A shopping portal is one of the easiest extra layers in this hobby. You click a link before buying something you were going to buy anyway, and weeks later money (or points) shows up. Rakuten is the biggest name, and it has a few quirks worth learning first: how to get paid in Amex or Bilt points instead of cash, and how to avoid the tracking mistakes that cost people money.
Sign up first
Join Rakuten with our referral link. This is our referral link; if you sign up through it, we may earn a bonus too. Per Rakuten’s referral page, new members need qualifying orders totaling at least $50 within 90 days to get the sign-up bonus, and the offer can change anytime.
What Rakuten is and how portal cash back works
Rakuten is a free shopping portal. Stores pay Rakuten a commission for sending shoppers their way, and Rakuten shares part of that commission with you as cash back. Rakuten says it works with more than 3,500 stores (How Rakuten Works).
The math is simple. If a store offers 5% and you spend $100, you earn $5. Taxes and shipping never count (Why Didn’t I Earn Cash Back?).
The flow looks like this:
- Click through. Start at Rakuten.com, the app, or the browser extension, pick the store, and activate cash back. That puts a tracking cookie in your browser.
- Buy. Check out on the store’s site in the same tab.
- Wait for pending, then confirmed. The store reports your order and the cash back shows as pending. Rakuten says online and in-store cash back usually takes 3 to 14 weeks to confirm, and travel usually takes 45 to 120 days after booking (When Will I Get Paid?).
- Get paid on the next quarterly payout.
Cash back vs. Amex MR points vs. Bilt Points
Here’s the part points people care about. Rakuten always tracks your earnings as cash back, but you choose how it gets paid out: as cash, as American Express Membership Rewards points, or as Bilt Points. You can only pick one at a time. Here’s how the three stack up side by side:
| Cash back | Amex MR points | Bilt Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What $1 of cash back becomes | $1, by PayPal or check | 100 MR points | 50 Bilt points for Blue members, 100 for Silver, Gold and Platinum (promos can change this) |
| What you need | Just a Rakuten account (plus your mailing address on file for check or PayPal) | An Amex card enrolled in US Membership Rewards that’s open and not past due | A free Bilt account linked to Rakuten, with the same email on both. No specific credit card required |
| How to set it up | Pick PayPal or check in Account Settings | Switch to MR in Account Settings and log in to Amex | Link Rakuten from the Bilt app or website; your payout switches to Bilt automatically |
| Minimum to get paid | $5.01 confirmed | 501 confirmed points | $5.01 in confirmed cash back |
| When it arrives | Quarterly, by Feb. 15, May 15, Aug. 15 and Nov. 15 | Same schedule | Same schedule |
| Best for | Anyone who wants simple, spendable money | Amex MR cardholders who transfer to airlines and hotels | Bilt members, especially Silver and up, and anyone without an MR Amex who still wants transferable points |
Sources: Rakuten’s Choosing How You Get Paid, Amex Membership Rewards Points FAQ and Bilt FAQ, plus Bilt’s Bilt x Rakuten support page.
Option 1: Cash back
Cash is the no-homework option. A dollar is a dollar, it works for everyone, and you never have to think about transfer partners or award charts. If you’d only ever redeem points for cash or gift cards anyway, take the cash and skip the extra steps.
Option 2: Amex Membership Rewards points
If you have an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards, you can have Rakuten pay you in MR points instead of cash. The conversion is straightforward: Rakuten’s FAQ says “10% Cash Back = 10X points,” so each $1 of cash back becomes 100 MR points (Amex Membership Rewards Points FAQ).
Why MR can be worth more: as cash, those 100 points are worth $1. But Membership Rewards points can be transferred to airline and hotel partners. If you use them for a good award flight, you can often get more than a cent of value from each point. Our guide to credit card rewards for travel covers how to think about point values.
You need an MR-earning Amex. The card must be enrolled in the US Membership Rewards program, open, and not past due. Rakuten lists the Amex Gold, Green and Platinum cards as popular eligible cards. Corporate cards and the Rakuten American Express Card are not eligible.
