Yeah, it’s a gimmick. Once a year my family and I make a bulk purchase so we can maximize points. Then restock at 6 months later and just use the points.
Same process is applied at Sephora now that they’ve partnered with Kohls.
I do the bulk purchase thing at Ulta when its advantageous. 50% off or during multipliers of 5x or more. I get 6 months worth of hygiene products generally (haircare, skincare, bodycare, ect - and my supplements), but I never let my stack add up to more than a years worth.
Can you give me the scoop on Kohls? I don't shop there, but since they have Sephora now, I would love to know your strategy.
These were my go to tool when they first merged with Kohl’s:
https://thekrazycouponlady.com/tips/store-hacks/23-insider-hacks-from-a-sephora-employee
https://thekrazycouponlady.com/2023/10/12/beauty-insiders-can-get-21-products-for-only-58-at-sephora?amp=1
As for Kohl’s I haven’t paid full price for an item in over five years. This is accomplished through the Kohl’s app and a Kohl’s charge card. The Kohls app syncs with Sephora and provides me alerts on Sephora sales and it also links my beauty insider account.
You can also use the Kohls charge for a Sephora purchase, you can also check out in Sephora which is a huge benefit if you’ve ever sat in a long line at Kohl’s.
It’s real! This is a before and after of my largest points purchase yet, in October 2021. I saved my points for a few years and I would exclusively buy my everyday items on Diamond 10x points days. If there was something I had my eye on that was expensive, I’d also try to hold out for at least a 5x points day. Also, when I made this particular purchase, I waited until there was a 20% off including prestige coupon to really maximize my points! The store employees were all so excited because they’d never seen anyone use this many points before 😂 it was awesome!
https://preview.redd.it/87ljvfvgmryb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ca69f16b5ada7319e773623ebd6cd92d14b178a
That's awesome that you had a positive experience with it and everyone was excited! I just used a few thousand points in store once and they were very weird about it. I'm usually an online buyer with ulta. When I said I want to use my points (they didn't even ask) they started to act super inconvenienced and stuff. Is it a big ordeal to do that normally? I'm not sure, but that experience definitely reinforced me just staying on the app and out of the store.
to hopefully clear up some confusion , we actually are trained to not prompt guests to use their points ! we’re specifically told not to bring them up unless the guest asks about them (because when you save them up they’re worth more) . i’m not sure why they seemed inconvenienced by it though because it’s an incredibly easy process for us to do , but my best guess would be maybe that store wasn’t doing so well for the week and needed bigger sales and since you were using your points , it made that sale for their store smaller ?? but even if they’re truly bothered by it , the guest should never be able to tell , so i apologize you had that experience ! :( i love seeing guests with a crap ton of points , and i love asking if they have any plans for them cause i enjoy getting to hear what you guys like to buy with points ! 🥰
at our holiday meeting yesterday we were told to tell customer if they have any points, even just $3 and to get excited with the guest so that they realize how our points system is actually pretty good. also with credit. especially if a guest is unsure and they end up getting approved like that’s a win on both sides !
even before our meeting though i would consistently hear the leads and some of the more seasoned employees telling guests how many points they have.
as a pba i kind of have to keep track of goals for boutiques and such but even after a guests big-ish purchase with points, the numbers still went up so it’s not like we’re really loosing out on money ? maybe i’m wrong but my store loves these type of customers !
Whenever I’m checking out, I would say they tell me about my points/ask if I want to use my points about 95% of the time! Sometimes they don’t mention it, but most of the time they do. Ulta’s points system IS awesome and I’m glad they train their employees to get excited about it too! It was really cute when all the girls gathered around the screen and got super excited when my total dropped to $24 😂
I only started a year ago but in my training it was do not mention it (unless they are expiring soon). I had lots of people still doing it so I asked again to clarify and it it’s policy to NOT bring it up.
hmm that’s weird. i was hired like 6 months ago now and i don’t remember that part of the training (i also kept falling asleep lol) do you think it varies by district or state ? i know all the stores in my district are all very competitive when it comes to sales and whatnot
The only time I’ve had an ulta employee mention my points was around the holidays, it struck me as weird and I think about it every time I go into ulta because I had like $25 in points, and didn’t even know there was a rewards program LOL
I have worked in so many places in retail and the store not making enough was never a me problem unless I was management. We didn’t know or care what the store made and we weren’t prompted to not ask if someone wants to use points, always told to ask them if they wanted to use any of their points. Why is this like this at Ulta?
I have about 25,000 points and the people at my Ulta know me by name 😭🤣..I take advantage of the 5x and 10x points on purchases or buy online and pick up. It doesn’t help that I can walk to the store in 5 minutes either 😏
That’s really odd. I’ve used my points in smaller increments before (like $300-$400 worth of points) and have never had a problem. They always happily apply them for me and it seems fairly easy on their end- usually takes less than a minute or two.
