The Pros and Cons of the Urban Decay UD Pro Discount Program

Now that I have had time to test out the UD Pro discount and how it works and I can speak on a few pros and cons associated with it.

Pros:

40% discount – Obviously, a discount for MUA’s and other professionals is always a “pro”, but unlike some other programs the Urban Decay offers a flat 40% discount regardless of what you qualify as.

No Membership Fee – UD offers their program to those that qualify with no strings attached. You don’t pay to be in the club…you just need to prove that you qualify to be in it!

No Codes To Remember – In a world where everything has a special code or password to it, UD doesn’t complicate the process for getting your discount. Just log in to the UD Pro page and start adding things to your cart. When you get ready to checkout you will see your discount applied automatically.

Auto-reminders – You don’t have to worry about remembering when it’s time for you to renew your membership. UD will remind you so you don’t have to worry about your membership lapsing!

Discount Works on Most Items – Although there are some items that your discount can’t go towards it is safe to say that most products (including new releases) are eligible. From personal experience, it also works on many sale and/clearance items and even on some sets. Don’t be surprised if some of those coveted sets are excluded. An example would be the Naked 2 Palette.

 

Cons:

$250 limit per Quarter – You are limited to only $250 per quarter on what you can save on. It appears that this limit is based on the full retail price and not on the amount you spend after discount. For a MUA or other professional that uses products often and may need to replenish more often than the normal person you will see this limit is easy to hit. Luckily, you don’t have to keep up with the tab…when you log in to your account you will see how much you have left on your limit and when it resets. Unfortunately, I think this is probably the biggest negative to the program. It is likely the pay-off we get for not having to pay a membership fee, but it could be well worth it for high users to opt for a limit free discount program that requires an annual fee to use. I would like to see see UD consider this (perhaps as an option in addition to the fee-free membership for those that need it).

Can Only Be Used On-line – If you find yourself in immediate need of a product you will have to pay full retail for it unless you can wait for it to shipped to you. There are no membership cards that can be shown in a retail location for discount use. This is probably a no-brainer since UD in the USA is sold in retailers such as Ulta, Sephora, and Macy’s which do not usually honor Pro Discounts at their counters.

Lackluster UD Pro Site – Although this is not a huge deal it would be nice if logging in to the Pro site meant you would get access to special, Pro only information and tips….and more importantly, access to products that are exclusive to Pros. Unfortunately, this is not the case right now. You are shopping from virtually the same inventory as all other customers and you don’t get your hands on any special treats that are not available to the general public. I would love to see this happen in the future. For example, Pro sizes in more of the staple products (such as all of the Primer Potions instead of just the original, which is not exclusive to anyone) and exclusive products such as pigments or Pro tools.

Summary:

Overall, I love the UD Pro Discount Program. As I stated before, any discount available to those of us in the industry is always a plus and is extremely helpful in making it more affordable for us to do what we do with the products we love to work with. I hope to see it improve in the future, but for now it’s pretty great for a program that is free to join and has such a generous discount.