both Ulta and Target is directly related to the neighborhood that they are located in(same for Walmart) . Did you know at the Walmart’s in poorer areas the cosmetics are locked behind glass doors? It came as a shock to me when I wandered into one in a dodgy neighborhood.

  • Brian

    Even though Ulta’s drugstore beauty prices are a little higher than Target, CVS, etc.., I like that I can stack their store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons and still get rewards points. I wonder why Sephora is changing their points policy though. It surely doesn’t make me want to use their points faster since the rewards never really interest me.

  • Ashley

    “What do you think of these new terms and conditioners?”, I so hope your are not offended, but I just somehow found that very amusing! If that was a pun, that was awesome!

  • BabyBeans

    Ulta all the way. About 2-3 times a year their 20% off coupons work for prestige makeup. They also have random sales (sometimes when a 20% off coupon is active) that have allowed me to get multiple higher priced items (it cosmetics naturally pretty palette, lorac unzipped palette, lorac blushes and eyeliners, and the urban decay full spectrum palette) at a discount. I bought the two loreal nude palettes ($20 each) for only $12 each by stacking a manufacturer’s coupon and an ulta coupon. I’ve stayed platinum for a few years now. But if I do want just a few drugstore makeup items I will go to Wal-Mart where they’re the cheapest. I’ve actually never bought anything from sephora. Too much to buy from everywhere else.

  • Cel

    As someone who only purchases something from Sephora whenever I visit someone in the states (every 2 years or so) it’s alarming! It’s the only little positive sephora has going on and it’s disappointing that they’ve done this.