Rakuten's $50 Welcome Bonus: A Quick Way to Earn Cash Back on Your Shopping

If you've been putting off signing up for Rakuten, now might be the perfect time to jump in. The cash-back portal has bumped its new member bonus to $50—up from the usual $30—and it's a limited-time offer that could disappear soon. The best part? You don't have to do anything complicated. Just sign up, shop like you normally would, and let the savings pile up.

How the $50 Bonus Works

Getting started is straightforward. First, create a free Rakuten account using a referral link. During registration, you'll choose how you want to receive your bonus—either as a Walmart gift card or as Rakuten credit that you can use on future purchases. Then, just go about your normal shopping. You need to spend at least $50 through Rakuten within your first 90 days. Once you hit that threshold, the $50 bonus lands in your account.

One thing I always recommend: use a rewards credit card when you make your purchases. That way, you're earning cash back or points from your card on top of whatever Rakuten gives you. It's a simple way to double up on rewards without any extra effort.

The Referral Program: Share the Love, Earn More

Rakuten also has a referral program that's worth knowing about. After you've signed up, you can share your own referral link with friends and family. When someone uses your link, creates an account, and spends $50, both of you get a $50 bonus. That means you could earn $100 total—$50 from your own spending and another $50 from a friend's first purchase.

It's a nice way to stack bonuses, especially if you have friends who shop online regularly. Just make sure they understand the terms: they need to be new to Rakuten and complete that $50 spend within 90 days.

Three Easy Ways to Earn Cash Back

Rakuten isn't just about the sign-up bonus. Once you're in, you can earn between 1% and 40% cash back at thousands of retailers. The rewards—which Rakuten calls "Big Fat Payments"—are paid out quarterly via check or PayPal. You can choose whichever method works best for you.

There are three main ways to make sure you're earning:

First, you can go directly to the Rakuten website, log in, and click on a retailer's link. That opens the store in a new window and tracks your purchase automatically. Second, you can install the Rakuten Cash Back Button browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari. It pops up a reminder whenever you visit a participating store, so you never miss out. Third, there's the Rakuten mobile app. Just pick a retailer from the app, and it'll redirect you to their site with cash back already activated.

• Rakuten website: log in, click retailer link, shop as usual.
• Browser extension: install once, get reminders automatically.
• Mobile app: select a store, get redirected with cash back enabled.

Turning Cash Back into AmEx Membership Rewards

Here's a neat trick for American Express cardholders. Instead of taking your Rakuten earnings as cash back, you can opt to receive them as Membership Rewards points. This is only available if you have an AmEx card enrolled in the Membership Rewards program—cards like the American Express Green Card, Gold Card, or Platinum Card qualify.

Why would you do this? Membership Rewards points can be worth more than straight cash back when you transfer them to travel partners like airlines or hotels. So if you're into maximizing value, this option is worth exploring. Just head to Rakuten's AmEx page to link your account and set your preference.

Bottom Line

• Sign up using a referral link to get the $50 bonus after spending $50 in 90 days.
• Refer friends to earn an additional $50 per referral when they spend $50.
• Use a rewards credit card to stack cash back or points on top of Rakuten earnings.
• Consider converting Rakuten cash back to AmEx Membership Rewards for potentially higher value.
• Install the browser extension or app to never miss cash back opportunities.

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