Ulta Rewards Math Means Paying $1.80 For $162 Worth of Product — Here's How

When Ulta changed the name of their rewards program from Ultamate Rewards to Ulta Beauty Rewards, I was pretty stoked. And not just because their riff on the word “ultimate” (misspelled using the store name) irked me as an editor, but because it made me take a deeper dive into the program. While I love a good Ulta coupon and Ulta sales, collecting and tactically using rewards points is one of the best shopping hacks for any store.

And Ulta Beauty Rewards is actually a really good program, at least from my POV. At the free tier (which you enter just for signing up) you receive 1 point for every $1 you spend at Ulta. The very first eligible reward is available when you hit 100 points (or $100 spent), offering you $3 off a purchase. But you can keep collecting points to earn larger dollars-off rewards.

I’m going to get into all of this and show you how I rack up points faster than that 1 point per $1 spent so that we can all score more at Ulta for way less.

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I Got $162 Worth of Product For $1.80 With Ulta Beauty Rewards

Yes, this really can be done. And I'm going to not only break down exactly how I did it, but share all of the tips on how I got there. That way, you can reap those savings, too.

1. I hoarded my Ulta rewards points until I had 2000 points in my account, which amounts to $125 off an Ulta purchase. Saving points for that maxed out value gives you the best return on investment — about 6%. If you cash in at 100 points, it's $3 off a purchase — only 3%.

2. Next, I shopped during the Ulta Jumbo Love sale, during which you can get liter-size shampoo and conditioner for up to 30% off. In my case I bought the Living Proof No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner (reg. $67 each) on sale for $53.60 a piece — that's 20% off.

3. With the shampoo and conditioner on sale, my total at that point was only $107.20, and I wanted to use that $125 in one fell swoop. So I headed to my store's Last Chance Beauty shelves, where they always have marked down items. Here I found a Morphe Eye Shadow Palette (reg. price $28) marked down to $19.60 — 30% off!

4. With that, my total came to $126.80. Then, substracting that sweet, sweet $125 reward, I only paid $1.80 (plus tax).

Not gonna lie — I felt the rush.

Let’s Hack Ulta Rewards Together

So, here’s the thing, I’m a “save it for a rainy day” kinda gal. When it comes to any store rewards program, I like to collect a ton of points before I spend any. I want my rewards to impact my receipt in the largest way possible, even if I could save $3 here and $3 there on purchases. And at Ulta it’s possible to do just that because you can…

Redeem 100 points ($100 spent) for a $3 reward.

There are three tiers to the program: Free (the base tier), Platinum ($500 spend in a year), and Diamond ($1,200 spend in a year). So, how do Ulta Beauty Rewards points work? At the free tier, you’re earning 1 point per $1 spent, which means once you have spent $100 at Ulta, you have 100 points. You can redeem those 100 points for a $3-off reward usable on any Ulta purchase, excluding sales tax, shipping fees, and gift cards.

Like I said before, I’m a saver so I don’t take Ulta up on that $3 reward. Instead I keep earning on top of my 100 points. The next rewards bars to clear look like this:

• 250 pts. = $8

• 500 pts. = $17.50

• 750 pts. = $30

• 1000 pts. = $50

• 2000 pts. = $125

When I hit Platinum level, I began earning 1.25 points per $1 spent.

Of course, the more you spend, the more you get rewarded. Once a member hits a $500 spend at Ulta in a year, they start earning 1.25x points for every $1. That means when you spend $100, it turns into 125 points. Then, if you are so gung-ho on Ulta you hit $1200 spent in a year (no judgment), you become a Diamond member earning 1.5x points for every $1 spent. Ultimately you’re earning faster, but will also have ponied up quite a bit of money at Ulta. 

I get my hair colored at the Ulta salon; earning points on every service adds up.

