Sign up for a Rakuten account now, and when you spend $50 at participating merchants through Rakuten, you can get $50 in cashback. This is the all-time highest sign-up bonus! If you want to, you can sign up now to lock in the bonus! This all-time-high offer runs through September 30, so don’t miss it if you have any online shopping coming up!

  • Rakuten sign-up link (you must use the cashback site link within 90 days and spend at least $50 at a merchant)

If you want to sign up for a Membership Rewards (MR) account to earn MR points, you first need to have a qualifying AMEX credit card. If you want to support us, you can first click the cashback-version sign-up link, then enter the MR-enrollment address in your browser.

Introduction to Rakuten (eBates)

Rakuten (formerly called eBates) is fundamentally a cashback site. Each time you shop, you search for the merchant you want to buy from through Rakuten, then click through to the merchant’s website inside Rakuten and complete your purchase. You’ll then receive cashback equal to a certain percentage of the purchase amount. If you’re not familiar with this process, you can refer to the detailed Rakuten steps in “Cashback/Rebate Site Basics.”

As the first cashback site I ever used, the most important thing about it is that its customer service is the best among all cashback sites. Whenever there’s a problem, customer service can usually solve it within 24 hours. Also, Rakuten’s refer-a-friend program is one of the most generous among cashback sites; sometimes in a quarter, referring three people can earn you $75 in cashback! Recently it also launched a feature that lets you earn extra cashback on in-store purchases, which is basically great news for shopping enthusiasts and deal hunters.

Sign-up and sign-up bonus

If you sign up for and use Rakuten through our referral link, you can get an extra bonus. See the beginning of the article for details.

If you want to sign up for a Membership Rewards (MR) account to earn MR points, you first need to have a qualifying AMEX credit card. If you want to support us, you can first click the cashback-version sign-up link, then enter the MR-enrollment address in your browser. See below for details.

Rakuten MR version introduction

Overview

As mentioned above, there are now two versions of Rakuten accounts. If you switch to the MR version, all cashback you earn will be converted 1:1 into MR points. For example, if something shows 5% cashback, that is effectively equivalent to 5x MR points. If you spend $100, it will automatically convert to 100*5=500 MR points (instead of $100*5%=$5 cashback). All cashback is converted at this rate, including the $25 referral bonus, which becomes 2,500 MR points. Cashback earned from the Ebates co-branded credit card will also be converted to MR.

In terms of value, MR points are worth around 1.6 cents per point, which is higher than a 1:1 conversion. If you can make good use of MR points, the MR version of the account is better. If you don’t have the relevant credit card and aren’t familiar with using MR, it’s probably simpler to stick with a cashback account.

How to switch

  • Select get started
  • Then just log in to your AMEX online banking account

Existing users switching to MR

Existing users can now convert their Rakuten account to the MR version. Any cashback you earned before the switch will still be paid out according to the cashback rules. Rewards earned after the switch will be calculated as MR points. You can make the change in account settings, then log in to your AMEX account to link the accounts.

It seems that after you switch to an MR account, you can still switch back to check/PayPal. Reportedly, once you switch back, the MR option disappears, so handle it carefully.

If you get an error during login, it’s recommended that you try logging in again using an incognito browser window. It seems the app still can’t switch to an MR account yet, so use a phone or browser instead.

Cashback site features

When cashback appears

Generally speaking, once the item you bought ships, Rakuten will show the cashback as pending. For certain electronically delivered items, such as Groupon gift cards, pending cashback may appear within an hour.

I haven’t used in-store cashback yet. Since the credit card is already linked, tracking shouldn’t be a problem, so I assume once the charge posts, the cashback will show up. If any readers have relevant experience, please share it~

Cash out

Compared with Giving Assistant, which pays once tracking is confirmed, and TopCashback, which pays immediately after merchant confirmation, cashing out from Rakuten requires a long wait. Rakuten pays out cashback once every three months, at the times shown below:

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Payout methods include PayPal and mailed checks, and the payments are usually very prompt—typically arriving 5-10 days before the dates shown above. If you don’t receive it, you can submit a ticket in customer support, and customer service will reply quickly.

