Rakuten Review – After 12 Years and $18,000 In Cash Back – The Selling Family

Are you ready to start getting cash back on your online purchases using Rakuten? I’ve been earning rebates with Rakuten since 2012 (yes, 12 years!) and I’ve been paid over $18,000 in that time.

Today, I’m sharing my real-life review with you!

I’ll explain; what Rakuten is, how Rakuten works, how to make sure you get the most cash-back possible, and more.

If I miss anything that you have a question about, just fill out the form at the end of this post and I’ll help you out.

Proof That Rakuten Is A Legit Cash Back Company

Before we get further into this review, let’s just take a second and prove that Rakuten is legit and actually pays out the cash back they say they do.

There’s no point in putting effort into earning cash-back on your purchases if the company makes it difficult to get paid out or never pays out.

Since I joined Rakuten in 2012, I’ve personally been paid out over $18,000 in cash-back and referrals.

Here is my account summary as of April 2024.

And here are my current earnings for this pay period.

See friend! Rakuten is legit and you can easily rack up cash back on purchases you are already making.

So, let’s keep going.

Related post you may also enjoy: Top Cashback Sites For Saving Money When Shopping Online

How Does Rakuten Cash Back Work?

If you’ve never used a cash-back shopping site, you may be asking yourself how Rakuten works.

Here is a very simple breakdown of how Rakuten works:

1. You are going to make a purchase online
2. a. You go to Rakuten to check if the store offers a cash-back rebate
   b. You click on the Rakuten extension and activate the cash-back for the store
   c. You open the Rakuten app and click the store to activate your cash-back using your phone
3. Rakuten adds a ‘tracking cookie’ to your browser to confirm your purchase
4. Once the purchase is confirmed, Rakuten adds the cash back to your account
5. You get paid out by Rakuten once every 3 months for any cash-back earned and confirmed

The cool thing is Rakuten partners with over 3,500 stores, so the store you are buying from will likely offer some cash-back.

The amounts vary from 1%-25%. I find most of the stores that I use offer 1%-2%.

If you ever make a purchase and don’t get the cash back credited to your account within a week, they have a super easy process to claim the missing cash back.

The Rakuten Browser Extension Automatically Looks For Cash Back And Coupons

One of the easiest ways to make sure you get the lowest price on your purchase and never miss a cash-back opportunity is to install the Rakuten browser extension. The extension works with the Chrome browser.

When you install the Rakuten extension, it helps you in 3 ways:

1. Never miss cash back – the extension will pop up and let you know the store you are looking at offers a cash-back amount, and you can easily click the pop-up and activate the cash back.
2. Save with coupon codes automatically – the extension will automatically try all available coupon codes to your shopping cart when you are checking out.
3. Find lower prices – if there is a lower price available, the extension will let you know, so you are always paying the lowest price for the items you are buying.

Here’s what the extension looks like when the store I’m on offers cash back.

You’ll see that the extension icon is red (and is actually flashing) and then there is a pop-up that says to activate the cash back.

Once I click the Activate button, the browser goes to the Rakuten website and brings me right back to where I was, with the cookie added to my browser (this is how they track the purchase).

Now, I can see that the cash back is active, because the Rakuten icon is now white and if I click on it, I can see a tracking code for the site visit.

I can scroll down a bit and see available coupon codes. If I don’t select one, Rakuten will automatically try to apply the codes when I am checking out, so I don’t always pay too much attention to them.

As you can see, the Rakuten extension is a must-use tool when shopping online from a computer!

Getting Your Cash Back Payment From Rakuten

Now that I’ve shown you how to use Rakuten, let’s talk about how you actually get paid for your earned cash back.

Rakuten calls their payouts “Big Fat Checks”. Even though it isn’t a giant check like the TV sweapstakes use.

Rakuten pays out 4 times a year, in three month intervals:

• May 15th
• August 15th
• November 15th
• February 15th

As long as your account balance is over $5.00 you will receive a payment for all cash back and rewards earned in the previous earning period.

There are three ways you can get paid out by Rakuten:

• Paper check in the mail
• Paypal direct deposit – what I use
• American Express points

To see a full breakdown of how Rakuten payments work and how to change your payment selection, check out this post.

Double Cash Back Deals Makes Your Cash Back Checks Even Bigger

There are always double cash back deals available on Rakuten’s homepage.

Sometimes it’s double, but there are often sites doing more than that.

Like, in the screenshot below, you can see Finishline went from 3% up to 10% and Dyson went from 1% to 10%.

I don’t recommend shopping at a store just because they have a big cash back reward, but if something is on your list already, it makes sense to make the purchase a little sooner than anticipated just to get that extra reward.

Sometimes Rakuten does special events where they encourage the stores to offer significant increases in their cash back offers. They did a ‘Birthday Week’ once and hundreds of retailers were offering 15% cash back.

What Online Stores Offer Cash Back With Rakuten?

What good is a cash-back service is they don’t partner with stores you are already shopping at?

The good news is, Rakuten partners with many major retailers that you are likely buying from already.

Here are some of my favorite stores I can get cash back from:

• Walmart
• Kohl’s
• Target
• eBay
• Torrid
• Ulta
• Sephora
• Staples
• Office Depot

You can see the full list of stores they partner with here. There are over 3,500 so beware it’s a little overwhelming to look at them all. I recommend sorting by category or just searching for specific stores.

Get Cash Back For Travel And Services As Well

Rakuten offers cash back on more than just online shopping.

You can get cash-back when you purchase travel, experiences, and even some services through the site.

Some of the travel ones I have used/like are:

• Expedia
• Priceline
• Groupon
• Great Wolf Lodge
• Princess Cruises

Some of the services and software programs worth noting are:

• At&t Internet
• QuickBooks
• Square
• Direct TV

You can even get cash back on streaming services! I know I subscribe to a lot more TV services than I would like to admit, and every savings counts. There are currently

• Peacock TV
• Disney+
• Hulu
• Paramount+
• ESPN+
• NFL+
• Starz
• Roku

Using Rakuten In Stores Is Easier Than Online!

Rakuten used to be exclusively for online shopping. Recently they made a change and are partnered with some retailers to offer in store cash back.

Now, you are probably asking, “How can I get cash back in the store if there are no browser cookies?”

Or, you are thinking it’s going to be super complicated and require you to upload your receipts or open an app when you walk through the store’s door…

Well, it’s easier than that, and it actually doesn’t require any action on your part at the time or right after making a purchase.

To get started with using Rakuten in stores, you just add your credit card number to the Rakuten system and they will automatically match up your purchases to their retailers and give you cash back when you use their available stores.

Next, add the stores you shop at to your account.

I know it sounds super sketchy!

But, I figure it’s no different from making a purchase online. We are giving out credit card numbers online all the time.

I personally only use a credit card, and never a debit card online. That way, if there is every any type of fraud on my card, the scammer doesn’t have access to any of my cash funds, and I’m protected by the credit card company.

Claim Your Rakuten Sign Up Bonus Today

Now that I’ve shared the in’s/out’s of Rakuten with you, I’d love to invite you to join.

I have a special sign-up bonus available for anyone that signs up through my referral link.

When you sign up with my link, you will get a $30 cash back bonus after making your first $30 online purchase through Rakuten..

And as a bonus, once you start using Rakuten, you can share it with your friends and get a bonus when they sign up as well. This works great even if you aren’t an affiliate marketer or blogger.

Submit A Question Or Comment

If you have any questions or comments about Rakuten or earning cash back online let me know!

Even though we do not have public comments on our site, we would love to hear from you.