Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (2024)

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (1)

Online shopping is a convenient way to buy the things you need. But the prices aren't always as low as you may think, and the final bill can take the wind out of your sails.

If getting the best deal possible is a priority, you may want to consider using a cash back app to do your shopping.

The best cash back apps offer generous discounts at hundreds of popular retailers, provide a smooth shopping experience, and make it easy to get paid. In this Rakuten review, I'll cover the ins and outs of this top cash back rewards app, to help you make an informed decision.

Quick Summary

  • Rakuten is a browser extension that helps you earn cash back on your online purchases.
  • You must activate the Rakuten network before making your purchase to receive cash back.
  • Some in-store purchases are eligible for cash back rewards.

GET STARTED

Rakuten Details

Product Name

Rakuten

Number of Retail Partners

3500+

Cash Back Rewards

1% - 12%

Mobile App

Yes

Promotions

$30 per referral (Limited time)

Table of Contents

What Is Rakuten?

What Does It Offer?

Are There Any Fees?

How Does Rakuten Compare?

How Do I Open An Account?

Is It Safe And Secure?

How Do I Contact Rakuten?

Is It Worth It?

Rakuten Features

What Is Rakuten?

Rakuten is a shopping rewards website that has been helping people earn cash back rewards on their purchases as far back as 1997. According to the company, over 17 million members in the United States have earned more than $2 billion in cash-back from their favorite stores.

Rakuten was previously known as eBates. However, the company merged with Rakuten, which is based in Tokyo, and adopted the Rakuten name. While the name is different, the basic functions of Rakuten are very similar to eBates.

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (3)

What Does It Offer?

Rakuten allows you to earn cash back from your favorite stores. Whether you view Rakuten as a way to save money or make extra money with an easy side hustle, here’s a closer look at what you can expect.

Cash Back Rewards Online

Rakuten's main product is its cash back rewards program for online shoppers. You can shop at more than 3500 retailers through Rakuten's website, mobile app, or by using their browser extension. When you make a purchase, you'll earn the cash back discount that's displayed.

The amount of cash back you can earn on your purchases varies. I’ve seen cash back offers ranging from 1% to 12%, but the rewards can change on a daily basis. Depending on how much you spend, those rewards can add up fast. You’ll have the option to turn these funds into savings.

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (4)

In-Store Cash Back Reward Offers

With Rakuten, you can also earn cash back from select in-store purchases. The process starts by linking one or more of your credit or debit cards to your Rakuten account.

When you see an in-store cash back offer you want to use, you must add it to your card. If you make the purchase with a linked card, you’ll earn cash back on your purchases.

Easy Payment

As you earn cash back, the funds are added to your cash back balance. Each quarter, you'll receive payment via a check in the mail.

You can choose to receive your quarterly balance via PayPal or physical check. While you won’t instantly receive your cash back, the quarterly payments make it easier to save the funds or make a purchase you’ve been waiting for.

You’ll also have the option to donate a portion of your cash back balance each quarter. For example, if you have a cash back balance of $20.90, this automatic option would donate 90 cents to charity and send the rest to you.

Huge Number of Retail Partners

No matter where you shop, there's a good chance Rakuten has a discount for you. According to their website, they offer cash back at more than 3500 retail partners, including Walmart, Macy’s, shopDisney, Old Navy, Kate Spade, Advance Auto Parts, Camping World, Harley-Davidson, and more.

Beyond your typical retail outlets, you can also score cash back rewards from travel-related companies, like Best Western, Hotels.com, Hertz, Hilton, Viator, and more.

Are There Any Fees?

Rakuten is completely free for shoppers, so there's no need to worry about Rakuten taking fees off the top of your earnings.

So, how does Rakuten make money? They have an affiliate relationship with their retail partners. Whenever you purchase an item through Rakuten, they get paid a small commission from the retailer. Rakuten then passes a portion of that commission to you in the form of cash back rewards.

The amount Rakuten earns per sale isn’t consistent across the platform, but that doesn't impact its members. You'll always receive the advertised cash back amount.

How Does Rakuten Compare?

Rakuten isn't the only app that's designed to pay you cash back when you shop online. Honeyis a similar option which includes a browser extension and a helpful coupon aggregator tool. Like Rakuten, Honey partners with thousands of retailers to make sure you don’t miss out on opportunities to save.

Capital One Shoppingis another free app that helps you save money and earn cash back rewards. Unfortunately, you can only redeem your rewards in the form of a gift card.

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (5)

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (6)

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (7)

Rating

Not Yet Rated

Rewards

Browser Extension

Mobile App

Payment Options

PayPal or Check

Gift Cards or PayPal

Gift Cards

Cell

OPEN AN ACCOUNT

READ THE REVIEW

Cell

How Do I Open An Account?

It’s easy to get started with Rakuten. You’ll just need to provide an email address and password to create the account.

Once your account is active, you can download the browser extension. It’s important to check that you’ve activated the Rakuten app to make sure you receive your cash back. Sometimes it takes a few days for the cash back to hit your account.

Is It Safe And Secure?

If you add your credit card information to Rakuten, the company takes steps to protect that information. The data is encrypted and stored in a secure place that meets the Payment Card Industry’s security standards.

How Do I Contact Rakuten?

If you need to get in touch with Rakuten, you can email [email protected]. In general, you should expect a positive experience with this company. It has earned a 4.5 out of 5 star review on Trustpilot, with over 20,000 positive reviews.

Is It Worth It?

