Do you want to earn more cashback on top of what you’re already earning? Well do I have a treat for you! In this post, I’m going to explain what Rakuten is, how to get it setup, and how to maximize your earnings.

What is Rakuten?

Rakuten is an affiliated marketing company formerly known as Ebates, that serves as the center to accessing thousands of money-saving shopping portals with brand-named retailers and local businesses.

How Rakuten works:

Say you wanted to buy a pair of shoes off Amazon, if you didn’t know any better, you would just buy the shoes off of Amazon at the retailed price.

However, if you checked out Rakuten first, you might be able to find a special portal that gives you 3-10% cashback in the “Shoes Department” meaning you saved 10% on the same pair of shoes.

BOOM! DISCOUNT!

They earn money by referring potential shoppers, a.k.a, YOU, to the retailers. The retailers in return pays Rakuten a small commission for sending you to shop at their site. Rakuten takes these earnings and distribute a part of it back to the shopper as an incentive for shopper to keep using their service.

How to Setup Rakuten?

Account Setup

First you need to go to Rakuten.com, don’t worry the sign up is free and it’s free to use!

If you’d like to support my blog, you can use my referral link, but this is only if you want to: https://www.rakuten.com/r/SMINGC2?eeid=28187

(Full Disclosure: I will earn a referral bonus and so would you if you decide to use my referral link. Your bonus amount is subject to change according to Rakuten’s policy at the time of when you used my referral link.)

You can sign up with Rakuten with any one of these options:

• Google Account
• Facebook Account
• Apple Account
• Create a Rakuten Account

The beauty of Rakuten is that you get extra bonuses if you refer the app via your link to your friends and family members, so the savings goes round and round.

Mobile App Setup

Once you have made your account, you can choose to download the mobile app (Available for both Android and iOS)

Just download the app via Google Play Store for Android or the Apple Store for iOS. Login and link your credit/debit cards and start earning!

Browser Extension

Don’t forget to download the browser extension to get alerts on potential cashback and coupon codes.

Local Savings

You might think that Rakuten is only for shopping online, but Rakuten actually offers both online and in-store shopping discounts.

Using the Rakuten mobile app, you can find cashback deals with name-brand retailers such as Express, Banana Republic, H&M, Aeropostale, just to name a few.

Rakuten’s savings doesn’t just stop at the department stores, they offer cashback deals for footwear, mattress, home furnishing, chocolatiers, and sporting goods.

All you have to do is select the retailer you want and link the deal and you’re all set!

Dining Savings

Oh yes! Rakuten also offer extra cashback with local diners and restaurants that participates, you can consistently get 5% cashback at select restaurants and the deals are usually automatically linked.

The Rakuten App will also display how far the participating restaurants are based on your current location, you can sort by popularity or alphabetically to quickly narrow down your choices.

Payment

When it’s time to cash out all the cashback you’ve earned Rakuten will give you the choice of either sending you a check for the amount of cash back that you’ve accumulated or pay you via PayPal.

Rakuten does have a payment schedule, which they sent payments every three months, I would say that you can cash out anytime your reward balance exceeds $5, you can get approve for payment under $5, but it’s likely to carry into the next pay period.

You can read more about on their official website here.

Purchases Posted Between	Check Sent
Jan 1 – Mar 31	May 15
Apr 1 – June 30	Aug 15
July 1 – Sept 30	Nov 15
Oct 1 – Dec 31	Feb 15

Just when you thought they don’t have any more tricks up their sleeves, Rakuten also offers you the ability to enroll in a program that allows you to earn AMEX points instead of cashback if you’re an American Express Card Member.

You can read more about earning AMEX points via Rakuten here.

How to Maximize your Cashback?

In order to maximize your cashback earning from Rakuten, you’ll need to pair it up with credit/debit cards that gives you cashback. This is a process called “cashback stacking”.

I have an entire post dedicated to explain cashback stacking here. (Coming Soon)

But here is a taste of what it is:

It’s essentially earning cashback on top of method(s) that already earns you cashback.

Let’s go back to that shoe example from earlier,

If I buy a pair of shoes off of Amazon for $20 and through using Rakuten, I get 10% off using their special shopping portal, but when I checkout on Amazon, I use my Amazon Prime Signature Visa that earns 5% on all Amazon purchases.

This means I got 15% in cashback or 15% off for the pair of shoes, while everyone else that don’t use cashback credit cards or know about Rakuten would end up paying full retail price.

I know 15% of $20 is only $3 off, but this can add up when you’re purchasing high ticket items such as a TV or a mattress where potential cashback can be in the hundreds of dollars.

Every little bit of savings counts and they can add up over time.

Personal Opinions of Rakuten

Here’s why Rakuten is My Personal Favorite Cashback Portal Service:

• Rakuten has done a great job creating a stellar website, a responsive browser extension, and a mobile-friendly app.
• They are a very reputable company that’s been tested and verified by big name retailers and they’re constantly adding partners to their growing list.
• They have ties with more retailers online and local, meaning you have a higher likelihood of actually saving some money at stores & restaurants you want to shop at.
• American Express have also partnered up with Rakuten, so you can earn AMEX points instead of cashback if you’d like.
• Automatic/Manual coupon code search applied to check out (Browser Extensions Only)

“I don’t always shop online, but when I do, I use Rakuten” – SF

Things to Keep in Mind when using Rakuten

This is not a personal attack on Rakuten, but you might have heard about money saving extensions such as Honey.

Like all cashback portal sites, you will automatically forfeit your discount should you choose to go with another service for savings.

Simple language, you don’t use their service, they don’t get a commission, you don’t get a discount.

That’s the nature of all cashback sites and Rakuten just happens to fall into that category. So, it’s not really a downside to Rakuten, but really something to keep in mind when you shop.

However, despite of this, I would still recommend give Rakuten a try anyway, even if you don’t like it you get $10 just for signing up and making your first purchase through them.

(Full Disclosure: Your sign-up bonus amount is subject to change according to Rakuten’s policy at the time of signing up)