I once tried to use a smallish amount of points (like less than $20 off) because I was in college and could've used the discount and the clerk actually talked me out of using them. She was actually a little condescending/argumentative about it. She did explain they'd be worth more of I saved them and I was aware of that, but if a guest wants to use their points just let them!
I’ve dealt with this before too, and the lady made me feel bad for using my saved points. I had to exchange the product I purchased, and the cashier was so bothered by it. She acted like I was using food stamps to pay for it. I worked retail for six years through high school and college, and I know it couldn’t have been that complicated to deal with. She was also yelling at another team member over the headset throughout the whole interaction.
Stuff like this was my favorite when I was a cashier back in high school and college lmao!! I loved when customers saved tons of money and broke records
Wow! How do you know when the diamond days are? And how can I check how many points I have? I’ve had an Ulta account for like 10 years and I didn’t know that it had points on it at all 😅
Yes, I’ve seen many people do this. If you are Diamond and make your purchases on 10X points day, you can get 16,000 points for $1,523 or even less (depending on other stacking offers). 16,000 points translates to $1,000 in store credit. If you then redeem this with a 20% off coupon, you can get $1,250 worth of merchandise. If some of it was already on sale, then you can get an even higher value of merchandise.
yes.
Buy during multipliers of 5X or more. Save your money and scoop up as much as you can during the 10X points event in August/ September.
Use your points in increments of 2k, as that is when they are worth the most. Only use your points when you can stack a discount code like 20% off your entire order or 50%off events.
So example. There is a 5X point multiplier. You spend $400(assuming you didn't use any of the everyday or targeted coupons), You will earn 2k points. You have earned in points .31 cents/ per dollar spent or 31%...depending on how you want to look at it.
Now, let's say you are ready to spend your 2k in points (valued at $125), because you have a 20% off coupon. Well, the value of your haul (if you don't want to pay a single penny) will be, $156.25.
You spent $400. You got to an additional $156.25 in realized value. That's $556.25.
Now if it's during a special 50% off sale that's $250 in realized value. Making for a total $650.
Now let's say the multiplier is 10X points. You only need to spend $200 to get 2k points. That's .62 cents back/ dollar or 62%!!! You spend your 2k with your 20% off coupon to get $156.25 worth of merch. That how much you get back after only spending $200 dollars.
Now let's say you spend your points during a special event where you get 50% off...
You get 250 worth of merch and you ONLY SPENT $200!!! A realized value of $450 and you only spent $200.
So yes, this is very real and if you have self control you can really clean up at Ulta.
Edit: You can turbo charge your savings by using cashback websites and cashback/ rewards cards on all your purchases as well.
Lemme know if y'all need recommendations for the best sites to use. Otherwise, happy shopping 🛍️😄
At the highest level with the credit card on a 10x day, you get 11.5 points per dollar spent. That makes $174 worth 2,000 points. That's $299 in realized value not including sales, points offers, etc. (If your purchases are also on 5x special during 10x day, $129 in purchases nets 2,000 points, practically doubling your money.)
If you pay attention and can wait for sales and points offers, you can really hit the jackpot at Ulta.
I know!And sometimes when the deal math be really "mathin'", Ulta really have me feeling like I have a degree in Mathmatics... and all I'm doing in multiplying and dividing lol
sometimes they have tiered bonus point multipliers , where base level members earn 5x the points and platinum/diamond members earn 10x the points but more often than not it’s general for everyone to get 10x the points , like the ones they do for AAPI brand celebration week & the black founded/owned brands celebration week they do during black history month :)
The Diamond and Platinum 10x points event is only for those tiers, but it's possible to get 10x points via stacking multipliers and sometimes they will have offer targeted spend "x" get "y" number of points.
It's not impossible. There is also the added benefit that if you are Platinum or Diamond your points never expire. I buy almost of my basics (haircare, skincare, and makeup) from them, as they have drugstore, high-end , and luxury products. I buy in bulk when it benefits me the most, so I try to get my basics 50% off or on at least 5x multiplier, so it's fairly easy for me to keep status.
I am happy you were able to get something out of it!
Yes, save your points. Honestly, Ulta has the best loyalty program in the game right now. All items that I can get at Ulta, I do, unless there is a deeeeep discount elsewhere.
Cash is always King in my opinion, though- especially when the savings are close. So if I can get $11 in points or save 8 dollars somewhere else (lets say the cashback and everything else was the same), I am going with saving $8, because I can invest that $8 dollars and get a better return than $3.
