Rakuten Review: Shop & Earn Cash Back or Amex Points [2023]

If you have shopped through Ebates recently, you might have noticed that it looks a little different. That’s because Ebates is now known as Rakuten.

In actuality, not much has changed; Ebates has been owned by Rakuten since 2014. The site still offers cash-back just by clicking through their portal, and the service is still free.

Here is what you need to know about Ebates/Rakuten including how it all works, how to earn cash-back, and some tips to supercharge your earnings.

Table of contents

Ebates/Rakuten History
How Does Rakuten Work?
- How to Earn Cash-Back With Rakuten
Rakuten Cash-Back Button [Chrome Extension]
Double Cash-Back Stores
Cash-Back on Travel and Vacations
Rakuten Refer-a-Friend Program
- How To Refer a Friend to Rakuten
In-Store Cash Back
Rakuten Mobile App
Rakuten’s Big Fat Check
How to Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points on Rakuten
- American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Schedule
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Ebates/Rakuten History
How Does Rakuten Work?
- How to Earn Cash-Back With Rakuten
Rakuten Cash-Back Button [Chrome Extension]
Double Cash-Back Stores
Cash-Back on Travel and Vacations
Rakuten Refer-a-Friend Program
- How To Refer a Friend to Rakuten
In-Store Cash Back
Rakuten Mobile App
Rakuten’s Big Fat Check
How to Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points on Rakuten
- American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Schedule
Final Thoughts

Ebates/Rakuten History

Ebates has been around since 1998 and is one of the biggest and most popular cash-back portals. Rakuten is a Japanese e-commerce and internet company based in Tokyo and has been around since 1997.

In 2014 Ebates was acquired by Rakuten, and in early 2019, the Ebates name was officially changed to Rakuten. If you have been using Ebates for a while, you shouldn’t have noticed much of a change. Your account will remain exactly the same, so there is no need to update anything or make a new account.

How Does Rakuten Work?

Rakuten is a shopping portal that allows you to earn cash-back for shopping at your favorite stores. When you click from Rakuten’s website to an online store, Rakuten earns a commission from that online store. Then Rakuten uses a portion of that commission to pay you.

While it might seem too good to be true if you aren’t familiar with this type of website, it’s totally on the up-and-up and a great way to help you save money.

How to Earn Cash-Back With Rakuten

If you are new to Ebates/Rakuten, here’s how it works:

Visit Rakuten.com. Luckily, Ebates.com still works too, if you’re still in the habit.
Find the store you want to shop. You can type a store’s name into the search bar, search by category using the drop-down menu under All Stores, search all of the Double Cash-Back Stores, or click on one of the featured stores on the homepage.
Image Credit: Rakuten.com
Then click on any of the Shop Now buttons. This will take you to your selected store’s website. From there, simply complete your purchase as you normally would.
Image credit: Rakuten.com

Bottom Line: You must shop via the link through Rakuten.com to your chosen store right before you make your purchase. If you click through, then go back to the shopping site directly, you won’t earn cash-back!

Rakuten Cash-Back Button [Chrome Extension]

If you think you might not remember to click through Rakuten each time you make a purchase, you need the Cash-Back Button. This button is a browser extension for Chrome that alerts you to cash-back opportunities at over 2,500 stores.

Rakuten Button — Image credit: Rakuten.com

You may see a prompt to add the button at the bottom of your screen. If not, just go to any store’s webpage and scroll down. On the bottom, left-hand side of your screen you’ll see info about the button. Click Get the Button to install.

Double Cash-Back Stores

The amount of cash-back being offered by each store can vary day-to-day. Sometimes, stores will even offer double cash-back! You can find these great deals by clicking on Double Cash Back Stores in the main menu bar.

These double cash-back deals are usually featured on the home page as well.

Hot Tip: Before you use Rakuten to earn cash-back, be sure to check to see if that’s the best deal you can get. CashBack Monitor is a free tool you can use to easily and quickly check which shopping portal is offering the most cash-back or bonus points.

Cash-Back on Travel and Vacations

Did you know that with Rakuten you can also earn cash-back on your next vacation?

Rakuten Travel and Vacations — Image credit: Rakuten.com

Rakuten offers cash-back on many travel sites that you already use. You’ll find these under the “Travel & Vacations” tab:

Do note that the list above isn’t all-inclusive. For all partners, check out Rakuten’s website.

All you need to do is click through Ratuken to any of the travel sites listed and then complete your booking on the travel site.

You’ll notice a search box that looks like one you would find on an online travel agency. While you can input your destination and travel dates, Rakuten will just transfer your search to your chosen website, so it’s really unnecessary. Plus this search box doesn’t list all of your available options, so it’s probably best to just scroll down to the full list.

