Gift Cards at Sephora: The Complete List of Brands, Fees & Where to Buy (2026)

If you are heading to Sephora to grab a gift card, there is one thing worth knowing before you walk in: Sephora does not run a gift card rack. You will not find a wall of other brands next to the registers, and you will not find a multi-brand marketplace on the website. What you will find is a single, well-run own-brand card that is genuinely hard to beat on the fine print. Here is the full picture.

The Only Brand on the Rack Is Sephora

Sephora sells exclusively its own Sephora-branded gift cards. That is it. There are no third-party cards of any kind, which means no dining cards, no entertainment cards, no travel cards, no prepaid Visa or Mastercard, and no competitor beauty cards. If you were expecting the kind of multi-brand display you see at Target or a grocery chain, you will not find one here. Sephora simply does not operate that way.

What the store does offer comes in three forms:

• Physical gift cards with a 16-digit number and an 8-digit PIN, available in stores and through authorized retailers.
• eGift cards in the same 16-digit plus PIN format, distributed digitally for purchases made on sephora.com or the Sephora app.
• Store merchandise credit, which is a physical card with a 16-digit number and no PIN. This is typically what you receive when you make a return without a receipt or past the standard window.

One more detail that surprises people: Sephora cards can be redeemed for Sephora merchandise only. You cannot use them to buy more gift cards, and you cannot convert them to cash except where state law requires it.

If you are shopping for someone whose tastes run toward beauty and self-care, a Sephora card pairs nicely with a small physical gift. Our roundup of spa gift ideas for her has plenty of at-home pampering picks that work well alongside a card, and our self-care and relaxation gift ideas list is worth a look if you want something to hand over with it.

Denominations, Fees, and Purchase Limits

Sephora gift cards are typically selectable in amounts including $10, $25, $40, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, and $250. The exact amounts and designs available vary by occasion and by whether you are buying physical or digital, but the $10 to $250 range covers it. The maximum on a single card is $250.

On the fee front, Sephora is refreshingly clean. Official Sephora FAQs state that gift cards, eGift cards, and store merchandise credits carry no expiration date and no fees against the unused balance. No activation fee, no dormancy fee, no monthly service charge. That is the standard for US retailer own-brand cards, and Sephora follows it.

A few purchase limits worth knowing before you check out:

• Online, you can buy one gift card per order. If you need multiple cards, place separate orders.
• If your total exceeds $2,000, you will need to use the corporate ordering platform or call 1-844-828-5335.
• The corporate and bulk program has a minimum of 10 cards, with discounts starting at a $5,000 total purchase. You can reach that team at sephora.gifts@cashstar.com or through sephora-biz.cashstar.com.
• In store, buying multiple cards is much easier.

On the redemption side, you can use up to two gift cards or eGifts per online order or transaction. In store or over the phone with customer service, more cards can be combined. If you ever need to confirm what is left on a card, you can check the balance through the gift card section of sephora.com, the app, any store, or by calling 1-888-860-7897. It is a quick process and worth doing before you hand a card over as a gift.

Where to Buy, In Store and Online

Sephora gift cards are sold in stores, on sephora.com, on sephora.ca, in the Sephora app, and through a range of authorized retailers. Those authorized sellers include Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Best Buy, Lowe's, Home Depot, Rite Aid, and Kohl's, though stock varies by location and time. You can also purchase by phone at 1-877-SEPHORA. eGift cards are primarily an online product.

Where you will not find them is just as useful to know. Multiple reports indicate Sephora cards are not sold at Target, Walgreens, CVS, Costco, Sam's Club, or Publix, even though those chains carry plenty of other gift cards. If you want to understand how those racks work and why some brands show up where others do not, our guides to gift cards at Target and gift cards at CVS break down the full brand lists and fee structures for each.

One important caveat: Sephora will only honor cards purchased from its own stores, its website or app, or an authorized seller. Cards bought through unauthorized resellers or auction sites are not guaranteed, and there is no way to verify them before you buy. Treat any deeply discounted card from a stranger as a risk, not a deal. Gift cards are final sale and nonrefundable, so once you buy, that is it.

The Beauty Insider Angle

Beauty Insider is Sephora's free loyalty program, and it has three tiers: Insider, VIB at $350 in annual spend, and Rouge at $1,000. Points are typically earned at a base rate of one point per dollar spent, and those points can be redeemed later for Beauty Insider Cash, which gets you $10 off for 500 points, as well as Rewards Bazaar samples, sets, and experiences.

Here is the part that catches people off guard. Buying a gift card does not earn Beauty Insider points, and gift card purchases do not count toward your annual spend for VIB or Rouge qualification. Taxes, shipping, subscriptions, and event tickets are excluded too. The points are earned when the card is actually redeemed for qualifying merchandise or services, ideally with the recipient's registered email attached so the points land in the right account. In-store services like brows or Drybar count as qualifying purchases.

One more quirk: Beauty Insider Cash itself cannot be applied toward buying a gift card. So if you were planning to stack rewards and buy a card with them, that will not work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Sephora sell other brands' gift cards?

No. Sephora sells only its own Sephora-branded gift cards. There is no third-party rack and no online gift card marketplace. If you want a card for another retailer, restaurant, or streaming service, you will need to buy it somewhere else, such as a grocery or big-box store.

Do Sephora gift cards expire or charge fees?

No. Official Sephora FAQs state that gift cards, eGift cards, and store merchandise credits have no expiration date and no fees charged against the unused balance. There is no activation fee and no dormancy or inactivity fee.

Can I use a Sephora gift card at Sephora at Kohl's?

Yes. Current Sephora terms cover freestanding Sephora stores, sephora.com, the Sephora app, and Sephora at Kohl's locations in the US. Older notes about Sephora-inside-JCPenney cards being location restricted appear outdated relative to the current Kohl's partnership.

Do I earn Beauty Insider points when I buy a Sephora gift card?

No. Gift card purchases do not earn Beauty Insider points and do not count toward annual spend for VIB or Rouge status. Points are earned when the card is redeemed for qualifying merchandise or services, so make sure the recipient uses their registered email at checkout.

How do I check the balance on a Sephora gift card?

You can check the balance through the gift card section of sephora.com by entering the 16-digit number and PIN, through the Sephora app, at any Sephora store, or by calling 1-888-860-7897. It only takes a minute and is worth doing before you give the card to someone.