The INKEY List INKEY Insiders: Points, Tiers, Expiry and What Points Are Worth

INKEY Insiders is The INKEY List's free rewards program for shoppers on its online store. Members earn 5 points for every $1 spent, plus points for actions such as reviews, a skin quiz and following the brand, and redeem 500 points for $5 off, up to 2,000 points for $20. Three tiers, INKEY Insider, INKEY Star and INKEY Icon, unlock at $70 and $170 of spending over the last 365 days and add free shipping, early access and an anniversary product. Points expire after 12 months without a qualifying purchase.

Last checked on 28 October 2026 against The INKEY List's INKEY Insiders page, Help Centre and terms of use (effective 25 October 2022, with a section on INKEY Insiders), for the US store in US dollars.

This guide is written by Graeme, co-founder of Mage, a loyalty and customer accounts platform for Shopify.

INKEY Insiders at a glance

How to join INKEY Insiders

You join by creating an account on theinkeylist.com. It is free with no minimum spend, and members receive 15% off their first order for signing up. Points are only earned when you are signed in: orders placed through guest checkout earn nothing.

INKEY Insiders launched on 25 October 2022 and replaced the earlier myINKEY Rewards name. A new member starts in the INKEY Insider tier, labelled "Start Here" in the tier table.

The How it works section of the INKEY Insiders page as of 28 October 2026.

How you earn points

The Ways to earn points grid on the INKEY Insiders page as of 28 October 2026.

Purchase points are credited within 21 days of the order, pending approval, and points from social actions are added instantly. Points from a purchase that is later returned are removed. Points are earned on the order total after discount codes, but not on shipping. Gift cards earn points only on the initial gift card purchase, and an order paid for with a gift card earns none. The same action doesn't earn twice, so following the brand's Instagram account pays once.

The earn list is tied to the brand's own funnel: a quiz and an acne scanner at the start, reviews and a third-order bonus once a customer has bought, and receipt uploads from two retailers that also stock the range. The INKEY List doesn't publish a points bonus for higher tiers, so the earn rate for purchases is the same for every member.

What INKEY Insiders points are worth

Points are worth 1 cent each. The program converts 500 points to $5, 1,000 to $10, 1,500 to $15 and 2,000 to $20, so the base earn of 5 points per $1 returns 5% (our arithmetic).

The other earn actions are worth more per effort than spending: a photo review (200 points) is $2, a skin quiz (50 points) is 50 cents, and a successful referral (1,000 points) is $10. Spending at the Icon threshold of $170 over a year earns 850 points on its own, or $8.50 (our arithmetic).

The Money off skincare rewards on the INKEY Insiders page as of 28 October 2026.

How to redeem points

Points are redeemed at checkout as a money-off voucher in four sizes: 500 points for $5, 1,000 for $10, 1,500 for $15 and 2,000 for $20. Members must be logged in to their INKEY account before applying points, and should apply them before continuing with an accelerated checkout such as Shop Pay.

Points can only be redeemed online at theinkeylist.com, not at the retailers that stock the range. They can't be redeemed during Black Friday or Cyber Monday promotion periods or on e-Gift Cards. The terms add that points can't be combined with another offer, that promotional codes can't be used on an order with a redeemed voucher, and that points and discount codes can't be used with Build Your Own Bundle purchases.

Status tiers and perks

The Insider tiers table on the INKEY Insiders page as of 28 October 2026.

Tier status is based on how much you spend at theinkeylist.com over the last 365 days, and a progress bar on the account page shows the distance to the next tier. The perks are access and shipping, not a higher earn rate. Everyone else pays for shipping under the store's $40 free shipping line, so free standard shipping on all orders is the tier perk that shows up in a basket. The anniversary product arrives as an automatic discount code on the next order, 12 months after joining.

Every member also gets exclusive Insider prices on selected products, a new limited-edition kit each month curated for Insiders, and double points on every new launch.

Regional differences

The UK, EU and Canada stores run the same program in local currency, with different tier thresholds and slightly different earn lists.

The EU list pays its bonus on the 2nd order where the US pays it on the 3rd, and the UK list adds a Facebook follow. The receipt upload for Ulta and Sephora appears on the US page.

The fine print

• Points expire after 12 months without buying. Points are valid for 12 months from your last qualifying purchase. Each qualifying purchase extends the expiry of all unused points by another 12 months, and a year with no qualifying purchase expires every point in the account.
• Points can be removed. Points from returned purchases are taken off the account.
• Points have a fixed value. Each point is worth 1 cent and can't be exchanged for cash.
• Points are online only. Redemption happens on theinkeylist.com, never at a retailer.
• Referral rules. A referred friend and the member can't redeem if they use the same IP address.
• The terms can change. The terms say The INKEY List can review, change, cancel or modify any aspect of the program without notice.
• Emails come with membership. Members agree to receive emails about their rewards, balance and the program, and can unsubscribe in the account section.

