Want a quick and easy way to earn more valuable Amex Membership Rewards points?
From now until June 13, current Amex cardholders can earn 7,500 points after spending $25 or more on qualifying purchases within 90 days of signing up for a new Rakuten account. Just know, only first-time sign-ups will qualify for the bonus, and you must enroll through this link.
After signing up, simply make an online purchase of $25 or more (at thousands of merchants) by clicking through the portal and boom: You've got a quick and easy 7,500 Amex points for your trouble.
Considering the current referral offer only allows you to earn $40 cashback (or 4,000 Amex Points) and requires spending $40 in the first 90 days, this is one heck of a deal for anyone with a card like like *amex platinum* or the *amex gold* in their wallet.
Unfortunately, co-branded cards like the *delta skymiles gold* or *Hilton Surpass* won't cut it. You'll need one of Amex's flagship Membership Rewards earning cards in order to take advantage.
What's Rakuten?
For anyone unfamiliar, Rakuten is one of the absolute best shopping portals out there – an easy way to earn extra cash back on your online shopping. But if cashback isn't your cup of tea, being able to earn Amex points is a game-changer.
If you're already signed up for Rakuten and would like to start earning Amex points instead of cashback, simply click under your name and go to “Account Settings.” By default, payments will be set to be sent as a “Big Fat Check.” Instead, click on American Express to link your account.
Just know: If you switch back to earning cash rewards, you'll no longer be able to switch back to earn Amex points again.
Read our guide to linking your Amex account to Rakuten
For travelers looking to add to their stash of points to fuel their future travels, linking Amex and Rakuten is a no-brainer. Best of all, there's no need to actually pay with an Amex card when using Rakuten in order to earn points. So long as your accounts are linked, you can earn Amex points no matter which card you use to pay.
As with Rakuten cashback, don't expect to be able to use those points immediately. They're deposited into your Amex account on the same quarterly schedule as cash payouts: Feb. 15, May 15, Aug. 15, and Nov. 15 each year.
Why Shop Through Rakuten?
There are dozens of shopping portals out there to help you earn something extra back on your online shopping – the hard part is choosing which one is right for your. Sites like Cashback Monitor can guide you toward the biggest return, yet we regularly turn to Rakuten for almost any online shopping.
Simply put: No online shopping portal makes it easier or more rewarding to get something extra back on the spending you're doing anyhow.
For starters, Rakuten partners with more than 3,500 online retailers – so if you're about to buy something online, odds are you can do so via Rakuten. Scan the full list of stores available on Rakuten and you'll see it includes everything from clothing and department stores to pharmacies and pet supply retailers, sporting goods shops, outlets that sell contacts and deliver flowers, and so much more. Even many major hotel brands, airlines, and travel sites are part of Rakuten.
These bonuses regularly get even bigger, including one right now: From May 5-12, Rakuten is celebrating “Big Give Week” with up to 20% back at select merchants.
Even outside of these bigger promotions, it seems like we see Rakuten roll out cashback bonuses of 10% or more at hundreds of stores. Timing it right with one of these promos can make shopping through Rakuten even more rewarding.
If a store is offering 10% cash back, that means you can earn 10x points per dollar – 1,000 extra Amex points on a $100 purchase. And that's on top of the points that you're earning from your credit card!
For example, if you use a card like the *venture x* for your purchase, you'll earn 2x Capital One miles … plus, 10x Amex points (or 10% cash back) at any of the retailers listed below.
But above all, no other site makes it easier to earn rewards on your online shopping. Just head to Rakuten.com, search for the retailer you're eyeing, then click through and make your purchase as normal. The only downside to using Rakuten is that it sometimes doesn't play nice if you're trying to use a discount code … but Rakuten will often tip you off to (and automatically apply) discount codes that do work, like this example with PetSmart.
But you may not even need to remember to visit Rakuten.com before starting your online shopping. Instead, install the Rakuten extension for Google Chrome and it'll let you know whenever a store you're shopping at is eligible to earn Rakuten rewards. Just click to activate the offer with Rakuten and you're set!
Earn 7,500 Amex points by signing up for Rakuten now!
Bottom Line
Rakuten is out with an awesome offer for new members signing up now through June 13 to earn 7,500 Amex points after completing their first purchase of at least $25 in the first 90 days.
Beyond the big bonus, making Rakuten a part of all your online shopping is a great way to maximize your spending: No other online shopping portal makes it easier or more rewarding.
