Ulta vs. Sephora: Which beauty credit card is best?

You don’t have to be a beauty guru or professional makeup artist to get great savings on beauty products and services. Ulta and Sephora — two of the most popular beauty retailers today — both offer rewards that you can use toward future purchases.

They also offer credit card programs for even more savings. You can earn even more on your beauty purchases with the Ulta Beauty Rewards® Mastercard or Sephora Visa® Credit Card (both issued by Comenity Bank). But like any retail credit card, these cards only make sense for already-regular Ulta or Sephora shoppers who can pay off their balances each month to avoid high interest charges.

Read more: Best rewards credit cards

To get a better idea of the value you’ll get from an Ulta or Sephora credit card, it helps to understand how each rewards program works. Here’s a look at how you can earn points and rewards as you move up program tiers.

• Member: 1 point per $1 spent

• Platinum (spend $500 per year): 1.25 points per $1 spent

• Diamond (spend $1,200 per year): 1.5 points per $1 spent

During your birthday month, you’ll earn 2x points and your choice of a birthday gift no matter your tier. If you’re a Platinum or Diamond member, you’ll also get a $10 coupon during your birthday month. Plus, Diamond members get a free full-size gift, $25 off a beauty service, and free shipping on online orders of $25 or more.

You can redeem points for discounts on your purchases starting at 100 points and up to 4,000 for a single online purchase or up to 10,000 for a single purchase in Ulta stores (see more below about redemption values). You can also use points in combination with other discounts or coupons you qualify for.

• Insider: 1 point per $1 spent plus 10% off seasonal savings events and 2x points on points multiplier events

• VIB (spend $350 per year): 1 point per $1 spent plus 15% off seasonal savings events and 3x points on points multiplier events

• Rouge (spend $1,000 per year): 1 point per $1 spent plus 20% off seasonal savings events and 4x points on points multiplier events

You can also get a free gift from Sephora during your birthday month, and as you move up in tiers within the program, you’ll have more options to choose from. When you’re ready to redeem your points, you can trade them in for discounts on your spending at specific increments or for product samples and bundles.

Both the Ulta and Sephora credit cards charge no annual fee. You don’t need to pay to be a cardholder or to earn rewards within either loyalty program.

Both of these cards have a two-part welcome offer for one-time savings when you sign up and a more traditional bonus that requires you to meet a spending threshold:

• Ulta Beauty Rewards Mastercard: Get 20% off your first Ulta purchase after you’re approved and earn 500 welcome bonus points (worth $17.50 off a future purchase) when you spend $500 on non-Ulta purchases within the first 90 days.

• Sephora Visa Credit Card: Get 25% off your first purchase within 30 days of opening and earn a $20 Sephora credit card reward when you spend $500 outside of Sephora within the first 90 days.

The rewards you earn with these cards can help you get discounts on beauty purchases — but you’ll need to track your spending and keep up with redemption options for the best value.

Here’s a breakdown of how both rewards systems work.

When you use the Ulta Beauty Rewards Mastercard on purchases in store or on Ulta.com, you’ll get 1 extra point per dollar you spend. For regular members, that’s equal to 2 points per dollar at Ulta.

You can multiply your points more if you’re a Platinum or Diamond member. Platinum members get 1 extra point on top of the 1.25 points per dollar they earn already and Diamond members get 1 extra point on top of their 1.5 points per dollar spent — for a potential total of 2.25 or 2.5 points per dollar, respectively.

You can redeem Ulta Beauty Rewards points for discounts on your spending at different intervals. The more points you redeem, the more valuable they are. When you can redeem in 2,000-point increments, you’ll get the best value:

• 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 off

Let’s say you spend $1,600 at Ulta per year (about $133 per month), which qualifies you for Diamond status. As a Diamond member, you’ll earn 2.5 points for every dollar you spend at Ulta using your credit card. Over the course of a year, you could earn 4,000 points, worth up to $250 off your Ulta purchases.