How to switch: go to Account Settings, change your payment method to Membership Rewards points, and log in to your Amex account to link it. Any confirmed cash back you earned before switching is converted to points and sent on the next transfer date. You need more than 500 confirmed points (at least 501) to get a transfer; anything less carries over.
Option 3: Bilt Points
Rakuten can also pay you in Bilt Points. You still shop and earn in cash back on Rakuten; the payout is what changes. Each quarter, your confirmed cash back is converted at Bilt’s rate and sent to your Bilt account (Rakuten’s Bilt FAQ).
The conversion rate depends on your Bilt status. Per Bilt’s support page, it’s based on your Bilt Elite Status on the payout date: Blue members get 50 points per $1 of Rakuten cash back, and Silver, Gold and Platinum members get 100 points per $1. Limited-time promos can change the rate, so check the Rakuten tab in your Bilt account to see what you’ll get (Bilt x Rakuten).
Who’s eligible: Rakuten’s program terms open this to eligible members of the Bilt Rewards program, and your Rakuten and Bilt accounts must use the same email address to link. Creating a Bilt account is free, and Bilt’s help pages don’t list a specific credit card as a requirement. That’s the big difference from MR, which only works with an MR-earning Amex. Rakuten and Bilt can each rule some accounts ineligible, and your Bilt account has to stay open and in good standing until the points arrive (Rakuten-Bilt Points Program terms).
How to switch: you link from Bilt’s side, not Rakuten’s. In the Bilt app or website, go to the Everyday Rewards tab and follow the steps to link your existing Rakuten account. If you’re new to Rakuten, you can also create one through Bilt. Once the accounts are linked, your Rakuten payout is set to Bilt Points automatically, and any confirmed cash back you earned but haven’t been paid yet goes out as Bilt Points on the next payment date. You can shop through Rakuten’s site, app or extension as usual, or start from the Bilt app or website.
- Minimum and timing: same as cash. You need at least $5.01 in confirmed cash back by the payment date, and Bilt Points are sent by February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15. Smaller balances carry over.
- One payout per purchase: you can’t get both cash back and Bilt Points on the same order.
- No status boost: per Bilt’s terms, points that come from Rakuten don’t count toward Bilt Elite Status.
- Switching between Bilt and MR: you can’t go directly from one to the other. Switch to PayPal or check first, then pick the other points option.
- Dining programs: a credit card can be linked to only one dining rewards program at a time, so use separate cards if you want both Rakuten Dining and Bilt’s dining rewards.
Why Bilt can be worth more: Bilt Points can be transferred to airline and hotel partners, or used for things like rent, travel booked through Bilt and Amazon purchases. Bilt says point values vary by how you redeem and doesn’t publish a single value (What is the value of a Bilt Point?). Do the math for your status, though. At 100 points per dollar, Bilt matches MR. At the Blue rate of 50 points per dollar, each point has to be worth more than 2 cents just to beat the cash, and that’s a high bar.
So which one should you pick?
- Pick cash if you want simple, or if you’re a Bilt Blue member without an MR Amex and no specific award in mind.
- Pick MR if you have an MR-earning Amex and already transfer MR points to airlines or hotels.
- Pick Bilt if you’re Bilt Silver or higher, you already collect Bilt Points for rent or travel, or you don’t have an MR-earning Amex but still want transferable points.
- Have both MR and Bilt? Point the payout at whichever program you’re building toward for your next redemption. Just remember you’ll need a quick stop at PayPal or check to switch between them.
Payout timing: Big Fat Check, PayPal and more
Rakuten pays every three months. Per the help center, payments go out by February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15 (When Will I Get Paid?).
- You need at least $5.01 in confirmed cash back before the payment date. $5.00 or less rolls over.
- Payment options are PayPal, a paper “Big Fat Check,” Bilt Points, or Amex MR points for eligible Card Members (Choosing How You Get Paid). Changes are free and can be made anytime in Account Settings.
- Bilt payouts use the same $5.01 cash back minimum and the same dates. MR transfers need at least 501 confirmed points.
- Don’t want to wait? Rakuten also lets you cash out a confirmed balance of at least $5 for a gift card from 40+ brands, delivered in minutes. Limits apply.
