What Is Rakuten? How to Earn Cash Back on Everything You Already Buy

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is one of the easiest ways to earn cash back or points on purchases you’re already making. You shop at the same stores you always do — Amazon, Walmart, Nike, Macy’s, hotels, rental cars — and Rakuten pays you a percentage of what you spend just for clicking through their portal first.

It’s not a trick. It’s how affiliate marketing works: stores pay Rakuten a commission for sending customers, and Rakuten shares part of that commission with you.

How Rakuten Works

1. Sign up at rakuten.com — it’s free, no credit card required
2. Search for the store you want to shop at
3. Click through Rakuten to go to the store’s website
4. Shop as normal — add to cart, check out, pay with any card
5. Earn cash back — Rakuten tracks the purchase and credits your account

Cash back is paid quarterly via PayPal or check. You can also opt to receive American Express Membership Rewards points instead of cash — more on that below.

How Much Do You Earn?

Cash back rates vary by store and change frequently. Some examples of typical rates:

• Walmart: 1-3%
• Nike: 5-10%
• Hotels.com: 5-8%
• Macy’s: 3-8%
• eBay: 1-3%
• Sephora: 4-8%
• Groupon: 10-12%

Rates spike during promotions — especially Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Rakuten runs its own “Double Cash Back” events where rates temporarily double.

The Rakuten Welcome Bonus

New Rakuten members typically get $30-$40 cash back after making their first qualifying purchase (usually $30+). This alone makes it worth signing up even if you only use it occasionally.

Rakuten + Amex Points = A Travel Hack

If you have an American Express card, you can link it to Rakuten and choose to earn Membership Rewards points instead of cash back — at a rate of 1 Amex point per cent of cash back.

This is where it gets interesting. Amex points are worth 1.5-2+ cents each when transferred to airline partners like Delta, Air France, or ANA. So if Rakuten gives you 5% cash back on a $200 purchase ($10 → 1,000 Amex points), those points could be worth $15-20 in travel value instead of $10 in cash.

For serious points collectors, always choose Amex points over cash.

The Rakuten Browser Extension

Install the Rakuten browser extension (available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and you’ll never forget to activate cash back again. It:

• Automatically detects when you’re on a participating retailer’s site
• Shows a pop-up with the current cash back rate
• Applies cash back with one click

This is the single most impactful thing you can do to maximize Rakuten earnings. Without it, you have to remember to visit Rakuten first — the extension removes that friction entirely.

Rakuten for Travel

Rakuten works for travel purchases too:

• Hotels: Booking.com, Hotels.com, Hyatt, IHG, and more
• Car rental: Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, Avis
• Flights: Limited, but occasionally available
• Vacation packages: Various travel sites

Stack Rakuten cash back with hotel loyalty points and credit card rewards for triple-dipping on a single booking.

Rakuten vs. Other Shopping Portals

Rakuten isn’t the only shopping portal. Airlines and banks run their own:

• Chase Shopping (formerly Shop Through Chase)
• American Airlines AAdvantage Shopping
• United MileagePlus Shopping
• Amex Offers (targeted discounts, different from portals)

Before any online purchase, check which portal offers the best rate. Tools like Cashback Monitor let you compare rates across all portals in one place. Rakuten often wins on cash back, but airline portals sometimes offer more miles for specific retailers.

Is Rakuten Safe?

Yes. Rakuten is a legitimate company owned by Rakuten Group, a major Japanese conglomerate. It’s been operating in the US since 1998 (originally as Ebates) and has paid out over $3.5 billion in cash back to members. Your personal and payment information stays with the actual retailer — Rakuten only tracks that a purchase happened.

Getting Started

1. Go to rakuten.com
2. Create a free account
3. Install the browser extension
4. Make your first qualifying purchase to earn the welcome bonus

That’s it. Rakuten is one of the few truly passive ways to save money — once the extension is installed, it works in the background on essentially every online purchase.