Introduction
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, has a unique program that allows its customers to also earn points instead of cashback while shopping using their portal.
An offer that was reserved only for new Rakuten members, this lucrative rewards option is now available to everyone.
So how much do you earn?
1% cash back is equal to 1 Membership Rewards point for every $1 spent through Rakuten.
What does this mean?
Here’s a little math for you.
Say you spend $100 via Rakuten.
And if the cashback is listed as 10%, that’s 10X AmEx points per dollar spent.
So, for every $100, you get $10 cashback or 1000 AmEx points.
That’s 1000 points towards your next travel!
This is in addition to the points you will earn on your credit card for your purchase.
Rakuten is a cashback portal for stores
This is how it looks when you log in.
So what does Rakuten do?
The only thing the portal does is route your purchase via Rakuten, and as a result, you earn the cashback advertised in the Rakuten portal.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to Earning Amex Points via Rakuten
- First, become a Rakuten member.
- Then, go to My Account. Choose either PayPal or Big Fat Check as your default cashback option.
3. Now go back to account settings. Then select Switch to Membership Rewards points.
4. You will be prompted to log in to your American Express account.
And that’s it! You are now ready to start earning AmEx Membership Rewards points for every purchase you make.
If you don’t have a Rakuten account, use my referral here.
How do I earn Membership Rewards points now?
Once you’ve linked your Membership Rewards program account comes the fun part, aka, shopping!
Find the store where you want to shop on Rakuten and click the “Shop Now” link. You’ll see a confirmation letting you know you’re ready to shop at that store.
You will be directed to the retailer’s website where you can proceed to purchase as you normally would.
Once the transaction is complete, the store will let Rakuten know you’ve made a purchase, and you will be credited the Membership Rewards points you earned to your Rakuten account.
Wait for an email confirmation from Rakuten which, depending on the store, can take a few hours to several days.
You will receive the points to your Membership Rewards program account in accordance with Rakuten’s current payment schedule.
Final Thoughts
Overall, if you are an avid traveler and enjoy earning rewards, this is an excellent opportunity to boost your points stash.
And while there are other cashback portals, Rakuten’s AmEx partnership has proven to be a game-changer for me and has solidified my loyalty as a customer.
What are your favorite shopping portals?
If you enjoyed this post, you would enjoy The Hub ‘N Wifi Newsletter — a Friday newsletter, aimed at making you a 1% smarter traveler.