[Expired] Rakuten’s ‘Big Give Week’ Has up to 100% Cash-Back, Plus Deals at Hundreds of Stores

Updated: May 12, 2026, 8:16am CDT

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How Does Rakuten Work?
Rakuten’s ‘Big Give Week’ 2026 Promotion
Final Thoughts

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Update:

The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available.

It’s time to earn extra rewards on your online purchases, as Rakuten’s Big Give Week is running from May 4 through May 11, 2026, with hundreds of participating retailers and elevated cash-back rates climbing as high as 100% at some merchants.

It’s one of the bigger events Rakuten runs each year, and the brand list this time around is stacked across just about every category you’d shop in.

Here’s a look at what’s available — and why we think you should change some settings in your Rakuten account to get even more value.

How Does Rakuten Work?

For anyone who hasn’t used it before, Rakuten is a free shopping portal that pays you back when you click through its site (or browser extension) before checking out at a partner retailer. The rates shift constantly, though. A store might sit at 1% one week and jump to 10% during a promotion the next. That means it pays to peek at the portal before you hit “buy.”

While Rakuten advertises its deals as straight cash-back, which is perfectly fine, you can change your account settings to earn points from Amex Membership Rewards or Bilt Rewards instead.

Based on our latest points valuations, those transferable currencies are worth double what the same offer would deliver in cash-back value, especially if you redeem for premium-cabin flights or hotel transfers. So a 10% cash-back rate effectively becomes something closer to a 20% return when you choose to earn points from Amex or Bilt instead.

Hot Tip:

If you’ve never used Rakuten, you can get $50 (or 5,000 points) as a new member.

Rakuten’s ‘Big Give Week’ 2026 Promotion

This year’s Rakuten promotion is casting a wide net. The brand lineup spans beauty, electronics, home goods, travel, apparel, and pet supplies, including names like Adidas, Clinique, DSW, Kate Spade Outlet, KitchenAid, LEGO, Mattress Firm, Office Depot, Ray-Ban, Samsonite, SoFi, Staples, Sunglass Hut, Tuft & Needle, Ulta, Verizon, Viator, and so much more.

Rakuten Big Give Week May 2026 — Image Credit: Rakuten

While the promotion page says you can earn up to 15% back, these merchants are offering 100% back (or 100x points) for a limited time:

Meanwhile, these merchants are offering 97% back or 97x points:

You’ll also get 95% back or 95x points with Norton Security and Antivirus.

Final Thoughts

Big Give Week is one of those promotions where a small habit — clicking through Rakuten before making an online purchase — can pay for itself several times over in a single stretch. Pair the elevated rates with setting Amex or Bilt as your rewards preference, and the value climbs higher still.

From May 4 to 11, you can earn big rewards on your purchase. And if you’ve been waiting for a reason to set up a Rakuten account, this is a pretty good one.