Give $10, Get $10: the referral

A member shares a unique referral link from their account. The friend gets $10 off their first order when they spend $40. Once the friend has bought, the member receives $10 of points, which is 1,000 points. The reward arrives as points, not a voucher, so it is worth $10 only when redeemed.

What stands out about INKEY Insiders

Tiers run on spend, with access as the prize. The earn rate is flat at 5 points per $1, and the tier table gives early access, launches, shipping and an anniversary gift rather than extra points. For a skincare brand that launches often, being first to a new product is the perk a loyal customer cares about, and it costs the brand little.

The earn list teaches the shopper the brand. The skin quiz and the Acne Analyzer Pro pay 50 points each, so the first points a new member earns come from giving the brand skin data, and the program asks for reviews, photo reviews and a third order afterward. Each action maps to a stage of the customer journey.

Receipts from other retailers count. A 150-point upload for Ulta and Sephora purchases is a way to keep members who buy at the brand's retail partners connected to its own store, where points are spent. Points can only be redeemed on the brand's own site, so the upload brings the retail shopper back to it.

The expiry rewards recency. Every qualifying purchase restarts the 12-month clock on the whole balance, so a member who orders once a year never loses points.

What members should know going in:

• Points are worth 5% at best from spending. The base earn is the same at every tier, so the way to earn faster is through the one-off actions, such as reviews and referrals.
• Redemption excludes the biggest sale days. Points can't be used during Black Friday or Cyber Monday promotions.
• Points take up to 21 days to land. Purchase points are pending until approved, so an order made today can't pay for the next one.
• The INKEY List doesn't publish how many members are in each tier, or what the birthday gift and the anniversary product contain.

Is INKEY Insiders worth joining?

If you buy from The INKEY List's own store, yes: it is free, and the first order comes with 15% off. An occasional shopper gets the signup discount, a birthday gift and Insider prices, and should know that a year without a purchase expires every point. A regular shopper earns about 5% back and should add the reviews, which pay $1 and $2 each, and the third-order bonus. Someone who spends $170 a year reaches Icon, which adds free shipping, early launches and an anniversary product. If you mostly buy the range at a retailer, the program has less to offer, apart from the receipt upload, because points can only be spent online at theinkeylist.com.

What Shopify brands can learn from INKEY Insiders

INKEY Insiders is a low-cost program built around a brand that launches products often, and several of its mechanics carry over to a Shopify brand:

1. Pay for the actions that teach you about the customer. A quiz that pays 50 points puts skin type and concerns into the customer record before the first purchase. In Mage, custom actions can be added through the REST API or Shopify Flow on Growth and above.
2. Give status without raising the earn rate. Tiers that unlock early access, shipping and a gift cost little and make the next launch an event. In Mage, VIP tiers can run on a rolling year, a calendar year or lifetime, and perks include early access to launches, sales and limited drops, and automatic upgraded shipping at checkout.
3. Reward the third order. A bonus on the order that turns a trial into a habit pays for what the brand wants most. Mage punch cards on higher plans pay a bonus after, for example, 2 orders in 30 days or 3 orders over $100.
4. Reward recency with expiry. A clock that restarts on every purchase keeps active customers whole and expires the dormant balance. In Mage, expiry can be set to reset on each purchase, using the customer's last purchase date.
5. Count purchases made elsewhere. Mage supports points for submitting a receipt from an in-store purchase, which helps brands that sell through retail partners.

If you're building a points and tiers loyalty program on Shopify, Mage covers the structure above: points with fixed-amount rewards, VIP tiers, tier perks, referral rewards, punch cards, receipt submission and configurable points expiry.

Frequently asked questions

Do INKEY Insiders points expire? Yes. Points are valid for 12 months from your last qualifying purchase, and each qualifying purchase extends all unused points by another 12 months. With no qualifying purchase in 12 months, every point in the account expires.

How many points do I need for $10 off at The INKEY List? 1,000 points. Vouchers come in four sizes: 500 points for $5, 1,000 for $10, 1,500 for $15 and 2,000 for $20.

How do I move up to INKEY Star or INKEY Icon? Spend $70 for Star and $170 for Icon at theinkeylist.com over the last 365 days in the US store. The account page shows a progress bar to the next tier.

Can I use my points in Sephora or Ulta? No. Points are redeemed online at theinkeylist.com. You can upload your Ulta and Sephora receipts to earn 150 points, but spending them happens on the brand's own store.

How does the INKEY List referral work? Share your unique link from your account. Your friend gets $10 off their first order when they spend $40, and you receive $10 of points (1,000 points) once they have purchased.

Do I earn points if I use a discount code? Yes. Points are calculated on the order total after the discount is applied, excluding shipping.