What’s in Store For the Sephora Rewards Program 2020?

By Kimberly

What’s in Store For the Sephora Rewards Program 2020? Is it Changing to a Cash Based System? See Updates to the Sephora Rewards Program 2020. We learned that we will not get a full cash based program in 2020, but a hybrid with the option to redeem for a ridiculously awful amount starts after April 30th. Rumors have been circulating all year that it would adopt a program similar to Ulta’s in 2020 and while I know we might be only a few short days away from knowing, I decided to step onto my soapbox for a moment. I will continue to update this as I learn more, so it will get longer as the year carries on.

 

2020 Sephora Sales Calendar

I have one timeline where I list all major: Promotions, Sales, Deals, GWP, Promo Codes, and Events. Those who want to see an overall idea of what to expect this year should stop by. See where my theory on the What’s in store for the Sephora Rewards Program 2020 and where these promotions line up with others on the schedule. You can also visit my Sephora retailer page to see active and upcoming offers of all types.

What’s in Store For the Sephora Rewards Program 2020?

Between the speculation and programs Sephora introduced in 2019 and 2020, it is clear there is even more restructuring to the Sephora Beauty Insider Program on the way.

Sephora Beauty Insider Sweeps 2019

First, we had multiple Sephora Beauty Insider Sweepstakes this year. I was foolish and partook, but I did thankfully abstain from the last one. These were clearly an attempt to get users to dump points, because there weren’t enough members dropping them on large or small perks in 2019.

Sephora Rewards Program 2020 Leaked Update

Then, we saw this press release from tahahaha13 on reddit. This press release made it clear changes to the were coming to the 2020 Sephora Point Perk System sometime after 01/15/20. It stopped short of saying what they were. It did show that tier celebration gifts were getting eliminated. The option to get an extra 500 points for qualifying for VIB or 750 for Rouge was a nice perk, but removing it would make sense if points were more valuable. On the same token, the option for VIB and Rouge members to get 250 points as the birthday perk was also removed.

What I did not understand about this move at the time was why remove the other tier celebration gifts? I wondered if they would offer others to replace them. Turns out Sephora took the gifts away with no plans on replacing them at all! So, for the first time ever there is no reward for moving up a tier. Even when there were only two tiers, you got a couple minor things for making VIB, including a 10% off code, a free makeover, and a free shipping code.

Sephora Beauty Insider Use Points to Buy a Discount 2020

I received this offer today. It is yet another push to get people to redeem points. This is the first one that gets them to redeem and pushes a sale, so it also the most clever. With 350 points, you get 5% off. At 750 points, you get 10% off. For 1000 points, you get 15% off. Let’s break this down.

The worst offer is the middle one. Usually as you spend more you get a better deal. If you get 5% for 350, why would you have to spend 750 for 10%? It should have been 700 maximum, but less than 700 to get a deal. Thus, I think you should avoid the middle altogether.

Should you go for the bottom or the top offer? This is also hard to say. I do not know how great the new rewards program is going to be or how bad you need product. The Spring Bonus is a few months away, which would give you 10-20%, depending on your rewards level. As for myself, I am holding onto my points and waiting to see what the new year brings. Whether it brings an exciting new program or the old one, I do not need anything that cannot wait for a better promotion than this.

Sephora Beauty Insider Missing Point Multipliers 2020

Furthering my theory that the rewards system is changing was the lack of a skincare point multiplier. Sephora has offered 2x points on skincare in the second week of January every year for as long as I can remember. This was the offer from 2019. I figured it wouldn’t if it was indeed changing the rewards system. Then, it didn’t. Of course, it could be just another eliminated promotion, but Sephora has already cut so much and we are only 16 days into the new year. If it does not start adding something soon, shoppers may start finding other stores to visit.

Sephora Beauty Insider Program Updates 2020

Because we are only 16 days in and the changes to the Sephora Rewards Program 2020 keep happening, I decided to document them. Click there if you want to see them.

Sephora Beauty Insider Sweeps 2020

Another Beauty Insider Sweeps started January 23rd and it runs through January 31st. It seems these events are really picking up. It popped up again in March 2020. I go over my thoughts in the article, but the cliff’s notes are I disapprove. This is another attempt to get users to dump points. Of course the winners will feel lucky, just as lotto winners do. This only furthers my theory that a change is coming or Sephora is messing up.

