What happens to Sephora points when the owner dies
Sephora USA, Inc. points are forfeited under the program's terms when the account is closed
Sephora Customer Service
Sephora Customer Service
Sephora publishes no timeline for a deceased member, because there is no points-transfer or estate-claim process. The clocks that do run are the program's own: unredeemed Beauty Insider Points expire once the account has had no point activity, through purchase or redemption, for 12 months or more; Membership inactivity of more than 12 months is itself listed as a ground for Membership revocation, which expires the points automatically; and merchandise returns are handled under Sephora's returns policy, with the gift card terms describing a 30-day window for a refund in the form of a new Sephora Gift Card and store merchandise credits issued for approved returns made within 31 to 60 days. By contrast, gift cards and store credits do not expire and carry no inactivity fee, so there is no deadline pressure on those.
(General customer service)
Sephora USA, Inc.'s terms state that points are not the property of the account holder and are forfeited at death. The program does not provide a mechanism for transferring points to heirs.
There are reports of Sephora USA, Inc. making exceptions through customer service, but these accommodations are discretionary and not guaranteed.
What to do
When a Sephora account holder dies, these are the steps to take:
- •Sephora gift cards, eGift cards, and store merchandise credit cards found among the decedent's belongings. Under the Gift Card, Store Credit, and Promotional Card Terms, "Sephora Gift Cards and store credits do not expire. No fees for inactivity or service fees apply," and a card is redeemed by presenting it, so the estate can generally spend the remaining balance. Store merchandise credits are physical cards with a 16-digit number and no PIN, and are redeemable in store only. Check a balance at sephora.com/beauty/giftcards or by calling 1-888-860-7897.
- •Any Online Store Credit sitting inside the Beauty Insider account itself. The Account Closure page states that Sephora is "unable to close your account if you have existing Online Store Credit," so a closure attempt that fails is itself evidence that a credit balance exists. Ask Client Services what the balance is and how it can be released.
- •Call 1-877-SEPHORA (1-877-737-4672), available MON-FRI 5am-9pm PT and SAT-SUN 6am-9pm PT.
- •Email customerservice@sephora.com, the written channel Sephora names in its own Beauty Insider Terms for point questions.
- •Live chat is available on the same hours through sephora.com/beauty/customer-service.
Required Documents
- Sephora publishes no document requirements for a deceased member's Beauty Insider account, because the points are non-transferable and no estate process exists. No death certificate requirement, no letters testamentary requirement, and no estates document list appears anywhere in its published Beauty Insider, customer service, account, or gift card material.
- For locating and discussing an account, Sephora's published identity-verification practice asks for the member's name, an email address used with Sephora, or a phone number used with Sephora, and for certain requests details of the most recent purchase made online or in store.
- For a discretionary written request, enclose a certified copy of the death certificate and the requester's proof of legal authority (for example letters testamentary or letters of administration). These are what a survivor would ordinarily enclose to show authority to ask; they are not Sephora-published requirements, and this record does not present them as such.
Timeline
Sephora publishes no timeline for a deceased member, because there is no points-transfer or estate-claim process. The clocks that do run are the program's own: unredeemed Beauty Insider Points expire once the account has had no point activity, through purchase or redemption, for 12 months or more; Membership inactivity of more than 12 months is itself listed as a ground for Membership revocation, which expires the points automatically; and merchandise returns are handled under Sephora's returns policy, with the gift card terms describing a 30-day window for a refund in the form of a new Sephora Gift Card and store merchandise credits issued for approved returns made within 31 to 60 days. By contrast, gift cards and store credits do not expire and carry no inactivity fee, so there is no deadline pressure on those.
Frequently asked questions
Sephora's Beauty Insider Terms & Conditions say nothing about death or estates at all, and the program has no beneficiary designation. What the terms do say leaves the points with nowhere to go: membership is limited to one account per individual and is non-transferable, points have no cash value and can only be redeemed for Rewards, and Rewards are themselves non-transferable. The points are therefore effectively forfeited at death rather than passing to the estate. A survivor can ask Sephora, as a courtesy, to move the balance to a named family member's account, but Sephora owes nothing and reviews any such request at its discretion.
Not as of right. The Terms & Conditions state that "Membership is non-transferable and Membership purchases must be made by the member," limit membership to one account per individual, and make all Rewards non-transferable; the Beauty Insider FAQs add of the top Reward that "A Rouge Reward is not transferable and may not be sold, transferred or assigned to anyone else." There is no mechanism to move points into an estate, and no cash value to claim. A written goodwill request to a named surviving family member is the only avenue, and it is discretionary.
Not before the balances are dealt with. Sephora's Account Closure page states that on closure "You will forfeit all of your existing Beauty Insider Points, tier status, and tier benefits," that any unshipped Auto-Replenish order is cancelled and the enrolment ends, and that a Same-Day Unlimited subscription "will end without any refund." It also states that Sephora is "unable to close your account if you have existing Online Store Credit," which means a failed closure is a signal that Sephora is holding money belonging to the estate. Contact Sephora Client Services at 1-877-SEPHORA (1-877-737-4672) to ask about the point and store-credit balances first. A closed Beauty Insider account can be re-opened on request through Client Services, but Sephora does not state that re-opening restores forfeited points.
This is usually where the recoverable Sephora value is. Under the Gift Card, Store Credit, and Promotional Card Terms, "Sephora Gift Cards and store credits do not expire. No fees for inactivity or service fees apply," and a card is redeemed simply by presenting it, so an estate that holds the card can generally spend the remaining balance. Store merchandise credits are physical cards with a 16-digit number and no PIN and are redeemable in store only. The Cards "have no cash value and may not be redeemed for cash (except as required by law)," no refunds are permitted except to the extent required by law, and they may not be resold without written authorization, so the practical course is to use the balance rather than try to convert it. Balances can be checked at sephora.com/beauty/giftcards or by calling 1-888-860-7897. The cards in the US are issued by LGCS Inc., an affiliate of Sephora USA, Inc., which the terms name as the sole legal obligor to the cardholder.
No. A page-by-page scan of Sephora's published Beauty Insider, customer service, account, gift card, terms of use and privacy material found no deceased-member form, no bereavement page, no estates email address, and no estates mailing address. The privacy policy does describe an "authorized agent" route for access and deletion requests, but it requires the customer to "verify your own identity directly with us," so it is not a route an executor can use after death. The only channels that exist are the general ones: Sephora Client Services on 1-877-SEPHORA (1-877-737-4672) and customerservice@sephora.com.
Because points are forfeited at death, lifetime use is the only reliable strategy. Redeeming or sharing Sephora points while the account holder is alive ensures their value is not lost.
Sources
Data sourced from Sephora USA, Inc. primary sources (9 pages reviewed). How we research.
Sephora Customer Service
Sephora Customer Service
Sephora publishes no timeline for a deceased member, because there is no points-transfer or estate-claim process. The clocks that do run are the program's own: unredeemed Beauty Insider Points expire once the account has had no point activity, through purchase or redemption, for 12 months or more; Membership inactivity of more than 12 months is itself listed as a ground for Membership revocation, which expires the points automatically; and merchandise returns are handled under Sephora's returns policy, with the gift card terms describing a 30-day window for a refund in the form of a new Sephora Gift Card and store merchandise credits issued for approved returns made within 31 to 60 days. By contrast, gift cards and store credits do not expire and carry no inactivity fee, so there is no deadline pressure on those.
(General customer service)
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