Estate planning as a Sephora account holder

Beauty Insider is Sephora's free retail loyalty program. Members earn Beauty Insider Points (held in a "Beauty Bank") on purchases and redeem them for rewards and discounts. The points are a promotional retail currency, not money: they have no cash value and can only be redeemed for rewards. The program is limited to one account per person, and points are non-transferable between members.

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 published Beauty Insider Terms & Conditions do not describe a death or estate transfer process, and the program offers no beneficiary designation. The terms state that Beauty Insider Points have no cash value and can only be redeemed for rewards, that points are non-transferable between clients, and that the program is limited to one account per person. Points expire when an account has had no point activity (a purchase or redemption) for 12 months or more, and they expire automatically if a membership is revoked or cancelled. Because there is no transfer mechanism, no cash-out, and no beneficiary option, Beauty Insider Points are effectively forfeited when the member dies and are not part of the transferable estate. An executor closing the account would typically notify Sephora Customer Service; any unredeemed points are lost rather than paid out.

Frequently asked questions