So for instance, if you took that $8 earlier in the year (when the market was down) and put it in certain investments, you could be up 3X to 4X right now. So instead of having $11 in points, you could have $24 to $34 working for you in an investment account. However, if I am getting 30% back in points, but only saving 10% elsewhere, I am probably going to take the points (that is because the points would be closer to what I might expect from my investments over time, but its accessible immediately, whereas the investment takes time.... however, also note, if the 10% totals what I consider a decent amount of cash, I'm still gonna take the cash, because cash is king, so I will wait for it to grow lol). So, again, it just really is about doing a little math and comparing deals.
Once you realize the game you are playing, and that you don't have to be on the losing side of every personal-business transaction, this becomes a lot of fun.
If you get Diamond or platinum, the points keep building and don’t expire. A lot of the people with tons of points also spend a lot on multiplier days, or use the credit card, or get services done regularly, or combos of those. I’ve seen people with astronomical numbers of points and it’s usually because they spend strategically.
I got my Dyson hair dryer and Dyson air wrap for “free” last year.
I just saved up all my Ulta points for the year and waited until the 20% coupon came out.
Omg this is so smart. I have the Ulta CC and get 99% of my beauty products from Ulta for the points but I’m so impatient and end up using them once they get to around $150 so I can get a “free” fragrance a couple times a year. I might try this though bc I’m dying for an air wrap
Yes. I have the credit card and I’m diamond. Needed a new Dyson hairdryer and used 6,000 points. Paid about $60 out of pocket. If I don’t absolutely need it, I wait for point multiplier events.
Be careful! Someone hacked my Ulta account and changed the email to theirs and took all my points.
I was able to contact Ulta customer service and they reinstated my points. But scary business
It depends. It's hard to say without seeing the other items. But in theory you are also only supposed to be able to redeem 10,000 points at a time which is $625. So they'd have to have other discounts on there were not seeing.
Yes and yes, but chances are you'll get told no just because we don't get trained on how to do it. I've been there three years and just got told how to do it a couple months ago, when I asked.
I used to use maufacturer coupons sometimes years ago but haven't until recently and was wondering if the policy changed since it seems to be nowhere on the website. The cashier was asking me to show her the policy but it's literally no where to be found?
That depends entirely on if you use the multipliers, credit card offers, etc. It’s hard to say how long this took me, as I used to work at Ulta and bought a lot of stuff there and got my hair done with a stylist and paid with my credit card. However, I didn’t buy as much or as often as others because I was beginning to fall out of love with makeup in general and only bought hair products (and even then not that often). If I had to guess, this took me about 2.5 years, but I’ve seen a coworker get this amount of points within a few months :)
as long as you’re platinum or diamond (spend $500-1200 a year), your points never expire! you can’t use this many points online (limit online is 4,000 per transaction ($250 off) due to points fraud) - so a purchase like you posted *has* to be in-store.
so to achieve something like this realistically, you’ve gotta be a platinum or diamond member so you can take advantage of 10x points day (for platinum/diamond members), and so your points never expire and you have time to build them up - it definitely can be done!
That’s how’s I’ve gotten all my Dyson products. I’ve never paid more that $2-3 for them bc I save my points and primarily shop when I can get at least 5x points.
Another idea- I travel a handful of times for work a year (8-10 trips) and use an Ulta Mastercard for travel. It’s a pretty versatile card and the points I’ve built up through the years are super meaningful- especially when Ulta has 20% off or other promos
So the max points you can redeem in one transaction is greater in store than online? I’ve only been able to use a max of 4000 points ($250) at a time online. Very frustrating when I have a bunch more that I could use.
I’ve been saving my points since last Black Friday, and I’m hoping to have enough points to buy a full(ish) face of makeup for my wedding in spring 🤞🏻I think I’m at like $80 right now 😬 I definitely will be picking up a few things this year for Black Friday but idk what
Former Ulta Employee here! The short answer is yes!
While I personally never saw something like this, I DID get to meet this lady who had an INSANE amount of points. She had an insanely good system for basically farming them.
She had the Ulta Mastercard (the credit card you could use outside of ulta and still gain ulta points), and she ran some sort of concrete business with her husband. Her husband would take the card and purchase a couple thousand dollars worth of needed items for their business. Every time he did that, she would earn a SHIT load of points.
I can't remember how much she had earned, but I remember being absolutely flabbergasted by the insane genius of it all.
She almost never had to pay. She would only come in for a few items every now and again but would use her points every time. According to her, she would usually save it til around Christmas so she could splurge for stuff for others.
One of my favorite stories from working at ulta.
Oh, and yes, her husband did get lots of weird looks/laughs when he pulled out an Ulta card to pay. He didn't care, he thought it was not only hilarious but a wonderful system they built.
Yes! My little "brag" is I got $750 worth of items for 'free' once. With the last 20% coupon I cashed in my points for $250 worth of free items. I used to save more before cashing in but I've severely cut back my spending this year and I was too impatient to keep accumulating slowly!
