Get up to 20% Cash-Back on Purchases With Rakuten [Act Fast!]

For a limited time, Rakuten is offering 20% cash-back on purchases as part of the Rakuten Big Give Week.

But wait, there’s more. Rakuten offers the option to earn rewards through American Express Membership Rewards points, which can often represent a much better value.

Let’s dig into the details, as this deal never lasts long.

Rakuten 20% Cash-Back Deal

Rakuten is currently offering 20% cash-back (or 20x Amex points per $1) on purchases made in-store or online for Rakuten Big Give Week.

The 20% offer ends tonight, so you’ll want to move quickly if you want to get back some extra cash or points. But even if you wait, you can still score 15% back through the rest of the week.

Once you log into your Rakuten account, you can find the Big Give Week promotion here.

More than 150 stores are offering 20% cash back, or 20x points today, including:

• American Tourister (was 2.5x)
• Persol (was 2x)
• Polynesian Cultural Center (was 2.5x)
• Sixt Rent A Car (was 4x)
• Under Armour (was 2x)
• Viator (was 2x)

Travel-related retailers with 15% back this week include:

• Choice Hotels (was 3.5x)
• Etihad (was 2x)
• Expedia (was 3x)
• Hertz (was 2.5x)
• Hotels.com (was 1x)

Cash-Back vs. Amex Membership Rewards Points

As mentioned above, Rakuten users can choose between earning cash-back or Amex Membership Rewards points on purchases.

Which is the right choice for you? That’s a personal decision, of course, but many of us in the points-and-miles community love the opportunity to earn extra Amex points at a relatively low “cost.”

With the current promotion offering 15% to 20% cash-back, you’ll effectively save 15% on purchases. Depending on the value obtained from your Amex points, you might move into positive value, if you feel that earning American Express Membership Rewards points is the better route.

We value Amex points at 2.2 cents each, so earning Amex Membership Rewards points (rather than cash-back) can potentially yield a 33% return when redeemed for high-value travel purchases with this Rakuten deal.

Final Thoughts

If you were thinking about doing some shopping, now could be a great time. That’s especially true with this new Rakuten offer, as you could get up to 20% cash-back or earn a hefty chunk of American Express Membership Rewards points, which are some of our favorite points to earn.

Remember that these deals never stick around long. If you’re interested, be sure to act quickly.