You should always use online shopping portals to get something extra on your purchase. And few portals are better or easier to use than Rakuten – especially right now.
Rakuten (previously known as Ebates) is currently offering a huge bonus to first-time users. Sign up and make your first purchase of at least $40, and you'll earn a $40 bonus straight away, too! This is one of the most lucrative bonuses we've seen from Rakuten.
Plus, you can easily stack that initial Rakuten bonus with a purchase at one of the 600-plus stores offering 15% cashback rates this week. Through May 16, you can earn 15% cashback on purchases at stores like Bose, Adidas, iRobot, JCrew Factory, 1-800-Contacts, and hundreds more through Rakuten's Big Give Week. Check out the full list of retailers with 15% back.
Thrifty Tip: Add the Rakuten browser plugin to Google Chrome and Rakuten will alert you when you can earn cashback on your purchase through that retailer!
Taking advantage of these huge bonuses is as simple as navigating to Rakuten.com, clicking through to the retailer, and making your purchase. Combined with this initial bonus, you can earn a sizable sum of cashback in just one purchase through Rakuten.
Got a card that earns American Express Membership Rewards points, like The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card? It gets even better.
Rakuten allows all members to earn Amex points instead of cashback. So that 15% cashback works out to 15x Membership Rewards points per $1 spent – and the $40 initial cashback bonus nets you 4,000 Amex points. That's a great return if you've got some online shopping to do.
Let's say you're planning to make a $100 purchase through Saks Fifth Avenue, which is offering 15% cashback this week. That'll net you $15 cashback plus another $40 for your first big purchase through Rakuten. That's a total of $55 cashback – or 5,500 in one fell swoop!
Got the Amex Platinum Card? With 15% off at Saks Fifth Avenue, this is a great chance to use up the first of your twice-yearly credits for shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue of up to $50!
How Rakuten Works
Getting in on these cashback bonuses is easy. First, sign up for Rakuten if you haven’t already. You’ll earn an additional $40 bonus after completing your first purchase of at least $40 in the first 90 days. Full disclosure: We also get a bonus, so we appreciate it if you use our link!
Whether you’re shopping at Amazon and Target or buying a Blue Apron subscription, you’ll get a percentage of your purchase price back from hundreds of stores. You’ll get paid every three months, through either a paper check or a PayPal transfer.
Stack this 15% bonus at hundreds of stores with the referral bonus, and you could quickly earn a lot of cashback – or earn American Express points instead. Let's look at another example.
Let's say you've got a $400 purchase to make at Dell Outlet. By signing up for Rakuten with this link, you'll earn $40 after your purchase. Just click through Rakuten before making your Dell purchase – it's that easy.
But because Rakuten is offering 15% cashback at Dell Outlet through the end of the week, you'll earn another $60 on your purchase. Add it all up, and you easily earned $100 cashback – or 10,000 Amex points. Not bad for less than a minute of work!
Read more: Use Online Shopping Portals to Earn More Points & Miles!
Bottom Line
Rakuten is one of the best ways to get something more out of your online shopping. With these 15% cashback rates and the $40 referral bonus, it's a fantastic deal and a no-brainer for any shopping you need to do this week.
But these bigger bonus cashback rates are only available through the end of the week, and it's unclear how long this introductory $40 Rakuten bonus will last. So act fast if you've got some online shopping to do!