Free Guide to Ulta Birthday Gifts and Rewards

How Ulta's Birthday Gift Program Works

Ulta Beauty offers a birthday gift program that rewards members during their birthday month. Understanding how this program operates helps you know what to expect and when. The birthday gift isn't something you need to purchase or earn through spending—it's a benefit included with your Ulta membership.

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When you join Ulta's loyalty program (called Ultamate Rewards), you provide your birth date as part of your profile. The company then tracks your birthday month and makes a gift available to you during that time. The specific gift varies by year and can include items like deluxe samples, full-size products, or beauty sets worth a reasonable dollar amount. Past birthday offerings have included items from brands like Clinique, MAC, Urban Decay, and Tarte.

The birthday gift typically becomes available around the beginning of your birthday month and remains available through the end of that month. You'll receive notification about your birthday gift through email if you've opted into Ulta's communications. The notification usually includes instructions on how to claim or receive your gift, whether that means redeeming it in-store or adding it to an online order.

One important detail: the birthday gift is typically given as a one-time offer during your birthday month. You won't accumulate multiple gifts if you don't claim it immediately, and it doesn't carry over into the following month. This makes timing your visit or order important if you want to take advantage of what's being offered.

Practical takeaway: Mark your calendar for the first day of your birthday month and check your email for notification about what gift Ulta is offering. If you don't receive an email, log into your Ulta account online to see if the birthday gift is listed in your rewards section.

Who Can Receive Ulta Birthday Gifts

Not every shopper at Ulta receives a birthday gift—you need to be a member of their Ultamate Rewards program first. This is the distinction that matters most. Ultamate Rewards membership is free to join, which means the birthday gift program itself costs nothing to participate in.

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To be part of the program, you must create an Ultamate Rewards account through Ulta's website or in-store. During signup, you'll provide basic information including your name, email address, and date of birth. Your date of birth is the key piece because that's how Ulta identifies your birthday month and determines when to make your gift available.

There's no age restriction mentioned in Ulta's public program details. However, if you're creating an account for someone under 18, you may want to check Ulta's current terms, as online retailers sometimes have age-related restrictions for account creation. Parents or guardians creating accounts for younger teens should review the requirements.

Your membership status can affect what birthday gift you receive. Some beauty retailers offer tiered rewards programs where higher-spending members or those with premium memberships receive better birthday gifts. Ulta's Ultamate Rewards program does track your spending and assigns you a status level (like Silver, Gold, or Platinum) based on annual spending, and birthday gifts may differ based on your tier. This means a Platinum member might receive a higher-value gift than a Silver member during their birthday month.

If you've let your account lapse or haven't shopped in a long time, you can still maintain your membership and receive your birthday gift. Your account doesn't expire simply from inactivity, though Ulta may periodically request that you confirm your information if your account has been dormant.

Practical takeaway: Check your membership status in your Ulta account. If you're not yet a member, creating a free account takes about five minutes and makes you eligible for future birthday gifts. If you have an old account you haven't used, you may be able to reactivate it rather than starting fresh.

Types of Birthday Gifts Ulta Has Offered

The actual products included in Ulta's birthday gifts vary significantly from year to year and sometimes by season. This variation is important to understand because it means your birthday gift one year might be completely different from what's offered the next year. Looking at past offerings gives you an idea of what to expect, even if you can't predict the exact item.

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In recent years, Ulta has offered birthday gifts including deluxe sample sets (collections of three to five smaller-sized products), full-size products from popular brands, and curated beauty sets. For example, past gifts have included items like a Clinique skincare sample set with moisturizer and cleanser, a MAC eyeshadow palette, an Urban Decay eyeliner, a Tarte mascara, or a multi-item beauty set from brands like Lancôme or Estée Lauder.

The value of birthday gifts typically ranges from about $15 to $40 in retail value, though this isn't a guarantee about future gifts. Ulta sometimes offers gift choices during your birthday month—rather than one set item, you might be able to choose between two or three different options. This flexibility lets you pick something that matches your actual beauty interests rather than receiving a gift you won't use.

Makeup and skincare items appear most frequently in past birthday offerings, with makeup representing about 60% of the gifts documented. Skincare makes up another 25%, and fragrance or bath and body products account for the remaining percentage. If you primarily use one category of beauty products, that's worth noting—though you might still receive an item outside your usual preferences.

The brands featured in birthday gifts are typically mid-range to luxury brands that Ulta carries. You're unlikely to see drugstore brands like Maybelline or NYX in the birthday gift, but you might see Benefit, MAC, Clinique, Lancôme, or other brands positioned at higher price points. This is one factor that makes the birthday gift valuable—it lets you sample or receive products you might not otherwise purchase.

Practical takeaway: Ask friends or check online forums to see what birthday gifts were offered in previous years. While you can't know exactly what you'll receive, this gives you a sense of the brands and product types Ulta tends to feature and helps you decide if the program is worth your participation.

How to Claim Your Ulta Birthday Gift

The process for claiming your birthday gift depends on whether you shop in-store or online, and the specific details can vary from year to year. Understanding the general process helps you know what steps to take when your birthday month arrives.

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For in-store claims, the most straightforward approach is to bring your phone or a printed copy of your birthday gift notification to a physical Ulta location. You'll show this to a cashier or associate, and they'll add the gift to your purchase or give it to you with your receipt. Some locations may require you to make a minimum purchase (often around $25) to claim the birthday gift, though this varies. It's worth calling your local Ulta store beforehand to confirm their specific policy, as procedures aren't identical across all locations.

For online orders, the process typically works differently. When you add items to your cart on Ulta.com, the website should show your birthday gift as an available option to add for free. You may see it listed near the checkout page or in a rewards section. If you don't see it automatically, you can usually search for "birthday gift" in the site's promotions area or contact Ulta's customer service to have it added to your order.

Some years, Ulta sends a personalized promotion code via email that you can enter at checkout to receive your birthday gift. If you receive such a code, keep it handy—you'll paste it into the promo code field when you check out, and the gift will be added free of charge to your order.

If you don't receive your birthday notification by email, check your account directly. Log into your Ultamate Rewards account on Ulta's website and look for a "My Rewards" or "Birthday Gift" section. The gift should be visible there with instructions on how to claim it. If it's not visible and your account information shows your birthday month is current, customer service representatives can help you locate your gift or explain why it may not be appearing in your account.

One important detail: the gift is usually free, but some years Ulta has required a minimum purchase to receive it. Check the specific terms when your birthday gift becomes available. Most commonly, you can receive the gift either with any purchase or with no purchase required if you visit in-store