I've Used Rakuten For A Year And Earned Nearly $500 - Here's How

14 hours ago

What if I told you that you tin prevention connected that acquisition you were astir to make via rate back, and that it's arsenic easy arsenic enabling a browser hold aliases utilizing an app?

While it sounds questionable, I'm present to quell your concerns. I've been utilizing Rakuten's rate backmost program for complete a year, and I've saved astir $450 truthful far. I began utilizing nan level successful early 2024 -- and now I'm a personification for life.

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But earlier I break down really I did it, let's screen immoderate basics.

What is Rakuten?

If you're unfamiliar pinch Rakuten, it's a akin strategy to nan rate backmost offered connected galore in installments cards. But alternatively of getting opportunity 2% rate backmost connected state aliases groceries, you tin prevention pinch varying percent amounts astatine complete 3,500 stores, restaurants, and recreation bookings, moreover in-store. The percent amounts alteration often and are sometimes moreover tailored to you.

Rakuten mightiness look excessively bully to beryllium true, but it's beautiful simple. Cash backmost adds up successful a Rakuten relationship arsenic customers shop connected shop sites via Rakuten. Then, customers get paid retired connected what they've earned. How? Retail stores salary Rakuten for sending them shoppers, and Rakuten shares a trim of that rate pinch its customers.

It's chiefly utilized for online shopping via a browser hold aliases nan Rakuten app (or straight connected Rakuten via desktop). It's an easy measurement to prevention connected ample and mini purchases, and successful this economy, each penny helps.

Here are nan six ways I utilized Rakuten to gain astir $500 successful 12 months.

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1. Stay consistent

It's easy to chalk up a work for illustration Rakuten arsenic not worthy your clip erstwhile often nan rate backmost you gain from each acquisition is nether a fewer dollars, aliases moreover cents. But here's nan point -- each acquisition made counts toward a larger rate backmost return. The champion measurement to maximize what Rakuten offers is to shop utilizing nan work whenever possible. I chiefly shop done nan Rakuten app. It took clip to shape that habit, but now it's 2nd nature.

As a Gen-Z shopping editor, I walk astir of my dollars online, and utilizing Rakuten is simply a low-effort measurement to summation mini amounts of rate backmost connected products I was already going to acquisition anyway. While 2% rate backmost connected a $50 acquisition isn't a lot, 2% rate backmost connected a acquisition that's respective 100 dollars (think laptops, earbuds, tablets, and more) tin quickly adhd up.

Since immoderate of my favourite retailers, for illustration Target, Best Buy, Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom, and more, partner pinch Rakuten, astir of my online purchases suffice for immoderate percent of rate back. Plus, if you're not a instrumentality of online shopping, galore retailers connection bargain online, prime up successful store, making it moreover easier to return advantage of nan rate backmost without dealing pinch other hassle.

2. Plan larger purchases

As a shopping editor, I ever urge researching a merchandise extensively and readying for nan perfect clip to buy, unless an contiguous acquisition is unavoidable. In astir cases, immoderate self-discipline, budgeting, and readying spell a agelong measurement toward ensuring you tin prevention money and maximize your cash.

For example, let's opportunity you're successful nan marketplace for a caller laptop successful nan adjacent fewer months. Retailers for illustration HP, Lenovo, Best Buy, and Dell are connected Rakuten. Cash backmost rates alteration often and alteration widely. If you cognize nan exemplary you're looking to purchase, I for illustration to hold a fewer weeks to effort and snag a higher rate backmost rate, aliases to spot if a waste pops up. On products that don't spot predominant sales, waiting for a higher rate backmost complaint whitethorn beryllium your champion changeable astatine making immoderate money back.

Here's an example. Last year, I collapsed a brace of my favourite Ray-Ban sunglasses. While it wasn't essential, I yet wanted to switch nan glasses erstwhile nan clip was right. So, I waited and kept checking successful connected rate backmost rates, and successful nan meantime, I saved nan costs of nan caller sunglasses. In October, I yet sewage lucky. Ray-Ban was offering 15% rate backmost connected Rakuten, truthful I could gain $23 backmost connected a $152 purchase, fundamentally bringing nan costs of nan replacement sunglasses to $129. I utilized a promo codification mixed pinch this rate backmost offer, but if I hadn't, nan magnitude would person been a smidge higher.

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3. Stay vigilant

Since rate backmost rates perpetually change, and Rakuten doesn't ever advertise accrued rate backmost percentages, nan champion measurement to prevention much is to regularly cheque successful via nan desktop aliases app to spot nan retailer rates.

This is easier said than done, but I find nan champion measurement to do this is to return a speedy regular scan of nan stores you're peculiarly willing in. It's surely not applicable to hold for nan highest rate backmost connection each time, truthful I effort to conscionable usage Rakuten arsenic overmuch arsenic I tin erstwhile I'm regularly online shopping and past clasp retired for a higher rate backmost complaint connected products that person nan imaginable to make a larger return -- i.e. tech products, purses, luxury aliases designer items, and much (and successful my case, Ray-Ban sunglasses).

4. Enable Rakuten to vacation shop

My Rakuten quickly racked up astir $500, which is not solely owed to my emotion of a bully deal. I've been strategically purchasing online via Rakuten erstwhile nan rate backmost rates are adjacent immoderate of their highest, and doing truthful connected planned purchases for birthdays, holidays, and more.

Ensuring Rakuten was activated during Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping was a immense plus, particularly pinch retailer discounts and promotions. Plus, since I commencement my vacation shopping respective months successful beforehand for astir awesome celebrations, I was capable to maximize early vacation offers. If you don't deliberation you tin enactment committed to shopping via Rakuten during nan twelvemonth (although I highly urge forming nan habit), astatine nan very least, effort to do truthful while you're already shopping for vacation gifts.

