Estate planning as a Sephora account holder
Sephora USA, Inc. points are forfeited when the account holder dies
Sephora Customer Service
Sephora Customer Service
(General customer service)
Beauty Insider is Sephora's free retail loyalty program in the United States and Canada, run by Sephora USA, Inc. Members earn one Beauty Insider Point per dollar of merchandise spend into a "Beauty Bank" and redeem points for Rewards. There are three tiers: Insider (automatic on enrolment), VIB ($350 of spend in a calendar year) and Rouge ($1,000). The points are a promotional retail currency, not money: the terms state they have no cash value and can only be redeemed for Rewards, membership is limited to one account per individual, and both membership and Rewards are non-transferable. Sephora gift cards and store credit, which do not expire, are a separate instrument and are usually where residual Sephora value sits.
When a Sephora account holder dies, their points are forfeited. The program's terms state that points do not constitute property of the account holder and cannot be transferred upon death, by operation of law, or through estate planning documents.
What happens at death
Sephora's Beauty Insider Terms & Conditions contain no death, deceased-member, or estate provision of any kind, and the program offers no beneficiary designation. What the terms do say forecloses inheritance in practice: "Membership is non-transferable and Membership purchases must be made by the member"; membership is "limited to individuals only and is limited to one account per individual"; "Beauty Insider Points themselves have no cash value and can only be redeemed for Rewards" and are "never redeemable for cash, for another product, for gift cards or for e-gift certificates"; and "All Rewards are non-transferable, have no cash value (unless required by law) and cannot be sold, returned or exchanged for Beauty Insider Points, cash, another product, gift card or e-gift certificate unless pursuant to a specific offer from Sephora." Points also lapse on their own: "All unredeemed Beauty Insider Points will expire when a program member has not engaged in Beauty Insider Point activity associated with that membership account (through purchase or redemption) for 12 months or more," and "If your Membership is revoked or otherwise cancelled, any Beauty Insider Points in your account will automatically expire." Because there is no transfer mechanism, no cash-out, and no beneficiary option, Beauty Insider Points are effectively forfeited when the member dies. Two things an executor should know before acting: closing the account is itself a forfeiture ("You will forfeit all of your existing Beauty Insider Points, tier status, and tier benefits"), and Sephora states it is "unable to close your account if you have existing Online Store Credit" — so an account that cannot be closed is a signal that Sephora is holding store credit belonging to the estate.
Planning your estate
Protecting Sephora points while the account is active
No beneficiary designation, points can only be redeemed, not transferred, and 6-step plan.
View details →When someone dies
Handling Sephora points after a death
Points are forfeited under the official terms, 6-step process, and 3 required documents.
View details →Sephora does not offer a beneficiary designation feature. Without this option, points cannot be assigned to a named recipient through the program's own settings.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The terms state that "All unredeemed Beauty Insider Points will expire when a program member has not engaged in Beauty Insider Point activity associated with that membership account (through purchase or redemption) for 12 months or more," and that points "will automatically expire if your Membership is revoked or otherwise cancelled." Membership inactivity of more than 12 months is itself listed among the grounds that may subject a member to Membership revocation. After a member dies and the account goes quiet, the points lapse on that schedule. Sephora gift cards and store credits, by contrast, do not expire and carry no inactivity fees.
No. The Terms & Conditions state that "Beauty Insider Points themselves have no cash value and can only be redeemed for Rewards" and that they are "never redeemable for cash, for another product, for gift cards or for e-gift certificates." Sephora does publish fixed redemption rates, which is not the same thing as a cash value: 500 points for a $10 Beauty Insider Cash discount at any tier, 1,000 points for a $20 Rouge Cash Reward, and 2,500 points for a $100 Rouge Reward, with the Rewards Bazaar ranging from 50 to 100,000 points. Beauty Insider Cash itself "is not cash, has no cash value without a purchase and may not be altered, sold, bartered or transferred."
There are three: Insider, VIB and Rouge. All members are automatically Insiders on enrolment. VIB status is conferred on members who spend a minimum of $350 on fulfilled orders of merchandise in one calendar year, and Rouge on members who spend a minimum of $1,000. Each status is good for the calendar year in which it is earned and the following full calendar year, after which annual requalification is required. All three tiers earn 1 Beauty Insider Point per U.S. or Canadian dollar of merchandise spend. Tier status is personal and is forfeited along with the points if the account is closed.
Sources
Data sourced from Sephora USA, Inc. primary sources (9 pages reviewed). How we research.
Sephora Customer Service
Sephora Customer Service
(General customer service)
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