Tracking and claim features

As an established cashback site, Rakuten’s tracking system is one of the most complete, and its accuracy is very high. For example, after you click through to a merchant like Sephora, you can see a ticket number related to that click, such as ticket #857249560

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Later, you can also view the details of that click in "cashback activity"

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This feature usually isn’t very useful. However, if a purchase doesn’t get tracked, you can directly select that click when submitting a claim, which is very convenient. For example, if I clicked Sephora and completed a purchase but it wasn’t tracked, I could find the issue under Help, select that click, and fill out the form.

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Surprisingly, Rakuten will immediately mark the purchase as pending. Unlike TopCashback, where it can take several weeks of investigation after you submit a claim—by which time everyone has probably forgotten about it—Rakuten ends up benefiting instead.

Generous referral and sign-up bonuses

Most cashback sites support referring friends to sign up, and referrers can earn a reward. Most sites pay referrers about $5-$10, but Ebates is different and often runs promotions. This quarter, for the first three people you refer, as long as each of them successfully signs up and makes a purchase, you can earn a $25 referral bonus per person. ee7

Basically, every quarter there is some kind of extra referral bonus promotion like this, and usually the first few referrals can earn very high referral bonuses. So if you know a lot of people who still do not know about cashback sites, consider introducing them to this one as soon as possible.

Exclusive Bonus

Ebates also now offers exclusive bonuses, and the offers each Ebates account receives may be different. Here is the offer I received:

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After logging in, click My Account to see it, then activate the offers you need. The spend $25 get $10 offer is definitely one you should not miss; just go to eBay and buy some gift cards and you're done.

In-Store Cashback

In addition to earning cashback on online shopping, Rakuten also supports earning cashback on in-store purchases (In-store cashback), something that is truly unique among cashback sites! This feature is available on both the Rakuten app and desktop site. You can view it directly under the In-store cashback tab. Note that you need to log in with the US region selected. You can check the official page for the steps: official pageeb1

Merchant Examples

Merchants that currently support in-store cashback include:

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  • Bed Bath & Beyond (2%): This store sells $200 Visa gift cards, eBay, Amazon, and other gift cards. If you stack an AMEX Offer such as spend $25 get $5 back, you can add another 2% return. See the recent good AMEX Offer roundup
  • The Body Shop (4%)：Buying skincare and toiletries here is a good value, and the store often runs buy xx get xx promotions. If you stack an AMEX Offer such as spend $25 get $5 back, you can add another 4% return. See the recent good AMEX Offer roundup
  • Ann Taylor (2%), Saks Fifth Avenue (4%), Express and Express Factory Outlet (2.5%), American Eagle and Aerie (2%), and more. These are suitable for people who already plan to shop there.

How to Use It

  • First, add the credit card you will use for payment through the Rakuten in-store cashback link. At the moment, it only supports cards on the AMEX and Visa networks
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  • Add the offer to that card (you must add it manually; each offer can only be added to one card at a time; if you have multiple cards, you need to add it separately for each card)
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  • After adding it, it will show as linked to all cards (meaning all the cards you added in Rakuten are linked), or xx cards available (meaning that, in addition to the cards you have already linked, there are xx more cards that can be linked to this offer)
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  • Then just use these linked cards at the designated merchants

Best Use Cases

In-store cashback is best for purchases you have to make in person, such as clothes and shoes that need to be tried on in store, certain deals that are only available in store, or certain gift cards such as Visa gift cards, Amazon and eBay cards that are only sold in stores. If you already need to shop at these stores, or want to make money from deals and AMEX Offers, don’t forget to sign up for Rakuten and make good use of this in-store cashback program.

At the moment, Rakuten has not mentioned in its terms whether buying gift cards is also eligible for cashback, so it should be fine. Personally, I think once people start using this program well to make money, Rakuten and the merchants will likely change the terms. So hurry up.

Dining Cashback

Rakuten has launched a 5% dining cashback promotion, similar to a card-linked program. You only need to add a credit card to your account, then use that card at participating restaurants to automatically get 5% cashback in your Rakuten account. Purchases, tips, and tax are all included. At the moment, credit cards can only be added in the app.

