Rakuten Review [2024]: How to Make Bank Just by Shopping

What is Rakuten?

I like to think of Rakuten as coupons in my pocket. All I have to do is remember to shop through Rakuten at my favorite online stores. When I do, I automatically earn cash back on eligible purchases. Believe it or not, the company isn’t new; it’s been around since 1997 when it began as an online shopping marketplace.

In 2014, Rakuten acquired Ebates, a rebate website designed to offer cash back to customers who shopped online. Since then, Rakuten has grown to over 20 million members and has provided $3.2 billion in cash back.

I love that it’s free to join, and its 27,000 5-star Trustpilot reviews speak for themselves. The average shopper earns $90.16 back per year, which is great for doing nothing except shopping.

How does Rakuten work?

I'm all about simplicity, so I was thrilled to see how easy it was to use Rakuten. I didn't want an app that required multiple steps or hoops to jump through just to get a couple of dollars back.

The most complicated part of using Rakuten is remembering to log into your account before shopping. For example, I can't go directly to Banana Republic's website when I want to shop online. Instead, I must log into my Rakuten account, find Banana Republic in the store listing, and click on the Banana Republic website using their link to earn cash back.

The nice thing is that the offers change often. Sometimes, when I log on, I find bonus deals at my favorite stores or stores I would have shopped at anyway. Rakuten also aggregates coupons and deals so I can see if there are any coupon codes that could save me even more money while I'm searching for cash back offers.

But there's a catch.

I don't get the cash back immediately. Rakuten credits my account with the money earned and then pays me via PayPal every three months when they cash everyone's account out. You can also choose a mailed check or transfer your points to American Express Membership Rewards points if you prefer. The same payout schedule applies, so you’ll receive your earned points every three months.

You're probably wondering, like I did, why Rakuten is paying me to shop.

It's simple. Just like bloggers and other influencers earn commission for sales they make online, Rakuten does, too. Retailers pay Rakuten a commission for sending me and all other customers to their website. Rakuten then shares the commission with its shoppers to keep us coming back.

I like that I can also earn cash back when I shop in stores. However, this doesn't count for buying online pick-up in-store, so keep that in mind. All I have to do is look for the offers before I shop, activate them, and use my linked credit card in the Rakuten app to pay to earn the cash back automatically.

Who can use Rakuten?

To become a member, you must be at least 18 years old and provide an email address and password to create an account. Rakuten is a great tool for shopping online at popular retailers and booking travel online. 

Whether you’re buying apparel for the new season at Macy’s or using Expedia to book a flight, you can earn cash back by heading to Rakuten first. Any adult can use it, but frequent shoppers will reap the most rewards.

How much I’ve earned on Rakuten

Rakuten is a great little app for earning cash just for shopping, but don’t expect to use the money to pay the mortgage. As I said earlier, the average user earns just under $100 a year.

They advertise that you can earn up to 20% back when shopping online, but realistically, most stores offer 2%-6% back. The offers change often, especially around big shopping holidays like Black Friday, so that’s a bonus.

My earnings vary, depending on how much I shop, but because I do as much shopping online as possible, especially for the holidays, I can average around $150 a year, if not more. The key is knowing how to maximize your earnings.

Maximizing my earnings

You can earn money by clicking on the chosen stores in Rakuten and completing the sale, but here are a few ways I increase my earnings:

• I always check for bonus offers and save as much of my shopping as I can for that store until the bonus offer hits.
• I installed the Rakuten browser extension, so I never miss a cash back deal or coupon opportunity.I linked my credit card in the app and always check for offers before shopping in person.
  
• I refer as many friends as possible because I earn $30 for every friend I refer who spends $30.

FAQs

How to sign up for Rakuten

Simply sign up with your Google or Facebook account or an email address and password. It's easy, free, and takes just a few minutes.

After that, you’ll want to download the app for Apple or Android, so you can use Rakuten on the go, link a credit card, which you’ll use for dining and in-store purchases, and choose your payment method (PayPal or check). You may also want to install the Cash Back Button to make sure you don’t forget to use Rakuten when you shop.

Other cash back apps to consider

Rakuten is one of my most used cashback apps, but I also have a couple of others that I use, especially when I know the store where I shop isn’t on Rakuten.

Ibotta

For example, when I shop at a grocery store, I use the Ibotta app. All I have to do is link my grocery store’s loyalty card to it and automatically earn cash back. If I happen to shop at a store where I haven’t linked a card, I just upload the receipt to get cash back.

Read our Rakuten vs Ibotta comparison to learn more.

Swagbucks and InboxDollars

I also like to diversify my efforts. Because I’m always looking for the best ways to save money, I try to earn rewards without spending money. 

Swagbucks and InboxDollars offer great ways to earn cash and gift cards just for answering surveys, playing games, watching videos (aka advertisements), and more.

Read our Swagbucks review or InboxDollars review to learn more.

Bottom line

Ultimately, none of these apps will make me rich, but every dollar counts. That’s why I use as many of the money-saving or money-earning apps as I can to rack up cash back rewards, which I can use for fun things like traveling, spontaneous purchases, or even to put a little more money in my bank account.