In addition to points at Ulta, you can also earn rewards on other spending with your Ulta Beauty Rewards Mastercard. However, the earning rate for non-Ulta purchases is just 1 point per $3 spent. You can find much better rewards on non-category spending from nearly any other non-retail rewards or cash-back card.

Related: Best cash-back credit cards

Points you earn in the Ulta Beauty Rewards program do expire — you’ll have until the end of the quarter one year after you earn the points to redeem them. If you earn points in February, for example, they’ll expire at the end of March the following year.

The Sephora Visa card has a much different rewards structure. To start, you’ll earn an additional 1x Beauty Insider point within the Sephora rewards program for every dollar you spend at Sephora. On regular purchases, that’s a total of 2x points per dollar.

During point multiplier events, you’ll still earn your additional 1x point per dollar on top of the multiplier you qualify for. If you’re a Rouge member, for example, and qualify for 4x points during these events, you’ll boost your earnings to 5x with the credit card.

But unlike the Ulta credit card, your Sephora Visa card also earns boosted cash-back rewards:

• 4% back on every purchase at U.S. Sephora stores or online

• 1% back on other purchases (including Sephora departments inside Kohl’s stores and non-Sephora spending)

That means you’ll earn two types of rewards: Beauty Insider cash and credit card rewards.

You can redeem Beauty Insider cash for samples within the online Rewards Bazaar or for discounts on your purchases. Like Ulta, you’ll get a better redemption value when you redeem a greater number of points, but you can only access these larger redemptions when you’re a top-tier Rouge member:

• 500 points: $10 off

• 1,000 points: $20 off (Rouge level only)

• 2,500 points: $100 off (Rouge level only)

You’ll receive credit card rewards in $5 increments at the end of your billing cycle (when you’ve earned at least that much in rewards). These rewards expire within 90 days after they’re issued, but you can use any number of credit card rewards in store or up to three per transaction (worth $15) online. You can also combine Beauty Insider cash and credit card rewards for more savings.

Let’s compare the same $1,600 in annual Sephora spending we used for the example above, which will qualify you for Rouge tier within Sephora’s rewards program. At a base level, you’d earn 3,200 points and $64 in credit card rewards using your credit card. You could redeem 2,500 points for $100 off a purchase and 500 additional points for another $10 off, leaving you with 200 points. Because credit card rewards redeem in $5 increments, you’ll have earned $60 by the end of the year. Combined, that’s a total $170 in savings in a year.

Of course, as a Rouge member, you’ll also have access to major points multiplier events and seasonal discounts, so you can strategize your spending for even greater savings.

The best rewards program for you depends a lot on which beauty brands you prefer and which retailer you shop most frequently. It can also depend on the amount of work you’re willing to put into saving money on your beauty purchases.

The Ulta Beauty Rewards program and extra rewards you’ll earn with the Ulta Rewards credit card is simple; every purchase you make at Ulta with your credit card helps you earn more points you can redeem at given increments toward a future purchase.

With Sephora’s combination of Beauty Insider rewards, points multipliers, credit card rewards, and limited points redemptions, you’ll need to put more thought into how you’ll get the best redemption value for the rewards you earn.

Beyond these cards’ rewards earnings, there aren’t many added benefits. You may occasionally get cardmember exclusive discounts or savings with both programs, but you should regularly check your account if you want to score these offers.

Otherwise, these cards are like many other retail cards that focus on rewards toward spending with the retailers rather than ongoing benefits.

Related: What are store credit cards and when do they make sense?

If you’re a regular Ulta Beauty shopper and want to boost the points you earn, you could get a lot of value from an Ulta Beauty Rewards Mastercard. The points system is easy to follow, and if you’re a higher tier rewards member, you can earn up to 2.5 points per dollar on regular Ulta purchases.

However, this card is not a good option for other purchases (at least after you spend enough to earn the initial welcome bonus points). You’ll only get a fraction of a point for each dollar you spend outside of Ulta, which is well below any standard cash-back card’s rewards.

