Sign up through the referral link🔗 and spend $50 to get $50 cash back
When I wrote up the usual US online shopping cash-back sites, Rakuten.com sat at the top of the list: it is the portal I actually open first. Rakuten keeps adding new features, so it deserves its own post.
For more of the common, useful US shopping cash-back sites, see:
🇺🇸 US shopping cash-back sites, an introduction
Rakuten is an online cash-back portal: you click a merchant link in the Rakuten site or app first, then buy on that merchant’s own website. That click activates the cash-back tracking. Rakuten later shares part of its commission with you. There is a US version and a Canadian one. This post covers US Rakuten, at the .com site. The Canadian version does not have many standout extras.
The main appeal is simple: the cash back is reliable, and you can use it on the website, in the mobile app, or through the browser extension.
Free signup
Sign up now through the referral link🔗 and spend $50 to get $50 cash back!
How it works
1️⃣ Pick a merchant or brand on Rakuten
(The search box in the screenshot finds partner merchants that pay cash back. The top-right corner opens your account, settings, and purchase history.)
2️⃣ Click Shop Now or Go To Store to jump from Rakuten to that merchant’s official site
3️⃣ Complete the purchase on the merchant site (and meet the cash-back rules). After you buy, Rakuten records the cash-back amount in your account.
4️⃣ Once you meet the payout rules (for example once a quarter, or by regional rules), Rakuten sends the cash back by cheque, PayPal, or another listed method
How you get paid
Open your account page and click account settings to choose a payout method:
Taking the rebate as points — Bilt Points or Amex Membership Rewards — is clearly worth more than cash.
【November 6, 2025 update】 A leaked page a few weeks earlier hinted that Rakuten and Bilt were about to partner. Today it is official: you can take Rakuten cash back as Bilt Points.
Bilt Points transfer to a long list of airlines and hotels at solid ratios. They are very useful. This partnership raises Rakuten’s value by a lot.
Link the two accounts: start from the Bilt official page🔗
Note ⚠️: Bilt and Rakuten must use the same email address
- If they already share an email, just link them
- If they do not, change the email in your Rakuten account to match Bilt
Once they are linked, Rakuten immediately switches the payout method to Bilt Points.
In-store cash back too
Cash back on credit cards and bank accounts
Some credit cards and bank accounts also pay extra cash back if you apply through rakuten.com. For example:
