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Sephora Visa® Credit Card Review: Beauty Doesn't Have to Cost Full Price

Review Updated
Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers
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Steven Porrello
Steven Porrello
Nathan Alderman
Fact Checked: Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
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Nathan Alderman has been a full-time Motley Fool employee since 2005, making errors his arch-enemies in a variety of roles including a six-year stint as the dedicated fact-checker for The Motley Fool's premium newsletter services. As Motley Fool Money's Compliance Lead, he makes sure that all the site's information is accurate and up to date, which ensures we always steer readers right and keeps various financial partners happy. A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan spends his spare time volunteering for civic causes, writing and podcasting for fun, adoring his wife, and wrangling his two very large young children.

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The cost of beauty and personal care items can get high, so it can't hurt to earn rewards on them. If you're a big Sephora fan, you might consider the Sephora Visa® Credit Card. Cardholders get a high rewards rate on Sephora purchases, plus a one-time discount. But you can only redeem rewards with Sephora, and the sign-up bonus is small. Read our Sephora Visa® Credit Card review for the full scoop.

Ratings Methodology

Sephora Visa® Credit Card

Sephora Visa® Credit Card
Rating image, 2.50 out of 5 stars.
2.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 2.50 out of 5 stars.
2.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Fair (300-669)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Fair (300-669)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR

21.99% to 30.74%, variable

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn 4% cash back in rewards in stores or online at Sephora , 1% cash back on non Sephora purchases

1% - 4% cash back

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. $20 after spending $500 outside Sephora in the first 90 days. 25% off your first card purchase at Sephora within 30 days from approval.

$20, 25% discount

  • Frequent Sephora shoppers will find some value in this card. But that's the extent of its target market and we'd recommend other credit cards for most people.

    • Purchase rewards
    • First Purchase Discount
    • No annual fee
    • Meager sign-up bonus
    • Restrictive rewards
    • 15% off your first card purchase at Sephora within 30 days from approval
    • 4% back in rewards when you use your Sephora Credit Card in store or online at Sephora
    • Enjoy all these benefits along with no annual fee

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5-3 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America's Secure Website.

Full Sephora Visa® Credit Card review

This credit card is a good fit for: Frequent Sephora shoppers who shop online or at dedicated Sephora locations.

Top perks

The Sephora Visa® Credit Card offers several brand-centric perks.

Earn 4% back on Sephora purchases

The marquee feature of the Sephora Visa® Credit Card is its purchase rewards. You can earn 4% cash back rewards on any Sephora purchases you make. This applies to purchases made in Sephora stores or online at sephora.com.

The purchase bonus doesn't apply to Sephora departments inside third-party locations, such as at a Kohl's Sephora pop-up store. You'll get 1% on purchases that don't fit the bonus category.

The Sephora Visa® Credit Card doesn't earn cash back. Instead, you'll receive your rewards in the form of a Credit Card Reward certificate. These certificates are issued in $5 increments (such as $10, $25, $50, etc), expire after 90 days, and can be used at Sephora locations or on its website.

Get 25% off your first Sephora card purchase

Another potentially valuable perk of the Sephora Visa® Credit Card is the First Purchase Discount. New cardholders can get 25% off their first Sephora Visa® Credit Card purchase at a Sephora location or online at sephora.com.

The First Purchase Discount is a single-use discount, meaning you can only use it once. It can't be applied to previous purchases. The First Purchase Discount expires 30 days from when you're approved for the Sephora Visa® Credit Card.

Pay $0 annual card fee

On top of the rewards, the Sephora Visa® Credit Card has no annual fee. This is standard for retail credit cards, but it's still nice to see since the Sephora Visa® Credit Card doesn't have enough perks to justify a fee. If you don't shop with Sephora for a few months, or even longer, you aren't paying for a card you're not using. It also doesn't cut into the value of your rewards with unnecessary fees.

What could be improved

Like many cobranded retail cards, the Sephora Visa® Credit Card has a few drawbacks.

Meager sign-up bonus requires non-Sephora spending

The Sephora Visa® Credit Card is a Visa card, so it can be used outside of Sephora. To encourage you to do so, the card comes with a very specific type of sign-up bonus. You can earn a $20 Sephora Visa® Credit Card Reward if you spend $500 on your Sephora Visa® Credit Card outside of Sephora in the first 90 days.

Yes, you specifically need to meet the spending requirement on non-Sephora purchases. Since you'll only get 1% back on these purchases -- and that 1% back is only redeemable at Sephora -- you could be missing out on a lot of rewards with another card.

What's more, $20 does not make it a strong sign-up bonus. Even if you include the 25% First Purchase Discount, you're still not likely to have a total welcome bonus valued at more than $50. Many quality rewards credit cards will have a sign-up bonus worth triple that (or more).

Restrictive rewards and limited earning potential

Although a 4% rewards rate seems strong at first glance, you really need to be an avid Sephora shopper to make it work for you. For one thing, you need to accrue $5 in rewards to get a Reward certificate. That's $125 in Sephora spending, or more if you're shopping outside Sephora.

You also don't have long to spend those rewards, as credit card rewards expire after 90 days from the date the certificate is issued. If you don't spend rewards by that date, you'll lose them.

The limits on how you earn those rewards may be hard for some cardholders, too. You only earn the 4% back if you go to a standalone Sephora store or shop the Sephora website. If you'd rather get your Sephora supplies at a third-party location, you're stuck with the 1% rewards base rate.

Want the biggest sign-up bonus? Check out Motley Fool Money's guide to the best sign-up bonus credit cards.

Suggested credit score

You're most likely to be approved for the Sephora Visa® Credit Card if you have at least fair credit. Using the FICO® Score model, this is a credit score of 600 or higher. However, there are plenty of reports of people being approved with lower credit scores.

Retail credit cards do tend to be easier to get than other types of credit cards. But Comenity Capital Bank (the issuer) will look at your entire credit profile before making a decision.

Learn more: Best Credit Cards for Fair/Average Credit

The Sephora Visa® Credit Card is right for you if:

The Sephora Visa® Credit Card is most suited to people who spend a lot of money in Sephora stores or at sephora.com. You'll only earn bonus rewards in these locations. Like most store cards, the Sephora card's rewards can only be redeemed on Sephora purchases. If you don't normally spend a lot in Sephora stores, or you prefer to buy Sephora products in third-party locations (like Kohl's), then this may not be the best pick.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • Yes, you can double dip with both your Sephora Visa® Credit Card and Beauty Insider membership. In fact, the Sephora Visa® Credit Card earns twice as many Beauty Insider points (2 points versus 1 point).

  • The Sephora Credit Card can only be used at U.S. Sephora stores or online at Sephora.com, while the Sephora Visa® Credit Card can be used wherever Visa is accepted.