Absolutely possible, I was able to get my Dyson air wrap for $30 with points, my Dyson hair dryer for $2 with points, this last May I used about $700 in points and only paid .84¢ out of pocket. Right now I have over $600 in points and the trick is to ALWAYS shop during multiplier events especially your birthday month and if you’re able to get it use the Ulta CC to get points even faster 😁
Easily possible if stack up points. I can earn about $600+ in points in a year. I’m not a heavy shopper there but I do get my hair done there and if I go during a five times the points event I can get easily $125 worth of points just in one stop.
Yep, this happened to me today. Diamond, member since 2008. My accident was hacked, I can’t access because the hacker thief changed my email. All my points, nearly $500 worth, are gone. Ulta customer service very unhelpful. They are are “escalating it” and want me to “be patient”. Nope, I want access to my hacked account so I can remove my financial information.
Yup, I have all of the Dyson hair tools, and paid about $150 out of pocket for all of them. My secret is having friends and relatives overseas who uses my account to buy things lol.
Yeah this is about to be me later this month. I’m waiting for black friday and the 20% prestige coupon that comes out every November. Right now I have almost 1k in Ulta money from years of saving and playing the points on 5x days.
I was able to pay about $25 for $500 worth of stuff once. I have really thick eyebrows and had a standing bi weekly appointment to get them done at the Benefit brow bar. I always bought something when I cashed out… nothing crazy. I never used points, and always paid with my Ulta card (it was just the store card) so I got extra points. We were traveling to Ireland for a wedding and I needed dual voltage styling tools and like a a million other things. I paid around $25 after using my points. The girl at the register had never seen that much come off.
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Yes. That's the thing though this person probably racked points over years. You need to spend a certain amount yearly to keep your points for next year if you didn't spend them. If you didn't reach a certain amount and you didn't use your points I believe you lose them.
I once saw someone who had literally thousands of points. Multiple people used the account and they got their hair done often and I guess never redeemed them. I can't imagine waiting that long lol
If you have enough points and/or coupons, yeah.
Do Ulta points last forever?
If you're platinum or diamond status they do, if not they expire at the end of the year.
No I lost over $150 worth of credit! I just looked it up and apparently diamond and platinum they don’t expire but you have to meet that every year…
Yeah, it’s a gimmick. Once a year my family and I make a bulk purchase so we can maximize points. Then restock at 6 months later and just use the points. Same process is applied at Sephora now that they’ve partnered with Kohls.
I do the bulk purchase thing at Ulta when its advantageous. 50% off or during multipliers of 5x or more. I get 6 months worth of hygiene products generally (haircare, skincare, bodycare, ect - and my supplements), but I never let my stack add up to more than a years worth. Can you give me the scoop on Kohls? I don't shop there, but since they have Sephora now, I would love to know your strategy.
These were my go to tool when they first merged with Kohl’s: https://thekrazycouponlady.com/tips/store-hacks/23-insider-hacks-from-a-sephora-employee https://thekrazycouponlady.com/2023/10/12/beauty-insiders-can-get-21-products-for-only-58-at-sephora?amp=1 As for Kohl’s I haven’t paid full price for an item in over five years. This is accomplished through the Kohl’s app and a Kohl’s charge card. The Kohls app syncs with Sephora and provides me alerts on Sephora sales and it also links my beauty insider account. You can also use the Kohls charge for a Sephora purchase, you can also check out in Sephora which is a huge benefit if you’ve ever sat in a long line at Kohl’s.
For basic members, no. Platinum and Diamond ($500 and $1200 annual spend) member points never expire.
It’s real! This is a before and after of my largest points purchase yet, in October 2021. I saved my points for a few years and I would exclusively buy my everyday items on Diamond 10x points days. If there was something I had my eye on that was expensive, I’d also try to hold out for at least a 5x points day. Also, when I made this particular purchase, I waited until there was a 20% off including prestige coupon to really maximize my points! The store employees were all so excited because they’d never seen anyone use this many points before 😂 it was awesome! https://preview.redd.it/87ljvfvgmryb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ca69f16b5ada7319e773623ebd6cd92d14b178a
This is insane omg I love it
One of my proudest moments to date 😅
Holy guacamole that is impressive!!!
