Act now if you want to score $50 just by joining one of TPG’s favorite online shopping portals.
Rakuten extended its best-ever offer for new members yet again: If you join Rakuten through a referral link by Dec. 31 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.
Even better, you can stack Rakuten rewards at Target with Target Circle Deal Days, a two-day sale from Oct. 6 to 7.
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 to pay.
You can even download the Rakuten plug-in to make things easier. Once this is installed, you can go directly to the merchant’s site, and the browser extension will notify you if there’s cash back available.
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 Dec. 31.
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If you are already a member and want 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.
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.
Since our October 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 at 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. 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 Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) receive up to $300 each year in statement credits for StubHub purchases (up to $150 from January to June and another $150 from July to December; one-time activation required). And StubHub is currently offering 2% cash back (or 2 points per dollar) through Rakuten.
As a result, you can start your StubHub purchase at Rakuten to earn extra rewards and use your second credit of 2026 (if you haven’t already) by paying with your Sapphire Reserve.
Related: Earn Membership Rewards points with Rakuten’s first-ever credit card
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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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thepointsguy.com
