Personal care and beauty products can cost quite a lot, so it would be great if you could find a way to get some of them at discounted prices. That’s one of the things the Sephora credit cards can do, but how much can it provide in terms of rewards?
Sephora Credit Cards
Intro Bonus: 15% off
Regular APR: 25.74% for the closed-loop version and 25.74% or 16.99% for Visa versions, based upon your creditworthiness
Credit Score: Fair to Good
Annual Fee: $0
Highlights:
- The Sephora credit cards can help you earn 4% back in Reward for each $1 spent.
- Depending on your creditworthiness, you may be approved of a Visa or Visa Signature version of the card.
- You can earn a $20 Reward when you spend $500 outside Sephora within the first 90 days of your Visa card.
- Beauty Insider points will expire after 12 months of the card account’s inactivity.
- Cardholders will benefit from the free standard shipping benefits of the Beauty Insider Program ($50 min. for Insider members, $35 min. for VIB members, and no minimum for Rouge members).
- The Credit Card Rewards expire after 90 days.
- Credit Card Rewards are combinable with Beauty Insider Cash Rewards.
- The Visa version of the Sephora credit card has zero liability and tap-to-pay features.
- Qualifying for a Sephora Visa Signature credit card will give you benefits like Visa Concierge, Roadside Dispatch, and Visa Signature travel.
- The Reward Dollars will expire 18 months after the date that they are posted to your Reward Dollars balance.
Sephora Credit Card Review:
When you apply for a Sephora credit card, your creditworthiness will be the basis of what type of card would get. That being said, you may be approved for a closed-loop Sephora credit card or the open-loop Sephora Visa or Sephora Visa Signature credit card. Nonetheless, regardless of the card, you will be charged a $0 annual fee. You’ll also receive a welcome bonus in the form of a 15% off on your first Sephora purchase.
Qualifying for a card will automatically make you a member of the Beauty Insider Program. It is the basic rewards program Sephora offers, where customers can earn Beauty Insider points for every dollar spent. The points are redeemable for items you can spot at Beauty Insider Rewards Bazaar. The requirement depends on the item of your choice and can range from 50 to 100,000 Beauty Insider points. The points are also convertible into Beauty Insider Cash Rewards, where you’ll need 500 Beauty Insider points to get the $10. Once you have it, the amount will be treated as a direct discount on your purchases.
Sephora Program Tiers
You can also increase the value of your Beauty Insider points by reaching the highest tier of the program, and there are three statuses under it: Insider, VIB, and Rouge. While the Insider has no spending requirements, you need to spend $350 to move to the VIB tier and $1,000 to get to Rouge status. And once you are a Rouge member, you can turn your 2,500 Beauty Insider points into a $100 reward.
You could also earn other rewards in the program (depending on your status), including Seasonal Savings Events, free standard shipping, birthday gift, exclusive gifts, free samples, access to exclusive events, and more.
Nonetheless, remember that anyone can take advantage of the said benefits and perks with or without the Sephora credit cards. All of those benefits are under the store’s loyalty program, so you can start earning Beauty Insider points and experience Sephora perks with just a free registration. That said, what can Sephora credit cards offer? Would they make your Sephora shopping experience sweeter?
Besides automatically making you a Beauty Insider Program member and letting you earn Beauty Insider points, the Sephora credit cards will give you Credit Card Rewards. Here, all cards will help you earn 4% back in Reward for each $1 of eligible purchases made at Sephora U.S. stores or at www.sephora.com. The Visa version of the Sephora credit card can also earn 1% back in rewards on purchases outside Sephora. And if you could spend $500 outside Sephora within the first 90 days of your Visa card, you’ll get a $20 Reward.
Sephora Credit Card and Sephora Visa Card Benefits
Those are the only additions the Sephora credit cards can provide, together with the standard Visa features like emergency card replacement, zero liability, and tap-to-pay tech. And if you would qualify for a Sephora Visa Signature credit card, you’ll also get benefits like Visa Concierge, Roadside Dispatch, and Visa Signature travel. Beyond those things mentioned, Sephora credit cards have nothing more to offer.
Final Thoughts:
Like other store credit cards, most of the benefits Sephora credit cards are boasting about are under the store’s rewards program. You can access them whether you are a cardholder or not. The addition of Credit Card Rewards in the form of 4% back is excellent, but keep in mind that it is just basically $5 in rewards for every $125 spent. However, when you combine Credit Card Rewards and Beauty Insider Cash Rewards, you can get a good value out of every dollar you spend on Sephora purchases.
So, should you apply for one? If you are a frequent Sephora shopper and you want to maximize your rewards earnings, the Sephora credit card is a tremendous tool to have. Still, you might want to think about the APR of the cards (25.74% or 16.99% for Visa versions, based upon your creditworthiness and 25.74% for the closed-loop version) and the responsibility you’ll be facing when you use them.
On the other side of the coin, most shoppers will benefit more from the features of general rewards cards. Besides allowing you to use them everywhere, you can choose the right rewards structure that fits your preference. These cards also have incredible earning rates and come with handy features and offers, such as 0% intro APR, special financing, and more. If you want to know more about them, have a look at some of the best cards from Wells Fargo, Citi, Capital One, Bank of America, Discover, Amex, and Chase.