Right below the search box, you’ll be able to see the day’s featured deals. You can also search for travel companies by category or name.

Hot Tip: Don’t forget to use a great travel rewards credit card for your purchases so you can earn points on top of your cash-back!

Rakuten Refer-a-Friend Program

If you love earning cash-back from Rakuten, you can share it with your friends to earn bonus cash.

When you refer a friend who joins Rakuten for the first time and makes at least $25 in purchases through the site in the first year, you will receive a $25 bonus. Plus your friend will get a $10 bonus.

How To Refer a Friend to Rakuten

To invite friends to Rakuten, click on Refer & Earn link in the main menu. Then, you will be able to invite your friends in a few different ways:

Enter your friends’ email addresses to send an invitation email
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Copy your personalized link to send to friends

You can earn multiple bonuses if you refer multiple friends. If your friend already had an Ebates account, you can’t earn a bonus by referring them to Rakuten since they’ll already have a Rakuten account

Bottom Line: You can refer your friends and family to join Ratuken. When they make their first $25+ purchase, you will earn a $25 bonus and your friend will earn a $10 bonus!

In-Store Cash Back

If you prefer to shop in-store, Rakuten has got you covered. You can earn cash-back in stores, as well as online! Here’s how it works:

Add a credit card to your Rakuten account. Go to your account and click on My Wallet. Then click on Add a New Card and input your credit card information.
Image Credit: Rakuten.com
Find in-store offers. On Rakuten.com, click on In-Store Cash Back in the main menu.
Image Credit: Rakuten.com
Link in-store offers to your credit card on file. Next, you’ll see all of the available in-store cash-back offers that are available. You can sort this list alphabetically, by cash-back offer, or by using a map. Click on Link Offer to add the offer to your account.
Image Credit: Rakuten.com
Shop in-store. Simply use your linked card to make a purchase in your selected store to earn cash-back.

Hot Tip: Rakuten in-store cash-back offers are only available in the U.S.You can link as many Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit cards as you wish. Rakuten encourages you to use the physical card and not a mobile payment service like Chase Pay, Apple Pay, or Android Pay because Rakuten doesn’t always receive mobile wallet transaction details, so you may miss out on cash-back.

Be sure to look at each offer’s details. Offers will have a limit to the number of times they can be used and will have an expiration date. Most links are only good for one redemption. So, if you want to use the offer again, you will most likely need to re-link the offer.

Hot Tip: You can double up your rewards; both online cash-back offers and in-store cash-back offers from Rakuten can be used along with any Amex Offers or Chase Offers you may have.

Rakuten Mobile App

Rakuten offers a mobile app so you can earn cash-back on the go. To download the app, go to the App Store, Google Play, or enter your mobile number on the Rakuten’s sign-up page to receive a link.

Once you download the app, you’ll have access to Rakuten’s mobile-only deals — look for these in your notifications. To access notifications, click on the bell icon in the upper right-hand corner of the app.

The Rakuten mobile app has the same functionality as the website. You’ll be able to access cash-back offers online, in-store cash-back offers, and links to refer your friends.

If you click on My Account in the lower right-hand corner, you’ll be able to see your transaction history, cash-back balance, add a credit card, or change your payment method.

Hot Tip: Look out for the new offer of 5% cash-back at restaurants — only available through the Rakuten mobile app!

Rakuten’s Big Fat Check

If you are used to getting a Big Fat Check from Ebates, don’t worry, you’ll still be getting the same Big Fat Check from Rakuten. If you aren’t familiar with the Big Fat Check, this is just the fun name that refers to your cash-back earnings.

You can choose to receive a physical check, or you can have your earnings deposited to your PayPal account. To set up your preferences, go to your account in the upper right-hand corner and click on Account Settings. From here, you can enter your mailing address or link your PayPal account.

Big Fat Check settings — Image credit: Rakuten.com

Payments are sent every 3 months.

For Purchases Posted Between These Dates:	Your Big Fat Check Will Be Sent On:
January 1 – March 31	May 15
April 1 – June 30	August 15
July 1 – September 30	November 15
October 1 – December 31	February 15

How to Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points on Rakuten

You can now earn American Express Membership Rewards points in lieu of cash-back through Rakuten. Here’s how to do it:

Sign in to your Rakuten account and go to Account Settings.
Scroll down to the How would you like to get paid? section and select Switch to Membership Rewards points.
Then you’ll be prompted to sign in to your American Express online account. Once you verify your account, you’ll be all set up to earn Membership Rewards in lieu of cash-back.