This isn’t a tip that will work for everyone, especially if you are already loyal to a stylist or colorist somewhere else, but I take advantage of the beauty services at the Ulta salon. First of all, I find that their prices are on the affordable end, especially for where I live in Southern California. But also, I earn Ulta Beauty Rewards points while getting my grays well-covered. Basically I walk in looking like my grandma, and walk out looking refreshed and with at least another 82 points in my rewards account. 

Look for points multiplier opportunities at the Ulta salon. 

I’ll get more into points multipliers in a minute (they are krazy good ways to earn points faster while spending less money), but if you check your Ulta Beauty Rewards account, you’ll see ‘Bonus Offers’ listed. You do have to activate these offers, but quite often there is one for 5x points on all beauty services. Now this is when I go all out. I activate that offer and schedule a full root touch-up and haircut, because my total (which for me is usually $149) will equal a whopping 745 Ulta Beauty Rewards points. My dudes, that is just 5 points away from a $30-off reward in one visit. Cha-frickin-ching. 

Accrue points faster without spending more money through points-multiplier offers.

While I appreciate that whole 1-for-1 ratio of points to dollars spent at the free rewards tier, obviously I want an even bigger return on investment. That’s where points-multiplier offers, like the one I mentioned above at the Ulta salon, come into play. But these offers come in a few different forms, so let me explain. 

Earn double rewards points during your birthday month. 

Not only does Ulta offer a free birthday gift, but they also give Ulta Beauty Rewards members double points during their birthday month. As a Platinum member regularly earning 1.25x points, that means I earn 2.5 points for every $1 spent during the month I have listed as my birthday (yes, I said “listed). If you’re in the base tier, you’ll get 2x points during the birthday month you have “listed.” If you think you’re going to run out of a product not long after your birthday, buy it during that birthday month so you get twice as many rewards as you normally would. 

Make your birthday month November, when Black Friday sales happen.

If you really want to double down on getting the most out of a purchase, set up your rewards account so that November is your birthday month to coincide with Black Friday sales. The Ulta Black Friday situation has truly great deals (more than 50% off on products in some cases) and is a great time to stock up on beauty favorites. This way not only are you getting a great price on the product itself, but you’re earning double the points on the price you paid.

Check your rewards account for points multiplier bonus offers weekly.

In full disclosure, I don’t actually check my Ulta Beauty Rewards account weekly because I feel like it only encourages me to buy things I don’t need. However, if you’re already planning an Ulta shop, check your rewards account for those points multiplier offers, because they do change by the week. Sometimes it will be 5x points on Conscious Beauty brands or 3x points on a participating brand’s products. But it’s always worth perusing so you don’t miss out on extra points that will get you a reward faster without spending as much money.

Save your points until you hit 2000 — patience pays off.

When you hit 2,000 Ulta points, you’ll get a $125 shopping credit. But if you split up your Ulta Beauty Rewards points and redeem only 1,000 at a time, you’ll only get two $50 shopping credits. This means you're leaving an extra $25 on the table. I want you to have that $25!

Any redemption that isn’t divisible by 2,000 will not get you the maximum Ulta rewards points value, and any money spent with your shopping credit does not count towards your $500 spend a year to achieve Platinum Status.

Some final questions, answered.

Now that I've gone through the easiest ways to hack the Ulta Beauty Rewards program, you probably have some logistical questions. So let me get to those...

Do your Ulta Beauty Rewards points expire?

Yeah, unfortunately they do. Unused rewards points will expire at the end of the quarter a year after the date they were earned. I find the easiest way to keep track of any points that might be ready to expire is to check my rewards account balance. There you'll see a small section that says 'Points expiring' to let you know whether or not you should hustle to spend them.

Can I still earn rewards points if I'm shopping Ulta at Target?

Yep — 100%. What you'll have to do. however, is make sure your Ulta Rewards account is linked to your Target Circle account, which you can do at Target.com. It isn't hard to do, just a small extra step. What's great about linking them is you'll earn both Ulta rewards and Target Circle rewards when you makes purchases through Ulta at Target.