- What It Is: The largest US beauty retailer, mixing drugstore and prestige brands under one roof
- Rewards: Free to join, 1 point per $1, 1.5 points per $1 at Diamond
- Key Change: The Ulta Beauty at Target partnership ended August 15, 2026
- Returns: 60 days for a full refund, even on opened products
- Best Trick: Save to 2,000 points, where the value jumps from $50 to $125
The Short Answer
Ulta's real advantage is not price. It is that drugstore mascara and a $70 serum sit in the same store, with a rewards program that treats both the same.
The big news this year is that the Ulta Beauty at Target partnership ended on August 15, 2026. Linked account benefits between the two programs are gone, though both loyalty programs continue separately.
How the Rewards Program Actually Works
Free to join, and you earn on everything including salon services. The tiers change what that earning is worth.
| Tier | How You Qualify | What You Earn |
|---|---|---|
| Member | Free to join | 1 point per $1, birthday gift, member pricing |
| Platinum | Annual spend threshold | Higher earn rate plus bonus point access |
| Diamond | Higher annual spend | 1.5 points per $1, points that do not expire while status holds, free shipping on $25+, $25 off a beauty service, extra birthday perk |
Here is the single most valuable thing to know: point value is not linear. 1,000 points redeem for $50, but 2,000 points redeem for $125. Cashing out in small chunks throws away more than half the value. Save to 2,000, or any multiple of it.
Points expire at the end of the calendar quarter following the twelve-month anniversary of earning them, so a point earned in November 2025 expires December 31, 2026. Diamond members are the exception, since their points do not expire while status is maintained.
Stacking, and Why It Matters Here
Ulta is unusually generous about combining offers. A 20% off coupon, a bonus points multiplier, and a gift with purchase can all apply to the same order.
Redemption certificates also layer on top of product-level promotions, because they apply at a different stage of the checkout calculation. Add your discounted items first, confirm those discounts land, then apply the certificate.
Bonus point promotions stack with each other too. A birthday month 2X offer and a 5X brand offer combine rather than cancel out.
The Return Policy Is the Quiet Advantage
Sixty days for a full refund, and Ulta accepts opened, used products. For cosmetics, where you cannot know whether a foundation matches until you wear it for a day, that is genuinely rare.
A few conditions worth knowing. Cash refunds only apply if you paid cash and return within the window with a receipt. Everything else goes back to your card or comes as store credit. Without a receipt or a linked rewards account, you get a gift card at the item's lowest recent selling price.
With the Target partnership now ended, anything previously bought at an Ulta Beauty at Target counter follows Target's return policy, not Ulta's.
Events Worth Timing Your Purchases Around
21 Days of Beauty runs in the late summer into September, with a different set of products at 50% off each day. The daily offers are single-day only, so the event calendar matters more than browsing.
Gift with purchase offers run continuously across brands at set spend thresholds, and they stack with everything else.
New members get 20% off a first purchase plus 2X points, which requires email opt-in and activation in the app.
Who Ulta Suits
Anyone buying across price tiers, since drugstore and prestige earn the same way. Regular salon clients, because services earn points too. Anyone who wants to try products without the risk, given the return policy.
Less compelling if you only buy one prestige brand, where that brand's own loyalty program may pay better, or if you rarely spend enough to reach the 2,000-point threshold before points expire.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Ulta Beauty at Target?
The partnership ended August 15, 2026. Purchases made through that date still counted toward rewards, but linked account benefits between Ulta and Target Circle are no longer available. Both programs continue separately.
How much are Ulta points worth?
It scales unevenly. 1,000 points is worth $50, while 2,000 points is worth $125. Saving to 2,000 or a multiple of it gets substantially more value than redeeming in smaller amounts.
Can I return used makeup to Ulta?
Yes. Ulta accepts opened and used products within 60 days for a full refund, which is one of the more generous policies in beauty retail.
Do Ulta points expire?
Yes, at the end of the calendar quarter following the twelve-month anniversary of earning. Diamond members keep their points as long as they hold the tier.
Can I earn points through delivery apps?
Yes. Link your Ulta Rewards account to DoorDash, Instacart, or Uber Eats through the Ulta storefront before ordering. Base points apply, though bonus point promotions do not.
Final Verdict
Ulta earns its position by removing the choice between cheap and prestige. Both live in one store, one basket, one rewards balance.
The Target partnership ending is worth registering if you had been shopping that way, but it changes nothing about the core program. The two habits that matter most are simple: save your points to 2,000 before redeeming, and stack your offers in the right order. Do both and the program returns real money rather than token discounts.