How to switch from cash back to earning membership rewards on Rakuten — You’ll be able to switch your earning preference to Amex Membership Rewards in your Rakuten online account. Image Credit: Rakuten

Once you’ve set up your account to earn Membership Rewards points, you’ll earn 1 point per $1 for each 1% cash-back. So, if a store is offering 2% cash-back, you’ll earn 2 Membership Rewards points for each $1 you spend.

Any cash-back you have earned at the time you switch to Membership Rewards will still be paid via check or PayPal.

Hot Tip: American Express Membership Rewards points are valued at about 2.2 cents each, so opting for points instead of cash-back more than doubles your return.

American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Schedule

In order to have your Membership Rewards points transferred from your Rakuten account, you need to have earned at least 500 points in an earning period. If you haven’t earned at least 500 points, they will carry over to the following earning period.

Points are transferred every 3 months.

Rakuten purchases posted	Points transferred to Amex account
January 1 – March 31	May 15
April 1 – June 30	August 15
July 1 – September 30	November 15
October 1 – December 31	February 15

Bottom Line: You can now earn Membership Rewards points in lieu of cash-back for your purchases made through Rakuten. You’ll need a valid Amex credit card that earns Membership Rewards, and you’ll need to switch your earning preferences to Membership Rewards in your Rakuten online account.

Final Thoughts

Ebates is now known as Rakuten. Rakuten is a Japanese company that has actually owned Ebates since 2014. Because of this, nothing is really changing except the name.

Rakuten still offers cash-back deals online and in-store. All of the functionality of Ebates will remain the same and you will still be earning the same Big Fat Check. All of your account information will stay the same too.

Using Rakuten to earn bonus cash-back on purchases you were going to make anyway is a great way to maximize the value you get from every dollar you spend.

The information regarding the Chase Freedom Unlimited® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, please click here.

Featured Image Credit: lukszczepanski via Adobe Stock

Frequently asked questions

What is Rakuten?

Rakuten in a Japanese e-commerce company that has owned Ebates since 2014. In early 2019, the company officially dropped the Ebates name. However, the site still has all the same functionality and account settings as Ebates, it’s just now known as Rakuten. As a user, you shouldn’t notice much difference.

How does Ebates work?

You might be wondering how Ebates/Rakuten works? How can they afford to pay out so much cash-back for a free service? The answer is affiliate marketing. Ebates/Rakuten will earn an affiliate commission from a store for referring you. They then give part of their commission to you in the form of cash-back.

Is Rakuten the same as Ebates?

Yes, Rakuten and Ebates are the same company. Rakuten acquired Ebates in 2014. In 2019, the Ebates name was dropped in favor of Rakuten. So, Ebates is now known as Rakuten, but everything else has stayed the same. Your account will be the same and will still include all of your Ebates history. There shouldn’t be any difference from the user perspective.

Does Rakuten work with Amazon?

As of March 2020, you can no longer earn cash-back at Amazon through Rakuten. You will, however, still be able to find Amazon coupons on Rakuten.

How can I earn Amex Membership Rewards points through Rakuten?

You can now choose to earn Membership Rewards points from your purchases through Rakuten in lieu of cash-back. To change your earning preferences, go to your account settings and select Membership Rewards instead of a check or PayPal. You’ll be prompted to sign in to your American Express online account and verify your account, then you’ll start earning points instead of cash through Rakuten.

Does Rakuten have a credit card?

No, Rakuten doesn’t offer a credit card anymore. The Rakuten Cash Back Visa® Credit Card was discontinued in September 2022.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie fell in love with travel during a semester abroad in college spent in Nottingham, England. During that time, she got to see Scotland, Ireland, London, and Amsterdam and knew she wanted to see more of the world. Fast forward to 2015 when Katie discovered the world of points and miles. She jumped in full force and hasn’t looked back. After starting her own blog, Zen Life and Travel, in 2016, she began freelance writing in 2017. In addition to being a contributor to Upgraded Points since 2018, she also writes for Forbes Advisor and has previously written for Million Mile Secrets.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