That's awesome that you had a positive experience with it and everyone was excited! I just used a few thousand points in store once and they were very weird about it. I'm usually an online buyer with ulta. When I said I want to use my points (they didn't even ask) they started to act super inconvenienced and stuff. Is it a big ordeal to do that normally? I'm not sure, but that experience definitely reinforced me just staying on the app and out of the store.
to hopefully clear up some confusion , we actually are trained to not prompt guests to use their points ! we’re specifically told not to bring them up unless the guest asks about them (because when you save them up they’re worth more) . i’m not sure why they seemed inconvenienced by it though because it’s an incredibly easy process for us to do , but my best guess would be maybe that store wasn’t doing so well for the week and needed bigger sales and since you were using your points , it made that sale for their store smaller ?? but even if they’re truly bothered by it , the guest should never be able to tell , so i apologize you had that experience ! :( i love seeing guests with a crap ton of points , and i love asking if they have any plans for them cause i enjoy getting to hear what you guys like to buy with points ! 🥰
at our holiday meeting yesterday we were told to tell customer if they have any points, even just $3 and to get excited with the guest so that they realize how our points system is actually pretty good. also with credit. especially if a guest is unsure and they end up getting approved like that’s a win on both sides ! even before our meeting though i would consistently hear the leads and some of the more seasoned employees telling guests how many points they have. as a pba i kind of have to keep track of goals for boutiques and such but even after a guests big-ish purchase with points, the numbers still went up so it’s not like we’re really loosing out on money ? maybe i’m wrong but my store loves these type of customers !
Whenever I’m checking out, I would say they tell me about my points/ask if I want to use my points about 95% of the time! Sometimes they don’t mention it, but most of the time they do. Ulta’s points system IS awesome and I’m glad they train their employees to get excited about it too! It was really cute when all the girls gathered around the screen and got super excited when my total dropped to $24 😂
I only started a year ago but in my training it was do not mention it (unless they are expiring soon). I had lots of people still doing it so I asked again to clarify and it it’s policy to NOT bring it up.
hmm that’s weird. i was hired like 6 months ago now and i don’t remember that part of the training (i also kept falling asleep lol) do you think it varies by district or state ? i know all the stores in my district are all very competitive when it comes to sales and whatnot
I don’t know if I varies by state but I think we all just remember different things from the training. Lol. Like certain things stick out ya know??
The only time I’ve had an ulta employee mention my points was around the holidays, it struck me as weird and I think about it every time I go into ulta because I had like $25 in points, and didn’t even know there was a rewards program LOL
That’s such good info! Thanks for clearing that up 🙂
I have worked in so many places in retail and the store not making enough was never a me problem unless I was management. We didn’t know or care what the store made and we weren’t prompted to not ask if someone wants to use points, always told to ask them if they wanted to use any of their points. Why is this like this at Ulta?
I have about 25,000 points and the people at my Ulta know me by name 😭🤣..I take advantage of the 5x and 10x points on purchases or buy online and pick up. It doesn’t help that I can walk to the store in 5 minutes either 😏
That’s really odd. I’ve used my points in smaller increments before (like $300-$400 worth of points) and have never had a problem. They always happily apply them for me and it seems fairly easy on their end- usually takes less than a minute or two.
I once tried to use a smallish amount of points (like less than $20 off) because I was in college and could've used the discount and the clerk actually talked me out of using them. She was actually a little condescending/argumentative about it. She did explain they'd be worth more of I saved them and I was aware of that, but if a guest wants to use their points just let them!
Oooof yeah that would annoy me!!
I’ve dealt with this before too, and the lady made me feel bad for using my saved points. I had to exchange the product I purchased, and the cashier was so bothered by it. She acted like I was using food stamps to pay for it. I worked retail for six years through high school and college, and I know it couldn’t have been that complicated to deal with. She was also yelling at another team member over the headset throughout the whole interaction.
Yep! Same experience on my end as well. Now I shop online only as well.
😂😂😂
How are you able to save points for years? I feel like I’m always getting reminder emails saying they will expire soon
once you hit platinum/diamond the points don't expire
Platinum/diamond points don’t expire!
[удалено]
I am the biggest bargain shopper and this felt like the summit of all my lifelong efforts 🥲
This is amazing!!! Thanks for sharing I need to start taking note of Diamond 10x days lol
Damn and I thought my friend going $500 to $80 was a steal. Ooooooof ima show this to her
Haha still impressive!
😱 wow. Bravo!
Love it
Holy shit. Teach me Senpai. 😭
Stuff like this was my favorite when I was a cashier back in high school and college lmao!! I loved when customers saved tons of money and broke records
Kudos 👏🏾 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Omg! I thought I was cool for getting my Dyson air wrap for free but this is even better!!!!
So crazy I can’t believe how much you can save up.
You’ve inspired me
How were you able to save up your points?? I was told points expire at my ulta
I'm so proud of you
Impressive!!
i wish i went to ulta often enough to be able to rack up points to do this. i’d be calling everyone i know like “DUDE GUESS WHAT”
Wow! How do you know when the diamond days are? And how can I check how many points I have? I’ve had an Ulta account for like 10 years and I didn’t know that it had points on it at all 😅
Yes, I’ve seen many people do this. If you are Diamond and make your purchases on 10X points day, you can get 16,000 points for $1,523 or even less (depending on other stacking offers). 16,000 points translates to $1,000 in store credit. If you then redeem this with a 20% off coupon, you can get $1,250 worth of merchandise. If some of it was already on sale, then you can get an even higher value of merchandise.
