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Act now if you want to join one of TPG’s favorite online shopping portals and get a $50 one-time bonus.
Rakuten extended its best-ever offer for new members: If you join Rakuten through a referral link by June 30 and spend at least $50 at eligible retailers within 90 days of becoming a member, both you and your referrer will receive a one-time bonus of $50.
If you aren’t familiar with Rakuten, you can start your online shopping there and then continue on to many popular merchants, such as Walmart, Target, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lowe’s.
Joining without a referral usually only gets you a one-time bonus of $10, so it’s worth using a referral link to access a larger bonus to get started. The common referral bonus is $30, and we’ve seen a number of $40 offers in the past. However, Rakuten raised it to $50 and extended that deal through the end of June — so if you’re not a member, now is your chance to take home the site’s best-ever bonus.
While you are at it, Rakuten is also offering some elevated earning rates for every dollar spent at many popular brands, making now a great time to start earning rewards for your online shopping. Cash-back rates can change daily, so if you see a good reward rate, start your shopping through the link at Rakuten.
Read more: How to earn bonus cash back or Amex points on your online shopping purchases with Rakuten
Overview of Rakuten
Rakuten is an online shopping portal that partners with hundreds of online retailers, from household brands like Target and Nike to smaller merchants like Gorjana.
By starting your purchase at Rakuten and clicking through to the merchant from there, you’ll take home cash back or valuable transferable points on every eligible purchase you make — in addition to the earnings on the rewards credit card you use for the purchase.
You can even download the Rakuten plug-in to make things easier. Once this is installed, you can just go directly to the merchant’s site. The browser extension will then notify you if there’s cash back available, like in the example below at Lululemon (the cash-back rate may have changed since the time of this screenshot):
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This friendly reminder simplifies earning more rewards for your online shopping.
You may wonder how all of this is possible. Rakuten makes marketing agreements with individual retailers, which pay the site commissions on purchases that begin there. Rakuten then passes a portion of those commissions on to the customer. The retailer gets additional business, and you and Rakuten enjoy a cut of those purchases — a win-win for all parties.
To join as a new member with that $50 bonus up for grabs, visit this link and complete the online prompts by June 30.
If you are a member who wants to refer a friend, simply log in to your Rakuten account and click the “Refer & Earn” button in the top row. You can choose to send your friend an email or share your referral link by another route — though note that the $50 referral bonus may not be available for all accounts.
Related: Get free points and miles for referring friends to loyalty programs and credit cards
How to make the most of Rakuten
While Rakuten is advertised as a cash-back portal, you can take your rewards to the next level by switching your earning preference to American Express Membership Rewards points or Bilt Points.
In the above example, you’d take home 15 Amex or Bilt points for every dollar you spend at Lululemon. Since our April 2026 valuations peg Amex points at 2 cents apiece (thanks to the array of transfer partners and valuable redemption options), this option could offer a higher return on your online purchases than simple cash back. Bilt points are valued even higher — 2.2 cents each.
However, the bonus for new members who join via a referral link is usually only available as cash back. You can link your Bilt or Amex Membership Rewards account after joining, but the one-time bonus will be paid in cash (after qualifying purchases). That said, if a friend or family member joins through your referral link (and completes the spending requirements) after you switch your earning preference to Amex or Bilt points, you’ll earn bonus points instead of cash back based on whatever referral offer is available at the time.
Note that going through Rakuten for your online purchases may mean sacrificing higher rewards that you would earn through something like an airline shopping portal — especially if there are any bonus offers through those sites. It’s always a good idea to compare earning rates using a shopping portal aggregator.
Related: How I earned almost 30,000 Amex Membership Rewards points with help from Rakuten
Which credit card should I use?
If you’re making purchases online, pay close attention to any potential bonus categories. However, your best bet may be to use a card that offers solid value for everyday purchases, such as:
Remember that any cash back or Amex points you’d take home through Rakuten come in addition to the earnings on your card. You may even be able to stack an Amex Offer or Chase Offer at select merchants, so be sure to check those first to avoid leaving money on the table.
For example, holders of the American Express Platinum Card® enjoy up to $300 every calendar year (up to $75 per quarter) in statement credits at Lululemon (outlets are excluded, and the credit only applies to purchases at U.S. stores and online; enrollment is required). They can also earn up to $50 in statement credits at Saks Fifth Avenue from January through June (this perk is ending in July; enrollment is required).
Since Amex applies these credits on the back end — rather than via a promo code at the time of purchase — you should still earn cash back or bonus points on the full purchase subtotal by starting at Rakuten and clicking through to Lululemon or Saks.
Related: Airline and hotel dining rewards programs: Which is best for you?
Bottom line
Using an online shopping portal like Rakuten can help amplify rewards on your online purchases, and with a best-ever bonus for new members, now’s the perfect time to sign up for Rakuten (or refer your friends and family members). However, this elevated offer won’t last forever, so don’t miss out — join Rakuten today.
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