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5. Take advantage of accrued rate backmost rates

Rakuten changes rate backmost rates frequently, and nan cardinal to occurrence is recognizing them. You tin expect to spot importantly amplified rate backmost rates, complete 10% aliases higher, a fewer times per year. During awesome holidays for illustration Black Friday aliases Cyber Monday, rate backmost tin sometimes scope complete 15%.

Rakuten besides has flash income and regular deals, arsenic good arsenic "For You" offers, which are usually somewhat accrued rate backmost rates astatine stores you frequent, astatine slightest successful my experience. There's besides Rakuten Give Big Week, wherever you tin get 15% rate backmost astatine galore stores. This year, Give Big Week ran from May 5-12. Shopping during these accrued rate backmost periods is nan champion clip to maximize your spending, and surely comes successful useful erstwhile you're apt to beryllium doing accrued shopping, for illustration for nan holidays.

6. Stack your savings

There are a fewer much ways to prevention moreover much pinch Rakuten:

Promo codes: Don't cheque retired anyplace without checking for a promo code. It's arsenic easy arsenic typing nan retailer and "promo codes" into Google. You whitethorn person to trial a fewer retired to get 1 that works, but chances are there's immoderate type of savings floating retired connected nan web. Sometimes, you won't beryllium capable to find one, but it's ever worthy a shot.

Remember that discounts will alteration your rate backmost magnitude since nan rate backmost savings are calculated based connected your existent acquisition amount. If you will usage promo codes, though, it's champion to usage promo codes provided by Rakuten and debar utilizing codes recovered elsewhere, to debar issues pinch your rate back, according to Rakuten. Remember that sometimes, savings offered via a discount codification aliases promotional waste outweigh nan rate backmost provided by Rakuten, truthful it's champion to double-check earlier checking out.

Credit cards: Certain in installments aliases debit cards that connection rate backmost tin beryllium coupled pinch Rakuten for moreover much savings. If you salary utilizing a paper that offers 2% back, you get nan in installments to your paper on pinch immoderate rate backmost savings Rakuten offers. Essentially, you're getting much savings connected nan aforesaid purchase.

Other cards connection points programs that tin beryllium linked pinch Rakuten. For example, if you're an American Express cardholder pinch a paper that earns Amex Membership Rewards Points, you tin earn Amex rewards points alternatively of rate back for purchases you make done Rakuten. The rate backmost you gain from Rakuten gets converted to rewards points and transferred to your Amex account. Do retrieve that if you take to do this, your Rakuten relationship will only beryllium capable to gain rewards points and not rate back. While I don't personally person my savings to points via a paper program, it's an fantabulous action for those interested.

Is Rakuten legit?

Yes, Rakuten is simply a morganatic rate backmost programme for savvy shoppers. It claims to person complete 20 cardinal members (including me). Rakuten says paid its customers complete $3.6 cardinal since 1999.

Is Rakuten free?

Yes, Rakuten is free, pinch nary hidden fees aliases charges.

How does Rakuten springiness maine my rate back? When?

Your rate backmost is sent via PayPal aliases cheque wrong 15 days of your first purchase. After that, you get paid quarterly. I opt for a insubstantial check. You tin besides get your net paid successful rank rewards points connected definite in installments aliases debit cards.

How does rate backmost work?

Cash backmost fundamentally operates arsenic a rebate. You tin browse rate backmost offers connected nan Rakuten homepage aliases app. Generally, nan magnitude of money backmost you person will dangle connected nan marque you're ordering from, and there's nary limit to really overmuch money you tin rate out. Rates alteration often and sometimes suddenly.

For example, opportunity Ulta Beauty has a 2% rate backmost rate, and you walk $100. You'd gain $2 for that purchase. But if nan complaint were 15%, for example, you'd gain $15.

Certain retailers person restrictions connected what you tin gain rate backmost for, though successful my experience, I've encountered minimal rate backmost limitations for places I shop. It depends connected wherever you're individually shopping, but retrieve that Amazon and Walmart purchases are not eligible for rate back.

How do I subordinate Rakuten?

It's easy to join Rakuten, and it's free. You tin now subordinate for an other 10% rate backmost connected purchases made successful your first 7 days. You tin subordinate online aliases via nan app. All you request to do is create an relationship pinch an email reside and a password.

Plus, it has a referral program. You tin induce friends and family (or beryllium invited by) utilizing your unsocial Rakuten referral link. Once a referral customer joins and shops, nan referrer and referred gain $30 rate back.

How do I get started?

To motion up for Rakuten, you only request to create an relationship pinch an email reside and a password connected their website. Once you do that, you tin log successful via app aliases desktop (or download nan Rakuten browser extension).

Remember that nan retailer you're shopping astatine must beryllium portion of Rakuten's web for you to person rate back, and you must activate nan browser hold each clip you spot an online bid to person nan money back. If you don't for illustration nan browser hold (like me), you tin shop retailers via their websites done nan Rakuten app aliases website, which activates search to guarantee you get rate backmost erstwhile you make an eligible purchase. Since I chiefly shop connected my phone, nan app is my way. The app besides allows you to adhd your in installments and debit cards to your Rakuten wallet, truthful immoderate eligible in-store purchases you make will beryllium tracked for rate back.

What's nan Rakuten in installments card?

Like different awesome retailers, Rakuten has its in installments card. The Rakuten American Express Card lets you gain an other 4% rate backmost erstwhile you shop pinch Rakuten and 1% everyplace else. Plus, there's nary yearly fee. Those who motion up for a Rakuten American Express Card tin get a $25 prize erstwhile they walk $500 successful nan first 90 days connected nan card.