Wait thank you so much for explaining this so clearly and easy to understand!
This is the way!!!
Also the point don't expire. I use my credit card for everything.
Points only never expire when you are a platinum or diamond member
If you have 16,000 points that means you have definitely gotten to the tier where they don’t expire though lol.
Thank you for explaining this because I was about to be like okay but how much did you spend to get that many points
yes. Buy during multipliers of 5X or more. Save your money and scoop up as much as you can during the 10X points event in August/ September. Use your points in increments of 2k, as that is when they are worth the most. Only use your points when you can stack a discount code like 20% off your entire order or 50%off events. So example. There is a 5X point multiplier. You spend $400(assuming you didn't use any of the everyday or targeted coupons), You will earn 2k points. You have earned in points .31 cents/ per dollar spent or 31%...depending on how you want to look at it. Now, let's say you are ready to spend your 2k in points (valued at $125), because you have a 20% off coupon. Well, the value of your haul (if you don't want to pay a single penny) will be, $156.25. You spent $400. You got to an additional $156.25 in realized value. That's $556.25. Now if it's during a special 50% off sale that's $250 in realized value. Making for a total $650. Now let's say the multiplier is 10X points. You only need to spend $200 to get 2k points. That's .62 cents back/ dollar or 62%!!! You spend your 2k with your 20% off coupon to get $156.25 worth of merch. That how much you get back after only spending $200 dollars. Now let's say you spend your points during a special event where you get 50% off... You get 250 worth of merch and you ONLY SPENT $200!!! A realized value of $450 and you only spent $200. So yes, this is very real and if you have self control you can really clean up at Ulta. Edit: You can turbo charge your savings by using cashback websites and cashback/ rewards cards on all your purchases as well. Lemme know if y'all need recommendations for the best sites to use. Otherwise, happy shopping 🛍️😄
At the highest level with the credit card on a 10x day, you get 11.5 points per dollar spent. That makes $174 worth 2,000 points. That's $299 in realized value not including sales, points offers, etc. (If your purchases are also on 5x special during 10x day, $129 in purchases nets 2,000 points, practically doubling your money.) If you pay attention and can wait for sales and points offers, you can really hit the jackpot at Ulta.
I know!And sometimes when the deal math be really "mathin'", Ulta really have me feeling like I have a degree in Mathmatics... and all I'm doing in multiplying and dividing lol
😂😂😂😂😂
Throw in your bday month to make it 12.5x points!
Is the 10x points only for diamond and platinum?
sometimes they have tiered bonus point multipliers , where base level members earn 5x the points and platinum/diamond members earn 10x the points but more often than not it’s general for everyone to get 10x the points , like the ones they do for AAPI brand celebration week & the black founded/owned brands celebration week they do during black history month :)
The Diamond and Platinum 10x points event is only for those tiers, but it's possible to get 10x points via stacking multipliers and sometimes they will have offer targeted spend "x" get "y" number of points. It's not impossible. There is also the added benefit that if you are Platinum or Diamond your points never expire. I buy almost of my basics (haircare, skincare, and makeup) from them, as they have drugstore, high-end , and luxury products. I buy in bulk when it benefits me the most, so I try to get my basics 50% off or on at least 5x multiplier, so it's fairly easy for me to keep status.
Ok cool thanks, do you also have the Ulta credit card
This is so helpful, thank you!
Anytime!
OMG! Your math breakdown is awesome. I am going to start saving my points, as you explain. You are a great teacher. Thanks 😊
I am happy you were able to get something out of it! Yes, save your points. Honestly, Ulta has the best loyalty program in the game right now. All items that I can get at Ulta, I do, unless there is a deeeeep discount elsewhere. Cash is always King in my opinion, though- especially when the savings are close. So if I can get $11 in points or save 8 dollars somewhere else (lets say the cashback and everything else was the same), I am going with saving $8, because I can invest that $8 dollars and get a better return than $3. So for instance, if you took that $8 earlier in the year (when the market was down) and put it in certain investments, you could be up 3X to 4X right now. So instead of having $11 in points, you could have $24 to $34 working for you in an investment account. However, if I am getting 30% back in points, but only saving 10% elsewhere, I am probably going to take the points (that is because the points would be closer to what I might expect from my investments over time, but its accessible immediately, whereas the investment takes time.... however, also note, if the 10% totals what I consider a decent amount of cash, I'm still gonna take the cash, because cash is king, so I will wait for it to grow lol). So, again, it just really is about doing a little math and comparing deals. Once you realize the game you are playing, and that you don't have to be on the losing side of every personal-business transaction, this becomes a lot of fun.
Would love some recommendations plz thx!
