Ulta GWPs

[itscarin]

This thread will be for Ulta GWPs only.  Share ulta promos here.  

Please do NOT post requests for the spreadsheet in this thread.  Please post requests for the Ulta GWP google spread sheet in this thread: http://community.sephora.com/t5/Off-Topic/Ulta-GWP-Google-Spreadsheet-Request-Thread/m-p/2753063#M11...

A list of in store coupons is here: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Savvy-Shoppers/Ulta-GWP-Coupons-no-chatter/td-p/3866521

Let's keep this thread on topic!

Ulta points refresher (because yes, it is that complicated):

Spoiler

Item #1 - $53.50

Item #3 - $108.50 (and is eligible for a certain item/brand 5x multiplier)

* There is also a 5x all purchase multiplier and you are platinum so you get 1.25x

Total Spent - $162

Base Points Earned - 162

Platinum .25x Earned - 41 (162 * .25 = 40.5, and rounding up)

5x All Purchases Earned - 648 (it ends up being 4x because you don't count the base points)

5x Item/Brand Earned - 434

Total Points Earned - 1285

Links are not allowed.  In lieu of links, please read this:

Spoiler

Please add product id numbers and sku numbers so people can find items on ulta.  

Just to clarify, there is an item number that Ulta lists on the website, right under the picture of the item.

The product id is the number given to the item in the URL.  So Ulta's site follows this formula of having the url and then the very last part of the url is "productId=xlsImpprod" followed by an 8 digit number.  If you use that "productId" number you can get to the page of any item on ulta. 

It's not a search, but the direct url to the page. 

Click on any product, and then view the url in the address bar.  It will look like this: ulta's website (not using the actual domain because BT admins don't like that) /prep-prime-fix?productId=xlsImpprod15921204  Replace the 8 digit product id of the item you want to see with the id of the product you're looking for.

My very unofficial Ulta point multiplier to approximate percent discount chart:

(This is a number where I use the multiplier to divide by 2000 to see how many dollars I would have to spend in order to redeem a $125 reward.  E.g. 2000 points divided by 1 point multiplier means I have to spend $2000 to get the $125 reward.  Adding how much I had to spend ($2000) + the reward ($125), and then using the reward ($125) to divide the total purchase ($2125), I get a discount of approximately 6% based on the total purchase.  Note: the total purchase is based on the concept that you are spending just enough to reach the next $125 reward and combines the reward value with how much money you had to spend to get that reward.

Spoiler

Multiplier	1	1.25	1.5	2	2.25	2.5	3	3.25	3.5	4	4.25	4.5	5	7.25	7.5	8	8.25	8.5	9	9.25	9.5	10	10.25	10.5
Spend	2000	1600	1333	1000	889	800	667	615	571	500	471	444	400	276	267	250	242	235	222	216	211	200	195	190
Points	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
Redeem	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125	125
Total Purchase	2125	1725	1458	1125	1014	925	792	740	696	625	596	569	525	401	392	375	367	360	347	341	336	325	320	315
Discount	6%	7%	9%	11%	12%	14%	16%	17%	18%	20%	21%	22%	24%	31%	32%	33%	34%	35%	36%	37%	37%	38%	39%	40%

[Imightneedthis]

When Ulta has to 10x points platinum day, if you use points to buy the item do you still get the the 10x points or are you better off using a credit card?

[Imightneedthis]

I found the answer on usgwp. I’ll post it in case anyone else is curious. Her example from 2017, if you buy 3 Estée Lauder foundations at a total of $126, then you will get 1291points. If you redeem 2000 points you get 1135 points so you loose 156 points or $9.83 value. I don’t know if being a diamond will effect this numbers but it gives you an idea. She also had a list of 2017 brands on the 10x list. I know they may be different but it helps to have an idea to plan ahead.

[Qteepiec]

I don’t understand still. So answer is using points will cause me to lose points? Hypothetically the 3 estee products using points you lost $9? So you should have just used your card?

[Imightneedthis]

@Qteepiec  Estée Lauder was 10x points last year. So, if you cashed in 2000 points for 3 of them you got most of the brand specific points but not all. I didn’t really understand the math behind it. I just copied what usgwp said in her post. I’m going to check it both ways with points and credit card to see how it works this year, especially since this is the first year with diamond level

[phantompenguinx]

So if it's a 10x brand specific multiplier the math is as follows:

Spend = $126 (foundation) - $125 (2000 pts redeemed) = $1 out of pocket

Earned = (base 1.25) + ($126*9 = 1,134) = 1135 points

NET = 2000 - 1135 = 865 points spent for $125 redemption

[RGbrown]

I meant to type something up on this earlier today, but got sidetracked by life. Thank you @phantompenguinx for the example! I do want to expound on it though...I believe in self-sufficiency above almost everything else, and want folks to know how to calculate points in most every scenario 😄

First off, always remember that a multiplier like 5x or 10x or really anyX is broken down into 2 parts. One point is your Base Point, the 1x you earn every day, and the rest of the points are Bonus Points (your .25x or .5x for Platinum/Diamond is also considered a Base Point, so treat it the same as the 1x in any calculations you make).

Secondly, remember that there are two types of multipliers: sitewide (5x everything, or the recent 2x/3x Platinum/4x Diamond), and brand (or even item) specific.

Redeeming points affects both types of multipliers, but in different ways. I'll use $150 total as my example. I'll be ignoring the .25/.5x as those vary for everyone...just remember to add that to your Base Points, not your Bonus Points.