Like many store credit cards, this card does carry a very high ongoing APR and steep fees for late or returned payments. Make sure you’re able to pay down your balances in full and on time to avoid the extra costs that can minimize your discounts.

Ultimately, this card serves the straightforward purpose of increasing the rewards you earn at Ulta Beauty. Its lack of other benefits, high interest rate, and low rewards on non-Ulta spending make it a poor choice for other goals — but if you already shop at Ulta frequently and avoid carrying a balance, you can save money.

Frequent Sephora shoppers will score savings with a Sephora Visa card. With its combination of increased Beauty Insider rewards and credit card rewards on every purchase, you can use this card to increase your points and more quickly earn discounts on future Sephora spending.

But the rewards system is also complicated. If you open a Sephora Visa card, you should be willing to take the time to strategize how you can get the best value on your spending. That includes keeping up with points multiplier events, knowing your program status and its perks, and tracking the different types of rewards you’re earning.

And remember: the Sephora Visa card is a retail card with a very high interest rate. You’ll also pay high fees if you pay late or have your payment returned. The best way to get value from your card is by paying your balances in full every month and never missing your payment deadline. Otherwise, you could quickly accrue fees that outpace any rewards and benefits.

With either of these beauty rewards cards, it’s also important to think about your budget. The makeup, skincare, and haircare products sold at Ulta and Sephora can often cost upwards of $100 each. If a credit card that earns rewards on your beauty spending will only encourage you to spend more than you otherwise would at these retailers, you may want to reconsider whether it’s the right financial move for you.

Earning points toward future purchases can help you save money, but only if you earn those points on purchases that you would have made anyway.

There’s not much benefit to opening both an Ulta Beauty and a Sephora credit card unless you’re spending large amounts of money shopping with both retailers. While there are some differences in what they offer — you can find more drugstore products at Ulta, for example, while Sephora often has a wider variety of luxury brands — there’s a lot of overlap too.

As you would with a travel rewards program, it makes sense for most people to choose one beauty loyalty program and stick with that for the best rewards. If you’re always spreading out your spending between the two stores, you’ll have a hard time racking up meaningful points balances with either one.

Here are some other options to consider if you want to earn rewards on your beauty spending without the restrictions of a retail credit card.

Why we like it: If you buy the majority of your beauty products online — through Ulta, Sephora, or another retailer — you may get more return on your spending with the Blue Cash Everyday Card from Amex. This card offers 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases, up to the first $6,000 spent per year.

You’ll also get the same 3% back (up to $6,000 each in spending) at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, making this a solid option for your other regular purchases. Everything else earns 1% cash back. In addition to rewards, this card has a solid 0% APR offer and a few annual credits you can put toward your eligible spending.

Read our full review of the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express

Why we like it: The Capital One Quicksilver is a lot more flexible than any retail credit card because it earns a flat 1.5% cash back on every purchase no matter where you spend. Maybe you like to buy specific skincare products at Sephora but prefer the hair products you can find at Ulta. With this card, you can earn cash back on all of your beauty spending as well as other purchases you make regularly.

You can also earn a cash bonus when you open the Quicksilver card and take advantage of its competitive introductory 0% APR on both new purchases and balance transfers. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees — which means you can avoid up to a 3% charge on purchases you make abroad. This could be a useful benefit to look for if you like buying makeup or skincare items from merchants outside the U.S.

Read our full Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review

Why we like it: The Chase Freedom Unlimited card doesn’t specifically offer rewards at Ulta or Sephora, but you can use it for big potential savings on beauty spending. One of this card’s 3% bonus categories is drugstores — where you’ll find many of the makeup brands you can buy at Ulta. There’s also a flat 1.5% cash back on all non-bonus spending, so you can still use it to maximize your spending on beauty products you prefer to buy at Ulta or Sephora.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited’s welcome bonus can help you earn big savings throughout your first year. This card also has an intro 0% APR for new purchases and balance transfers as well as no foreign transaction fees on international spending.

Read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited review

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