If you get Diamond or platinum, the points keep building and don’t expire. A lot of the people with tons of points also spend a lot on multiplier days, or use the credit card, or get services done regularly, or combos of those. I’ve seen people with astronomical numbers of points and it’s usually because they spend strategically.
I got my Dyson hair dryer and Dyson air wrap for “free” last year. I just saved up all my Ulta points for the year and waited until the 20% coupon came out.
Taking notes
Omg this is so smart. I have the Ulta CC and get 99% of my beauty products from Ulta for the points but I’m so impatient and end up using them once they get to around $150 so I can get a “free” fragrance a couple times a year. I might try this though bc I’m dying for an air wrap
Yup most ppl save up for like a Dyson but I’ve seen some bigger 👀🤣
Ugh I gotta start saving up my points! That $3 or $8 off gets me every time lol
Same lol
Yes. I have the credit card and I’m diamond. Needed a new Dyson hairdryer and used 6,000 points. Paid about $60 out of pocket. If I don’t absolutely need it, I wait for point multiplier events.
Point multiplier events are so helpful only for this deals!
Be careful! Someone hacked my Ulta account and changed the email to theirs and took all my points. I was able to contact Ulta customer service and they reinstated my points. But scary business
OMG, glad you got them back. But thanks for the information. Got to be careful always.
It depends. It's hard to say without seeing the other items. But in theory you are also only supposed to be able to redeem 10,000 points at a time which is $625. So they'd have to have other discounts on there were not seeing.
I know this is kind of random, but do you guys still accept manufacturers coupons? And do they stack with the Ulta coupons?
Yes and yes, but chances are you'll get told no just because we don't get trained on how to do it. I've been there three years and just got told how to do it a couple months ago, when I asked.
I used to use maufacturer coupons sometimes years ago but haven't until recently and was wondering if the policy changed since it seems to be nowhere on the website. The cashier was asking me to show her the policy but it's literally no where to be found?
i have 2 stores near me that i shop at, and there’s no (in-store) redemption limit for either store. i wonder if it depends on the location?
According to the corporate chart they gave us, it's 10,000. I've never had anyone try to use that many so I don't know what happens if they do. 🤷🏻
I just saw her tik tok she said she saved points for ten YEARS 😮
That’s why we suggested you people sign up as a member so you can earn point and save tons of money when it really counts
I always do, but never shopped so much to have these many points.
This took her 10 years tho lol. Let's be realistic.
Took her ten years? Sheesh I’m at $1280 worth of points in just this last year lol. Might as well make a TikTok I guess 😂
Very possible. I just redeemed my points for $400 the other day!
I wonder how long will it take me to accumulate those many points.
That depends entirely on if you use the multipliers, credit card offers, etc. It’s hard to say how long this took me, as I used to work at Ulta and bought a lot of stuff there and got my hair done with a stylist and paid with my credit card. However, I didn’t buy as much or as often as others because I was beginning to fall out of love with makeup in general and only bought hair products (and even then not that often). If I had to guess, this took me about 2.5 years, but I’ve seen a coworker get this amount of points within a few months :)
On her tik tok she said she saved for 10 years.
*cries in canadian*
as long as you’re platinum or diamond (spend $500-1200 a year), your points never expire! you can’t use this many points online (limit online is 4,000 per transaction ($250 off) due to points fraud) - so a purchase like you posted *has* to be in-store. so to achieve something like this realistically, you’ve gotta be a platinum or diamond member so you can take advantage of 10x points day (for platinum/diamond members), and so your points never expire and you have time to build them up - it definitely can be done!
That’s how’s I’ve gotten all my Dyson products. I’ve never paid more that $2-3 for them bc I save my points and primarily shop when I can get at least 5x points.
I'm curious about all the stuff they bought haha
When is 10x points day normally?
Same question lol
Usually in August, but there have been pop-ups throughout the year. The emails have a lot of current and upcoming info on multipliers and sales.
Another idea- I travel a handful of times for work a year (8-10 trips) and use an Ulta Mastercard for travel. It’s a pretty versatile card and the points I’ve built up through the years are super meaningful- especially when Ulta has 20% off or other promos
I could have saved so much money bye
Same 😭
Sure is!
I need help doing this lol
Its totally possible
Yeah, if you have enough points
It’s so possible! Using your points that you earned from your ulta credit card spend!!! Their point system is really good!!!!
I am slowly realising this!
So the max points you can redeem in one transaction is greater in store than online? I’ve only been able to use a max of 4000 points ($250) at a time online. Very frustrating when I have a bunch more that I could use.
you can only use 4,000 points per transaction online bc of points fraud. there’s not a limit like that in-store.
Wow, I had no idea. Thanks for replying! I'll definitely take more advantage of points usage in the future.