- For a check or PayPal, Rakuten needs your mailing address on file to verify your identity.
- Only confirmed cash back counts. Pending money waits for a later payout.
Tracking pitfalls (and how to dodge them)
Most “Rakuten didn’t pay me” stories come down to tracking. Rakuten’s own checklist flags the usual suspects (Why Didn’t I Earn Cash Back?):
- Start with an empty cart. Activate cash back before adding anything to your cart. Some stores won’t credit you if items were already in it.
- Use a clean browser. Other cash back or coupon extensions can override Rakuten’s cookie. Turn them off, or use a separate browser profile just for portal shopping. Accept the store’s cookies when it asks.
- Skip outside coupon codes. Codes that aren’t listed on Rakuten may void your cash back.
- Watch your ad blocker and VPN. Ad blockers, VPNs and cookie blockers can block tracking. Rakuten offers a filter list for ad blockers.
- Stay in one tab and don’t wander off. Finish checkout in the tab Rakuten opened. Long idle sessions can switch cash back off.
- App vs. site. The Rakuten app and website both work, but the store’s own app usually doesn’t. Viator’s terms, for example, say app-to-app purchases aren’t eligible and the booking must be made on viator.com.
- Screenshot your order. If cash back never shows up, you’ll want proof when you file a missing cash back claim.
Credit card sign-up payouts through Rakuten
Rakuten also pays you for getting approved for some credit cards through its links, on top of the card’s own welcome bonus. Two examples we checked on Rakuten today (October 9, 2026):
- Bank of America Premium Rewards: $375 cash back (the page shows “was $125”). It’s for new, approved cardholders who keep the account open at least 3 months.
- Citi Strata Premier: $50 cash back. You must click “Learn More” on the Rakuten page and finish the whole application in that same browser session. It also requires keeping the account open at least 3 months.
Both pages limit you to one cash back bonus per Rakuten account and say the payout posts “within a few months.” These amounts change often, so check the store page the day you apply, and always read the issuer’s own offer terms on the application page. New to card bonuses? Begin with our Start Here page.
Stacking: portal plus card offers plus card earn
The classic stack has three layers:
- Rakuten cash back, MR points or Bilt Points for clicking through.
- A card-linked offer, like Chase Offers or Amex Offers, that you add to your card in advance.
- Your card’s normal earn on the purchase.
Often all three pay out. But not always. Some stores say a card-linked offer cancels the portal payout. Viator’s Rakuten page (14% cash back today, up from 2%) says cash back “is not available if card-linked offers, discount codes, or staff and student discount codes are used” (Viator on Rakuten). So read each store’s Terms & Exclusions before you count on a stack. When the two conflict, pick whichever pays more.
Big Stack and other Rakuten events
Rakuten runs bonus events a few times a year. The most recent one was The Big Stack, October 5 to 7, 2026, which offered an extra 10% cash back at nearly 250 participating stores, from Nike and Macy’s to Expedia, IHG and Viator (Rakuten blog).
Rakuten isn’t always the best rate. TopCashback and other portals compete for the same stores. A portal aggregator like CashbackMonitor shows the rates from many portals side by side, including MR and airline mileage portals. A slightly higher rate isn’t worth much if tracking is shaky. For the latest deals we’re watching, see the Points Quest home page.
Quick-start checklist
- Sign up for Rakuten (our referral link).
- Pick your payout: cash (PayPal or check), MR points if you have an MR-earning Amex (switch in Account Settings), or Bilt Points (link Rakuten from the Bilt app or website, using the same email on both accounts). If you choose Bilt, check your conversion rate in the Bilt app’s Rakuten tab.
- Add your mailing address if you’ll be paid by check or PayPal.
- Set up a clean browser profile with no other shopping extensions, and add Rakuten’s ad blocker filter list if you use one.
- Before you buy: check CashbackMonitor, read the store’s terms, and add any card-linked offer that doesn’t conflict.
- Empty cart, click through, buy in the same tab, no outside codes.
- Screenshot the order and check that it shows as pending within a few days.
- Look for payouts around February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15.