Rakuten is offering $30 in cash back to new members who sign up and spend $30 or more at a participating store.
No promo code is required — just sign up using this referral link to qualify.
Key details:
- Your purchase must be made online through Rakuten’s site, app, or browser extension. In-store purchases and certain categories like gift cards may not qualify.
- The $30 bonus is paid out once your purchase is confirmed, which can take time depending on the store’s return policy. For example, if a retailer allows returns for 90 days, your cash back may not be confirmed until after that period ends.
- To avoid issues, make sure your shopping cart is empty before clicking through Rakuten, and complete the purchase in the same browsing session without using other discount extensions.
You’ll receive the bonus with your next quarterly payout, either by PayPal or check.
If you use my link — thank you. You’ll get the full $30 and it helps support this site.
Rakuten Overview
Rakuten is one of our top online shopping portals thanks to its high standard cash-back rates, limited-time bonus offers that allow you to earn up to 20% cash-back, and consistently accurate purchase tracking.
If you’ve never used a cash-back portal before, here’s how it works:
- You start your shopping through Rakuten’s website, app, or browser extension.
- Click through to a retailer and check out like normal.
- Rakuten earns a commission for sending you, then shares part of it with you as cash back.
In my experience, one of the best ways to earn big is with car rentals. These can get expensive, and Rakuten regularly offers high cash-back rates. The offers change often, so I’ll sometimes book and rebook a reservation — as long as the price doesn’t go up — to take advantage of better cash-back offers.
I also tend to clean up during Black Friday and holiday sales, when Rakuten typically boosts rates across top retailers. If you’re timing your sign-up around the holidays, it’s a great way to hit that $30 bonus quickly.
While I’ve earned close to 10,000,000 lifetime Rakuten points since 2017— mostly from referrals — you don’t need anything fancy to get value out of the platform.
Here’s a quick snapshot of a recent week during the holidays, just doing basic Christmas shopping for my family:
This is a good example of how stacking holiday deals with Rakuten bonuses can quickly add up — and in many cases, even hit the $30 sign-up bonus with a single order.
Rakuten issues payouts quarterly by PayPal or check. Some purchases take longer to confirm, especially travel or high-return-window items. For example, travel-related bookings (like car rentals) usually stay in a pending state until the trip is completed — sometimes up to 17 weeks depending on the company’s return or cancellation policy.
Tip: If you want to earn the $30 welcome bonus faster, try choosing a retailer with a shorter return window. You can usually find this info by checking the store’s cash-back terms on Rakuten before buying.
Another feature I really like: you can convert your cash back into Amex Membership Rewards points. If you’re into award travel, this can significantly boost the value of your rewards. Instead of getting $30 back, you can get 3,000 Amex points — and if used with transfer partners, I’ve had redemptions worth close to 3 cents per point (average is closer to 1.5). That’s basically tripling the value of your Rakuten rewards when used right.
Rakuten’s best offers are often short-lived. I use the app and browser extension to catch limited-time deals as they pop up.
Read our full Rakuten review for more tips and payout insights.
Claim your $30 bonus by visiting Rakuten.
How to Refer Friends and Earn Even More
Once you sign up for Rakuten, you can immediately start referring others. Share your personal referral link with friends, family — even someone at the same address, like your spouse — and you’ll earn rewards when they make a qualifying purchase.
For example, you can sign up and make a qualifying $30+ purchase to earn your $30 bonus. Then, refer your spouse or another household member. If they also make a qualifying purchase, they’ll get $30 — and you’ll earn another $30 for the referral.
That’s a total of $90 in bonuses between the two of you — and there’s no limit to how many people you can refer.
Other Top Cash-Back Sign-Up Bonuses
While Rakuten offers one of the most popular cash-back bonuses, it’s not the only platform worth checking out. In fact, one of the best ways to maximize your rewards is by stacking first-time user offers across multiple platforms. These welcome bonuses typically offer the highest payout percentage you’ll ever see from each site.
Below are a few other trusted cash-back platforms offering generous sign-up bonuses:
| Platform | Welcome Bonus | Learn More |
| Kudos | Up to $20 bonus | Kudos Referral Bonus |
| GoCashBack | Up to $15 bonus | GoCashBack Promo |
| Swagbucks | $10 bonus | Swagbucks Sign-Up Bonus |
| InboxDollars | $5 Bonus | InboxDollars Review |
| MyPoints | $10 Bonus | MyPoints Review |
| Ibotta | $5 Bonus | Ibotta Review |
The bonus is paid after your qualifying purchase is confirmed, which may take several weeks depending on the store’s return policy.
No. Only online purchases through Rakuten’s site, app, or browser extension qualify.
Yes. You can refer a spouse or family member who shares your address — Rakuten allows this and will pay out both the sign-up and referral bonuses as long as the person is a new member and makes a qualifying purchase. Rakuten uses account verification methods — like email, device ID, IP address, and billing info — to prevent abuse of the offer. So, I would avoid using the same credit card on the separate purchases.
Rakuten Referral: Our Verdict
Rakuten consistently offers one of the most generous referral bonuses in the cash-back space. If you’re not already a member, it’s one of the easiest ways to earn a quick $30 — and potentially much more by referring others.