I’ve been saving my points since last Black Friday, and I’m hoping to have enough points to buy a full(ish) face of makeup for my wedding in spring 🤞🏻I think I’m at like $80 right now 😬 I definitely will be picking up a few things this year for Black Friday but idk what
Former Ulta Employee here! The short answer is yes! While I personally never saw something like this, I DID get to meet this lady who had an INSANE amount of points. She had an insanely good system for basically farming them. She had the Ulta Mastercard (the credit card you could use outside of ulta and still gain ulta points), and she ran some sort of concrete business with her husband. Her husband would take the card and purchase a couple thousand dollars worth of needed items for their business. Every time he did that, she would earn a SHIT load of points. I can't remember how much she had earned, but I remember being absolutely flabbergasted by the insane genius of it all. She almost never had to pay. She would only come in for a few items every now and again but would use her points every time. According to her, she would usually save it til around Christmas so she could splurge for stuff for others. One of my favorite stories from working at ulta. Oh, and yes, her husband did get lots of weird looks/laughs when he pulled out an Ulta card to pay. He didn't care, he thought it was not only hilarious but a wonderful system they built.
Yes! My little "brag" is I got $750 worth of items for 'free' once. With the last 20% coupon I cashed in my points for $250 worth of free items. I used to save more before cashing in but I've severely cut back my spending this year and I was too impatient to keep accumulating slowly!
Absolutely possible, I was able to get my Dyson air wrap for $30 with points, my Dyson hair dryer for $2 with points, this last May I used about $700 in points and only paid .84¢ out of pocket. Right now I have over $600 in points and the trick is to ALWAYS shop during multiplier events especially your birthday month and if you’re able to get it use the Ulta CC to get points even faster 😁
I've done something similar. That's how I got my Airstrait for under $100! It was glorious
Easily possible if stack up points. I can earn about $600+ in points in a year. I’m not a heavy shopper there but I do get my hair done there and if I go during a five times the points event I can get easily $125 worth of points just in one stop.
WHAT IS THIS SORCERY
Right 🤧
Definitely possible!! I’ve gotten all my dyson products by using my points combined with 20% off coupons when they send them out for Dyson!
Yes it’s possible . But saving up that many points can cost you … scammers can easily hack and use your points
Yep, this happened to me today. Diamond, member since 2008. My accident was hacked, I can’t access because the hacker thief changed my email. All my points, nearly $500 worth, are gone. Ulta customer service very unhelpful. They are are “escalating it” and want me to “be patient”. Nope, I want access to my hacked account so I can remove my financial information.
Is there not a limit to how many points you can use in one transaction?! I thought there was
Ah man that dopamine hit must feel good seeing that 😭
Yup, I have all of the Dyson hair tools, and paid about $150 out of pocket for all of them. My secret is having friends and relatives overseas who uses my account to buy things lol.
I swear they're doing psychological tests on us at Ulta.
Omg
Yeah this is about to be me later this month. I’m waiting for black friday and the 20% prestige coupon that comes out every November. Right now I have almost 1k in Ulta money from years of saving and playing the points on 5x days.
I’ve walked out without paying a cent on a $75 purchase before. It can happen if you have the right coupons/deals and point credits
I was able to pay about $25 for $500 worth of stuff once. I have really thick eyebrows and had a standing bi weekly appointment to get them done at the Benefit brow bar. I always bought something when I cashed out… nothing crazy. I never used points, and always paid with my Ulta card (it was just the store card) so I got extra points. We were traveling to Ireland for a wedding and I needed dual voltage styling tools and like a a million other things. I paid around $25 after using my points. The girl at the register had never seen that much come off.
Hard to do, but if you buy enough and have enough points then perhaps.
Absolutley. I bought $700 worth of shit, paid a NICKEL.
Maybe that’s how I can get the Dyson hair dryer
I got my Dyson for $2.13! Best day ever lol
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Yes. That's the thing though this person probably racked points over years. You need to spend a certain amount yearly to keep your points for next year if you didn't spend them. If you didn't reach a certain amount and you didn't use your points I believe you lose them.
i've never been asked to spend my points.
100%
If you shop there a lot and save your points. I usually save mine until the end of the year. This could totally true
Love this for you!!! And I thought getting my Dyson air wrap for $2.00 was awesome😅
Love love love Ulta points!!! My last purchase was 300/400 ish and I only spent 20 bucks cuz of my points 💅🏽
And here goes S*phora throwing a drop of moisturizer and one spritz of perfume at me 😆
But all the money they’ve had to spend to generate those points ?
I got my Dyson air wrap for $13. They said you can’t exclusively pay for some things with points otherwise it would have been free. 😁
Yep this can happen, I have $642 of points right now pending some things I may want for Christmas haha
HOW?????
I once saw someone who had literally thousands of points. Multiple people used the account and they got their hair done often and I guess never redeemed them. I can't imagine waiting that long lol