Overall, Rakuten offers a relatively easy way to earn cash back rewards. Personally, I’ve been using Rakuten for several years. I like that I can easily earn cash back without too much hassle. Even as a relatively infrequent online shopper, I’ve earned a few hundred dollars in cash back from Rakuten. Depending on your shopping habits, you might earn more or less.

If you are looking for an easy path to cash back that hits your PayPal account or mailbox automatically, then Rakuten is worth signing up for. Want to push your savings father? Consider opening a cash back credit card.


Check out Rakuten here >>

Rakuten Features

Product Offering

Cash back shopping rewards

Cost

Free

# of Retail Partners

3500+

Cash Back Amount

1%-12%

Payment Methods

PayPal or Check

Payment Frequency

Quarterly

Website/Desktop Access

Yes

Browser Extension

Yes

Mobile App

iOS and Android

Referral Bonus

Yes

Customer Service Email

[email protected]

Promotions

$30 Referral bonus (Limited time)

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores (2024)

FAQs

Rakuten Review: Cash Back Rewards From Over 3500+ Stores? ›

Overall, Rakuten offers a relatively easy way to earn cash back

cash back
Cashback shopping

When a customer makes a purchase online, instead of visiting the retailer directly, they may choose to follow a link from a cashback website to generate a monetary reward when buying products or services.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Cashback_website
rewards. Personally, I've been using Rakuten for several years. I like that I can easily earn cash back without too much hassle. Even as a relatively infrequent online shopper, I've earned a few hundred dollars in cash back from Rakuten.

Is there a downside to using Rakuten? ›

Rakuten partners with many stores but doesn't have deals with every retailer. You may find you can't earn cash back at some of your regular stores.

Do you really get money back from Rakuten? ›

The time it takes for Cash Back to be confirmed depends on several factors, including the store, store policy, reporting schedule, exclusions and returns. We'll send your first payment as soon as 15 days after your first purchase. After that, we'll send your Cash Back payment every three months.

Is there a limit to Rakuten Cash Back? ›

For the most part, the amount of cash back you receive will depend on the brand you're ordering from; cash back can be as low as 1% and as much as around 20% — and there's no limit to how much money you can cash out.

Why is Rakuten not giving me Cash Back? ›

If your shopping session is idle for too long, Cash Back can become deactivated. Also, be sure to activate Cash Back before you add anything to your cart--some stores don't allow us to link a purchase to your Rakuten account if items were added to your cart before you activated Cash Back.

Why did Rakuten shut down? ›

Unfortunately the evolving market, aggressive growth (and targeting of rivals) at Amazon and, likely, the choice to rebrand the once well-known site under the Rakuten name all led to declining business. The original CEO and COO left in 2012.

Do you have to pay taxes on Rakuten Cash Back? ›

Are credit card cash-back rewards taxable? No, credit card cash-back rewards are not taxable. The IRS treats cash-back rewards as a rebate on spending and not as income, so you aren't required to pay income tax on these rewards.

Do you keep Rakuten Cash Back if you return? ›

If you canceled your order, it's no longer eligible for Cash Back. Did you make any returns? If you returned all or part of your order, the store will let us know and we will adjust your Cash Back accordingly. Going to other sites, especially ones that offer shopping rewards and coupons, can void Cash Back.

Does Rakuten give Cash Back on in store purchases? ›

In-store Cash Back is only available for physical purchases made at the store. If you place an online purchase and pick up in-store, you will not earn in-store Cash Back. Pay with your linked card to earn Cash Back. Use your linked card when you're purchasing in store.

Does Cash Back expire on Rakuten? ›

Do offers expire? Yes. Link expiration varies by store, so please check “See Details” on the In-Store Cash Back site to determine the rules for a specific offer. If the offer is no longer linked to your card, you will not receive Cash Back for your purchase.

Is Amazon part of Rakuten? ›

Amazon Coupons, Promo Codes + Deals | Rakuten. Amazon is no longer affiliated with Rakuten and does not sponsor or endorse Rakuten services.

What was Rakuten called before? ›

By choosing a familiar Japanese-sounding name, Rakuten looked to earn the trust of its new customers. Soon after, the company name was changed from the original “MDM” to “Rakuten.” Other group services followed suit, working the new name and logo into their own brands.

Where does my Rakuten money go? ›

Payments are sent every three months on our payment schedule. If you opt for a Big Fat Check, you will receive a check issued to the name and address in your Account Settings (or “Choose How to Get Paid” in the App). Payments can be sent to the PayPal account of your choice.

Is there a catch to using Rakuten? ›

You then need to link the offer to your account and use your debit or credit card to make a purchase. It typically takes a few hours or days for the funds to appear in your account. What is the catch with Rakuten? There's no catch to Rakuten, but you must buy items to earn cash back.

What are the financial issues with Rakuten? ›

Rakuten on Tuesday logged its fifteenth consecutive quarter in the red as losses at its mobile service network unit outweighed a record performance from its financial unit. The internet conglomerate logged an operating loss of ¥33.3 billion ($213 million) in January-March, in line with estimates.

Does Rakuten actually save you money? ›

On Rakuten, you earn real cashback for shopping online with thousands of partners… no catch, just pure cash savings and joy. Overall, Rakuten has fewer bells and whistles than Honey. However, to date, I've earned over $7,000 by using it to shop online and from referring readers/friends.

Is it safe to link your credit card to Rakuten? ›

In-Store and Dining Cash Back work by letting you add Cash Back offers to a linked credit card. Any card information you share with Rakuten is held in a secure, encrypted environment and will never be exposed, sold or otherwise compromised.

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