5x Sitewide multiplier, $150 transaction, redeeming $125 in points:

When the multiplier is sitewide, you lose *all* points on the amount of points you redeem. So...

$150 purchase - $125 points = $25 OOP

You will earn 5x only on the $25 OOP, or 125 points (minus the 2000 points you spent, so net -1875 points for the transaction)

-If you did not redeem points you would have earned 750 points, but you lost all points (625 of 'em) on $125 of the transaction. 

5x brand specific multiplier, $150 transaction (all from the one brand), redeeming $125 in points:

Brand-specific multipliers are a better time to redeem points, though you will still lose some...you will earn Bonus Points for the entire $150 purchase, but you will lose Base Points on the $125 you pay for with points, which makes it look like this:

$150 purchase - $125 points = $25 OOP

($150 * 4 Bonus points) + ($25 * 1 Base Point) = 625 points earned (minus the 2000 you spent, leaving a net transaction of -1375 points in your account)

-If you did not redeem points you would have earned 750 points, but you lost the Base Points (125 of 'em) on $125 of the transaction. 

10x Day should follow the brand-specific calculations since it's not a sitewide event, but as @phantompenguinx warned, *always* check your cart total before checking out; I find it to be pretty accurate, maybe off a point or two due to rounding when Ulta actually posts the points to my account. Just remember that Ulta can switch things up at any time!

@Imightneedthis@Qteepiec@Maria88@magda124

[magda124]

Thank you for the in-depth explanation! I'm not sure if I should be proud, but it all made perfect sense at first scan. Way too familiar with Ulta and their point system hahahaha

[greeneyedgirl107]

My head is spinning a little bit.  I know everyone has different preferences, but to me it seems like if you are going to redeem points that it would be better to use them when there is a BRAND-SPECIFIC multiplier instead of a storewide multiplier, b/c at least you would earn more points.  Is this correct?  @RGbrown

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107

Everyone has different strategies, and different reasons for them, but personally, I certainly don't redeem points during a sitewide multiplier...I'd rather earn more points during that time and save them for another occasion. I like to build mine up and redeem 2000 or 4000 at a time with the 20% q's, regardless of what multipliers might be going on (and I don't think we normally have all that many multipliers during the 20% anyways). 

And while I always recommend spending points in 2k chunks, with the right brand-specific multiplier and a *good* GWP/Beauty Break, I've been known to spend 1000 points ($50) instead from time to time. Sometimes the right gift (and enough points recouped from the multiplier) helps a $50 transaction make sense to me. It's all about just finding what works for your taste 😄

[greeneyedgirl107]

THANKS for the insight!!!  You are a mathemagician with this points!  @RGbrown

[Imightneedthis]

@RGbrownThank you for that great explanation! It really helps a lot. You are the best! 😀

[Imightneedthis]

@phantompenguinx Thank you for explaining that! I’m glad we have a math whiz in this group! 👏👏

[phantompenguinx]

@Imightneedthis  haha np! there's a bit of a learning curve to calculating ulta points, but once you get the hang of it, it comes pretty easily 🙂

[magda124]

Woah, stop the train - if you redeem 2000 points (ie $125), you'd still get some points in 10X day? In your example, you lose 100+ points for the original purchase price, but still gain the bonus? Game-changer!!!! Thank you for 411 (am I dating myself or what?) 😆

[Imightneedthis]

@magda124 That’s what usgwp posted in 2017. Let’s hope it happens this year. It will depend on the item for the points and how Ulta runs the sale this year. I know using points won’t be as good as a credit card, but it’s nice to know that it may be an option for some items without losing all the points.

[Maria88]

Personal experience has been that no, yoI don’t earn points on items purchased with points. So say your total comes out to be exactly $125 so you redeem 2000 pts: you don’t earn anything. But if your purchase is $200 and you use $125 worth of pts (so 2k) you will earn points on $75.

[Imightneedthis]

@Maria88 That’s what I thought and I have seen that on some of my orders this year where I didn’t get very many points when I used points. But I’ve also had a lot of  points awarded on brand specific buys when using mainly points. So I dunno. I’m confused .I don’t want to get everybody’s hopes up but after I read  the past post by usgwp from 2017, I wanted to make everyone aware that it was a possibility this year. I agree with others who said to try it both ways before you check out. Regardless of what Ulta does, happy shopping! 😃

[phantompenguinx]

I really think this depends on how ulta categorizes the 10x now. Initially, it used to be a flat 10x but in the last couple years it's been product/brand specific. When redeeming points, you only get the bonus points in the same order if it's a brand specific multiplier so in theory it should be true, but not sure since the 10x spans over many brands/items... someone else may have more insight cause i really dont remember from last year lol

word of advice: always check the estimate of points in cart before placing your order

[Anonymous]

I've been out of the loop for a while.......can anyone tell me when the next 20% off prestige coupon is going to drop?  I have 4,000 points now and plan on racking some more up come this 10x points day and was curious when the next coupon would be.

Also, does anyone know what the cap is on how many points you're allowed to redeem at one time in store or online?  Specifically, can I redeem 6,000 points and use a 20% off prestige coupon in store?  or online?

[Imightneedthis]

In he past, I tried to redeem 6000 points at one time but it only let me go as high as 4000. Hope that helps.

[Loretta55]

I am not sure if you can redeem 6000 points in store @Anonymouse, but on line I have not been able to redeem any more than 4000 points on line in a single transaction. The 20% coupon can be used when redeeming points. I was able to use the 20% off coupon code a few times.