Customers want change. This is not it. Rewarding nine lucky members who gamble while failing to take care of thousands more when Ulta does will not work long term. I love Sephora, but it cannot continue to take things away without adding things back in while Ulta keeps adding more and more.

Sephora Skincare Sale 2020

This two-day Sephora Skincare Sale did not exist prior to 2020. It looks like it might have replaced the usual skincare multiplier we received in past years.

Sephora Beauty Insider Cash 2020

The Sephora Rouge Reward already existed before 2020, so we had some history with getting cash for points. Rouge members got $25 for 1000 points or $100 for 2500 points. Rumors were the the entire program was switching over in 2020 and even I was starting to believe it, because the evidence was compelling.

Beta testing for Beauty Insider Cash began on January 24th. It started with 500 points for $10. Unfortunately, Sephora made it clear, this will just be an option in 2020 after it completes beta testing. That means at least in 2020 we will not see the 100% cash based program we were hoping for. After seeing the opening offer, Sephora needs time to work out the kinks anyway. Go back to the table and come back with a better offer than 500 points for $10 off. *After beta testing, Sephora confirmed on February 26th that it would adopt this program as of April 30th. I hope it reconsiders for a better offer in the future. This one stinks.

Sephora Your Beauty Win Offers 2020

Sephora launched a new promotion to take over the 3x points promotion on fragrance from 2018 and 4x points promotion on fragrance from 2019. The only problem is this one is targeted, so only select accounts got it. Certain people got 20% off one fragrance for three days starting on February 7th. Different offers for this promotion popped up in later months. This is another dilution of the points program furthering the theory that Sephora is trying to devalue points. See its article for more details.

The New Sephora Beauty Insider Program -Updates Coming After April 30th!

After April 30th, we will finally see some program updates to the new Sephora Beauty Insider Program has hinted at for 2020.

New Sephora Beauty Insider Program Savings

Sephora rolled out beta testing for $10 off using 500 points in January 2020. After April 30th, anyone with 500 points can remove $10 off his/her bill when s/he checks out. So, it looks like we are getting the option to exchange points for money in 2020 after all. It is on a much smaller scale than people thought and the offer is terrible. Hopefully, people decline this offer, so Sephora knows it missed the mark. If people who just want something for their points redeem this, Sephora might think we like this. It’s not enough. We need more cash redemption offers for less points per dollar.

We will get the usual bonuses during the Sephora Spring 2020 sale. There are no changes here.

A new shipping minimum is getting introduced for VIB members. VIB members will now get free standard shipping with a $35 purchase. This was a Sephora VIB Tier Celebration Gift option in 2019, but Tier Celebration gifts were eliminated in 2020. It looks like all VIB members will get this promotion now.

New Sephora Beauty Insider Program Samples

There were already three Sephora Birthday Gift 2020 options for Beauty Insider members and four options for VIB and Rouge members before this announcement, so there is no update here. This is the same number of tangible Sephora Birthday Gift 2019 options as well.

We could see more options in the Rewards Bazaar, but I have not noticed an increase so far between 2019 and 2020.

New Sephora Beauty Insider Program Experiences

Point Multipliers were present at the beginning of 2019, but we seemed to get Sephora Your Beauty Win Offers in place of them in 2020. It would be nice to see them return after a multi-month absence. We’ve already missed the usual skincare multiplier in January this year, and the fragrance multiplier in February of this year. Hopefully, we will get our usual fragrance multiplier in time for Mother’s Day under the new program.

This update is promising 50% more experiences in the Rewards Bazaar from 2019 and 2020. They are so hard to get as it is, so it would be nice to see a greater quantity at a lower cost. One can hope.

Sephora Sales 2020

The April sale flyer mentioned that there were two chances to save this year. That means the Summer Bonus, which was introduced to all tiers in 2018 but reduced to only the VIB and Rouge tiers in 2019 may not happen in 2020.

What are your thoughts on the 2020 Sephora Rewards Program?

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Sephora does not inform any Beauty Insider of all promotions. It does list a great deal of them on its Beauty Offers page, but I list some it does not on my Sephora Deals Page. Between the ones it lists and the ones I list, you can catch most of them. Subscribe to emails to get targeted offers. If you’re spending over $25 online, there is always a promo code that you can apply. Most major events run on a set schedule, which I track on my Sephora Sales Calendar 2020. See all Sephora articles. Read Tips For Getting the Best Deal When Shopping Sephora. View my main page for the guide map to the site and deeper deal exploration.

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