22 comments

Daren July 16, 2019
You forgot to mention that people signing up for new accounts have the option of getting paid in Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cash.
Reply
- Stephen Au July 17, 2019
  Hi Daren,
  Thanks for reading! That’s a great piece of feedback we’ll incorporate into our piece. Thanks again.
  Reply
  - Peter February 19, 2020
    I don’t believe they are distributing funds back to customers that they’re getting from the vendors. I personally recently checked my account and only showed 4 transactions for 2019. I am missing a lot transactions from over the holidays. So I feel that they are a fraud and keeping the funds.
    Reply
    - Christine Krzyszton February 19, 2020
      Hi Peter. You should simply file a missing cash report. It is super easy. Just go to the Rakuten website, click on HELP in the upper right corner, and select MISSING CASH. There are just
      4 boxes to fill in and you’re done. I submitted 2 of these and both were corrected quickly.
      Reply
Chris July 20, 2019
I have an ebates account, but I cannot sign in to Rakuten with my password. If I try to create an account with Rakuten, it states my email is already linked to Rakuten. Help!
Reply
- Jarrod West July 20, 2019
  Hi Chris,
  Have you tried resetting your password? That may be the easiest fix here! Thanks for reading!
  Reply
Rhonda July 22, 2019
Do you get 1099 for taxes on the cash back you get?
Reply
- Stephen Au July 23, 2019
  Rhonda,
  These cash back programs are generally not taxable as they are treated as rebates. However, this may change, and we advise you to contact the company and/or your tax professional. Thanks for reading.
  Reply
Sue November 22, 2019
If I used a store card (Neiman Marcus, Saks, etc.) for my payment method for an online purchase through Ebates, can I still receive cash back from Ebates?
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton November 23, 2019
  Hi Sue. Yes, you will receive the cash back regardless of the payment method. You just need to go through the Rakuten website first and be directed to the merchant site to make your purchase.
  Reply
Pamela Smith November 25, 2019
I purchased $230 of items from Walmart using Rakuten. As far as I could tell, it said that on furniture, clothing and other items I would receive 5% cashback. I paid for my order and put it through and it is showing that I have $3.99 cash back when it should be $11.50. I thought I purchased items that were eligible for 5% cash back. How do I dispute this so that I can get the rest of my money and it onto my account?
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton November 26, 2019
  Hi Pamela. In your Rakuten account, under the HELP button, you can click on “Missing cash back” and submit a request. You will need to have your order number, and other order details ready to complete the request but it is quite easy. Hope this helps.
  Reply
Tiffany December 14, 2019
Does the cash back in your account expire? Or can you build it up and receive a check whenever you want?
Reply
- Jarrod West December 14, 2019
  Hi Tiffany,
  Rakuten sends out all the cash-back you’ve earned once every quarter.
  Thanks for reading!
  Reply
Beth December 21, 2019
When using Rakuten with Amazon, how do you know what category or category id an item belongs in? For instance, a low-cost surge protector. Thanks!
Reply
- Andrew Kunesh December 23, 2019
  Hey Beth, you can see the product category next to the “Best Sellers Rank” box underneath the “Product information” header on a product’s page. It will show the category (example: electronics) and subcategory (example: power strips). Thanks!
  Reply
Marshall March 10, 2020
Thank you for the article! It’s really useful! Can you say where I can read more reviews for Rakuten?
Reply
Kelley Legault March 28, 2020
Hi!
Thanks for the great info on this page… I just thought I would add some current info regarding Amazon, and Walmart, Canada – since the onset of this COVID-19 (stuff LOL) – Walmart.ca and Amazon.ca have stopped allowing Rakuten to provide cash back. The standard message is, “we are working on resolving this quote – however, when Rakitin is contacted via Twitter (or otherwise) they elaborate with the message, Stores “reserve the right to withdraw At any time… We hope they return to us soon.”
I feel this is a pretty insensitive time for them to withdraw themselves… Considering how much more reliant people are on filling their needs via online shopping.
I have reached out to both Amazon.ca, and Walmart.ca, to get ‘their side’ of it – neither has contacted me back.
Just thought I’d pass that information along – as a Canadian, I don’t know if Amazon.com, or Walmart.com are playing by the same rule book…
Everyone stay safe… Best wishes to all!
~ Kelley
Reply
Haig Panoyan January 2, 2021
Can someone send me a link to a list of stores in the U.S. where I can link my card before shopping, and earn cash back?
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton January 3, 2021
  Hello Haig. If you go to Rakuten.com, then look towards the top of the page, you can click on “In-Store Cash Back”. This will take you to the list of stores. Here is also the link. https://www.rakuten.com/in-store.htm
  Reply
  - Haig panoyan February 1, 2021
    Thank you very much!
    Reply
Jesse May 12, 2021
I think an easier way to explain membership rewards conversion is “1 MR point for each $0.01 in cash back”. Sounds much more enticing too. This is a primary reason I have the AMEX Platinum, I get oodles of points through Rakuten at a faster rate than spending on the card. Case in point, I got $44 in Rakuten cash doing absolutely nothing more than regular online shopping this past quarter. That’s 4400 MR point. I’d have to spend $880 on a flight or hotel through the Amex store to get the same return. This is a GREAT perk.
Reply

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Rakuten Review: How to Earn Cash Back or Amex Points by Shopping Online [Formerly Ebates]

Ebates/Rakuten History