October 22, 2019

Ulta Accepts Afterpay Making Your Beauty Mortgage Real

Ulta now accepts Afterpay making it easier than ever before to grab the latest and greatest beauty. But at what cost to you? Nothing. It’s actually a fairly simple system that will break down the total amount of your purchase into 4 easy to pay installments much like QVC and HSN does with their easy pay option. It’s a nice feature and it does make you feel a little bit better about indulging but as with all credit options you have to be leveled headed and smart about the purchases you make. Don’t go spending $200 on makeup if you don’t have $200 to spend even if it is broken into four easy to pay options that’s still money you might need for something way more important in your life.

Afterpay doesn’t charge interest however, they will charge a late fee if you fail to pay your installment. Afterpay uses a factoring system and the interest they make is actually from the retailer that offers Afterpay and not from the consumer making the purchase. Afterpay can actually make up to 30% interest on a purchase but it isn’t factored into your costs using it as it comes from the loan that Afterpay buys out from the retailer. Another words, if you make a $100 purchase from Ulta, Afterpay buys that loan from Ulta for $96 and in turn lends you $100 to make the purchase therefore allowing them to pocket $4. The “interest rate” gets higher depending on the amount Afterpay loans to you.

Afterpay can be nifty because it doesn’t do credit checks so most anyone can use it. But this also makes it dangerous as it offers these loans to people as young as 18. Just remember when it comes to Afterpay the option can be cool but use it responsibly and never overspend on something you can’t afford to buy.

17 Comments

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

  • Wendy Sue

    I’ve used afterpay many times, and learned early in the game to keep track of what I have on it because it’s easy to forget you have payments coming up and if there are too many of them, ouch. LOL

    • Isabella Muse

      Yeah. Afterpay is a nice option but not worth putting yourself in a hole over!

  • Elise

    LOL! Beauty and mortgage are two words that should never exist in the same sentance! It’s just wrong. Heck, I feel guilty if I use the flex pay option at Beautylish! The big difference is that I pre-approve the charge that will be made to my CC. It sounds like Afterpay is putting the responsibility on you to make the payment? That is dangerous. No makeup is worth going into debt over! Not with all the options at all budget levels. Buyer be aware and be careful.

  • Kish

    I’ve used it for ColourPop before and I really like it. However, I tried to use it on Ulta tonight and it gave me an error code that said some items in my cart weren’t available for after pay. It didn’t say what items, however. I messaged Ulta for clarification. Could just be glitchy because it’s new. I couldn’t find it on the app either, just web.

    • Isabella Muse

      it’s not you, it’s everyone apparently! It’s a glitch on their end ;-D hopefully they fix it!

  • LeToya

    Hey all,
    I just talked with an Ulta consultant and apparently afterpay won’t be available until Oct 29th. I wonder why it is listed as an option if it isn’t available?

  • MDW

    Hmm, could be a fun way for young people to establish credit. Also, I like that term, beauty mortgage.

    • Isabella Muse

      I actually don’t think it does much for your credit because they don’t actually do a credit check! Haha…! that’s what it is right? 😀

      • MDW

        Ya, you’re right. The maintenance of a credit check could cut into profits.

  • jill

    Regarding Afterpay:
    i can’t say for anyone else, i can only comment for myself. i don’t buy anything i can’t pay for today. for me, “four easy payments”� is a sucker game. why? because during the time that i’ve obligated myself to making those easy payments, i know darn well there are going to be shiny, new, glittery things on the shelves calling my name! and i’m gonna want them too! and that little guy on my shoulder will be whispering “four easy payments”� in my ear…

    and pretty soon i’ll have about eight sets of four easy payments stacked up, and it WILL be a beauty mortgage and it WON’T be funny.

    i’m old enough and wise enough that if i can’t pay for it today, i nope right on outta there!!

    • Isabella Muse

      preach Jill preach! You’re a smart lady. I don’t buy into either to be honest. I have a checking account I use for pleasure. A few bucks every week is deposited from my main checking account into that checking account. I use that “pleasure” account for makeup, trips, dinners out, tickets to concerts, anything related to my personal pleasure. If there’s no money to spare in that account, I don’t buy it. Credit cards are the devil!

  • Randi Macdonald

    I think you’re preaching to the choir. I’ve seen many posts about youngsters saying they can buy an entire collection because of afterpay. Scary stuff.

    • Isabella Muse

      Oooo not good! I think 18 is a bit young to extend this line of credit to but I guess that’s my conservative side talking!

  • jill

    sad to say, but my (preach) point was, that’s exactly the target market for this type of program. they take advantage of the vulnerable, in this case the naive youngsters who want it all and see programs such as this as an easy way to get it. hey, no credit check, awesome!

    what these kids don’t realize is it WILL wreck your credit quick enough (and maybe even get you arrested, who knows what that fine print says? READ IT!) if – when – you can’t make your payments. and that can hurt your future ability to get credit, and even your ability to get a JOB.

    nope, nope, nope. JUST SAY NOPE.