Rakuten Hotel

Booking hotels through Rakuten Hotel gives you a $25 cashback bonus on your first booking. You can see it under Special bonus offer in My Account. You need to book and complete the stay to receive it. In addition, bookings through this channel earn 5% cashback, which is pretty good. If you have lodging needs, compare prices. If you want to make a profit, there are many cheap hotels in the China region, around a bit over $10; if a friend happens to need a stay, book one for them and you can even come out ahead...

Rakuten Co-branded Credit Card

Rakuten has also launched its own co-branded credit card. Main features:

  • Using the Rakuten credit card through the Rakuten cashback site or for in-store purchases can earn an additional 4% cashback
  • Dining through Rakuten Dining can earn up to 10% cashback

For example, if Saks already has 10% cashback on Rakuten, using this co-branded card to make the purchase would get you 10% + 4% cashback. If your account is a Membership Rewards account, you can get 10x + 4x = 14x MR, which is quite attractive. If you are a heavy Rakuten user, or do some small-scale proxy shopping, and can earn more than $500 cashback per year, then you may want to consider applying for this card to use alongside it. More details are below:

Rakuten+ Membership

Rakuten is about to launch a new Rakuten+ membership, which will offer 10% cashback at select merchants, plus a $50 bonus when you spend $250. It is currently in the waiting list stage, so if you're interested you can join and wait for updates. Based on the terms, this membership should have a fee; my guess is under $50.

Looking at the merchants with extra rewards, this membership is probably aimed at users who buy a lot of clothing, bags, and similar items. If you do proxy shopping, it will probably be much more worthwhile.

Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Moda Operandi, Italist, Kate Spade New York, 3.1 Philip Lim, A.L.C., Alice + Olivia, Brochu Walker, Eric Javits, Farm Rio, Four Seasons Home, Frances Valentine, Frank & Eileen, Gilt, GIGLIO, Indochino, Mackage, Maje, Mansur Gavriel, Michael Kors, Merlette, Moschino, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Ramy Brook, Reiss Online, Sandro, Showroom, Stuart Weitzman, Stuart Weitzman Outlet, TESSABIT, Trina Turk, Vestiare Collective, Vince, Zadig&Voltaire.

Bilt Partnership

The option to transfer to Bilt is now officially live! Your next cashback can be turned directly into Bilt points! I tested it by opening a new Bilt account, and after a few clicks the connection succeeded.

Here’s how it works. Note that the email address on your Bilt account and the email address on your Rakuten account must be the same. If they are different, you’ll need to change one so they match. And definitely do not sign up through Bilt—the signup bonus is not as good as the $50 direct sign-up offer we currently list.

  • If your email addresses match, it will go through right away
  • Go back to Rakuten’s payout page, and Bilt is now shown as the new payout method
  • Note that the blue member rate shown here is a limited-time 1:1 transfer from Rakuten. After six months, the ratio will drop to 0.5:1, which is no longer worthwhile. At that point, just switch to MR or cash back.
Temporarily, for 6 months, everyone can earn 1:1 conversion rate. For each $10 Rakuten cashback earned you’ll get 1,000 Bilt points.Longer term: Bilt Members with Blue status will receive 50 Bilt Points for every $1 in Rakuten Cash Back. Silver, Gold, and Platinum Bilt Members’ rate will remain 100 Bilt Points for every $1 in Rakuten Cash Back.

Some readers may not be familiar with Bilt. Bilt has many transfer partners, including some rare but very useful airlines such as Alaska, Japan Airlines, and Hyatt. You don’t need a Bilt credit card to register for Bilt, so you can set up an account. In the past, Bilt points were hard to earn, but now that Rakuten—a powerful cashback portal for earning points—has joined in, it should be much easier!

Summary

As one of the veteran players among cashback portals, Rakuten has the most accurate order tracking, the best customer service, and very generous referral bonuses. The Rakuten credit card is also useful for certain users. Its in-store cashback feature has also been growing strongly lately. Hopefully it keeps pushing ahead and rolls out even more useful features.

Cashback Portal Series