Rakuten Review: Cash Back Shopping | $40 Sign Up & Unlimited $40 Referral Bonuses

Rakuten is one of the best cash back shopping portals online. See other referral offers here.

Rakuten is a shopping portal is a website that you log into first before getting redirected to online retailers that you normally shop at. The point of going through the portal is to earn cash back for your shopping.

It costs you nothing to use these shopping portals so you’re really doing yourself a disservice if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet.

The Pioneer Of Cash Back Shopping

Most would say Rakuten is the pioneer of online Cash Back Shopping, being established in 1998.

They get a commission for sending you to retailers’ sites and they share the commission with you. The site was started by two prosecutors that used to prosecute online fraud cases so security is a top priority.

The goal at Rakuten is that everyone gets to make some money off of the big corporate retailers. It is a goal that has been realized by every person that uses the site.

There are actually many other shopping portals available, some are good and some are so-so. I’ve always used Rakuten out of habit, and have actually been a member since 2007. I’m definitely not an online shopaholic, but I’ve still earned more than $2,000 in cash back since joining.

*Another popular online shopping portal is Mr. Rebates, so check that one out as well. I compare Rakuten vs Mr.Rebates here. There are many others and I will review all of the best very soon.

Why Sign Up With Rakuten?

I certainly wouldn’t say Rakuten is the best online cash back shopping portal as that really depends on what merchants you most commonly spend at, but you really should pick at least one portal to sign up with. Often, using two different ones to get the best cash back rate at any given time would be better as rates are constantly changing with each cash back service.

The following are some key points for using Rakuten (or any shopping portal):

• Online cash back shopping portals are all free to use!
• Retailers pay a commission to Rakuten and, in turn, Rakuten shares that commission with its users.
• Rakuten has partnered with over 2,000+ of the world’s top online retailers. These include big, familiar sites we all use regularly (i.e. Amazon, eBay, Groupon,
• Nordstrom, Walmart, etc.)
• Rakuten actually pays you a referral bonus (often starting at $25 during promotion runs) every time you refer someone who signs up and shops at a partner site.
• I remember trying to educate all my friends on what it was all about back in 2007. You can probably understand the skepticism or just pure lack of motivation to look into such things. It should be much easier to refer people these days!
• Maximize your cash back and rewards potential. You can actually double and triple-dip for more earnings.
  • Earn the cash back by using Rakuten.
  • Earn cash back or rewards if you have a credit card with these benefits.
  • Earn points/rewards through the programs offered by many retailers.
• Cashing out is easy. You can supply your address to get your checks mailed to you. You can also have your money sent to your Paypal account (my preference), or you can even send your money off to your favorite charity. There are no fees involved in getting your money.

$40 Sign-Up Bonus

First, thank you if you decide to sign up with Rakuten using my link. Once you’ve signed up you can also start earning bonuses with referrals.

Once you sign up and make purchases through the Rakuten portal totaling at least $40 within one year, you’ll earn a bonus of $40. *Full disclosure: this sign-up bonus is typically available to you whether you sign up directly through Rakuten or using my link.

How to earn the bonus:

• Use our referral link above to go to the Rakuten site where you will see a pop up box to register for a new account.
• Choose how you want your bonus, as a Walmart gift card or Rakuten credit.
• Fill out the rest of the form and click “Join Now.”
• Make at least $40 in purchases within the first 90 days of joining.
• Receive your $40 bonus.

($30 Sign Up Bonus)

$40 Referral Offer

You can earn a $40 bonus credit for every person that signs up for a new Rakuten account using your referral link! Make sure that they spend at least $40 within the first 90 days as a member!

There’s no limit to how many referral bonuses you can earn, but you must have a Rakuten account in order to participate. Rakuten routinely updates with new special referral promotions throughout the year where you can earn more.

2,500+ Retailers On Rakuten

There are more than 2,000 retailers that partner with Rakuten. Most places that you regular shop at online will probably be listed on Ebates.

Cash back amounts are constantly changing with seasons and holidays.

There are hundreds of stores like Ebay, Amazon, Express, Neiman Marcus, Sears and so many others that you can do your regular shopping at and earn a percentage in cash back. Most any major retailer can be found at Rakuten. Here’s a table of popular partners to give you an idea:

Most of your favorite travel websites will also be found on Rakuten! I save a lot of money by using Priceline combined with Rakuten, and my rewards credit card (the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is my current favorite).

Rakuten not only offers cash back for your purchases but they also offer a large variety of coupon codes for things like free shipping and percentages off your entire order. It is a great way to save on items you would be buying anyway.

Chase Coupon Codes 2024 ($100, $200, $300, $400, $500, $700, $2000 Checking Bonuses)

CIT Bank Promotions: 4.85% Platinum Savings, 4.50% Savings Connect, Up to 3.50% CD Rates

HSBC Bank Promotions: $1,500, $2,500 Checking Bonus (Nationwide)

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