Online shopping is preferred by 60% of millennials since it allows them to avoid the hassle of going to a physical store and shop whenever they want. If something doesn’t fit or looks different, you can return it without a problem since most stores have generous return policies.
It would seem a tedious waste of time to drive to the store, find parking, wait for assistance, and then wait in line.
Furthermore, with online shopping, you are able to save on so many other things as well. Hence, staying at home ensures that you save both time and money by not going out.
Rakuten: What Does It Do?
As an online and app-based service, Rakuten gives people cash back at the time of making a purchase when they use a Rakuten link to complete the purchase. Previously known as Ebates, Rakuten’s main goal is to help consumers save money on everything they buy by saving them money on things they already buy.
Besides offering a list of which stores are offering special deals to customers, Rakuten also provides the option to find out which stores offer free shipping, buy one get one free, or free gifts when making a purchase. It is possible for new users to earn $10 just by signing up for Rakuten and if they refer someone who signs up for Rakuten and uses it, they can earn $25.
Trustpilot has given them a 4 out of 5-star rating and the Better Business Bureau has given them an A- rating. Users say that Rakuten has a wide variety of ways to earn cash back, good customer service, and easy-to-use apps and extensions that make it easy for users to get cash back. Some of the most common complaints are that Rakuten fails to credit accounts with cash back and that it blocks individual access to their accounts.
What Is the Safety of Rakuten?
So far, Rakuten’s website has proven to be safe, but you should be aware that Rakuten places cookies on your computer that track your habits and decisions. You can earn cash-back rewards from Rakuten by using these cookies at the companies you shop at. Similarly to grocery store rewards programs and apps that keep track of your spending, Rakuten tracks your online shopping habits and may share them with its partners.
No matter whether you must link a credit card to your account, the information you submit to Rakuten is encrypted and secure.
What Are the Workings of Rakuten?
Due to its great deals and ease of use, Rakuten has become extremely popular.
You can get the most out of Rakuten if you combine it with a credit card that gives you cash back or rewards when you shop at your favorite stores when you use that card. It is possible, for example, to combine an Amazon cash-back card with a Rakuten cash-back card if your Amazon card offers 1% cash back on its purchases.
The good news is that Rakuten still offers cash back even if you do not have a credit card. As well as using Rakuten for online shopping, you can also use it for in-store purchases. Under “In-Store Cash Back,” you can find a list of these offers on the website or through the app.
A button that links you to Rakuten
You can use this service most easily by clicking the Rakuten button. You install it for Google Chrome as a browser extension. The extension will display a pop-up in the right-hand corner of your screen when you visit a store with a cash-back offer.
The Rakuten browser extension, for example, will automatically display a message on Macy’s.com saying, “Activate 8% Cash Back.” This makes it easy to see which stores are offering cash back.
Rakuten will make every effort to direct you to a similar store that offers cash back if the store you go to does not offer it currently. As an example, when I visit Home Depot’s website, Rakuten displays a message informing me that there are no cash-back offers available. However, Ace, True Value, and Walmart do offer cash-back deals.
An app developed by Rakuten
Both iPhone and Android devices can be used with the Rakuten app. When shopping in-store, download the app so you can be able to check the offers on the go when you do a lot of in-store shopping. Due to the fact that you always have your phone with you, this is much easier than using coupons.
You can view available offers from retailers by clicking on them in the app. In addition to cash-back deals, sales, and discounts, you may also find cash-back deals online and in-store. As on the website, you will be able to search for stores or see the best deals that are currently available to you by using the search bar.
With Rakuten, You Can Earn in More Ways
Customers who prefer online shopping aren’t the only ones who use Rakuten. Even if your mom is tech averse and prefers to shop at brick-and-mortar stores, she can still save money by using Rakuten to make online purchases.
Reward points for in-store purchases
Additionally, Rakuten offers customers the opportunity to earn cash back on their in-store purchases. Alternatively, you can log into your Rakuten account by using the Rakuten app on an iPhone or Android device.
Choose from a variety of cash back offers by clicking the In-Store Cash Back Offers section. If you are interested in any of the offers, click on them and then link your credit card to them. It is recommended that you use this credit card while you are in the store.
If you shop at Macy’s, for example, you can receive a 1% cash-back offer from Rakuten as part of the cash-back offer. Using this offer, you’ll get 1% cash back on Macy’s purchases, minus any exceptions Rakuten may have, when you link it to your credit card and then go to Macy’s to make your purchases there.
Don’t be surprised if your Rakuten cash-back balance doesn’t change immediately after placing an order, as it can take a few hours or days for the order to be confirmed.
Visa Cash-Back Card from Rakuten
It is not uncommon for people to use their credit cards when shopping online, but they may not be aware that Rakuten also offers a credit card. We are pleased to offer you the official credit card of Rakuten, the Rakuten Cash-Back Visa® Card.
As a result of the basic Rakuten rewards being stacked with the Rakuten credit card, you are able to earn more cash back than you would have if you only used the former. The cash back you earn for Rakuten purchases is 3%, and the cash back you earn for all other purchases is 1%, and you are able to track both of these from your original cash-back portal.
As far as receiving your rewards is concerned, they will be sent either via PayPal or via a check mailed to you. The amount of cash back you can earn is limitless, so you can earn as much as you want. Besides being available on Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, the credit card can also be used on PayPal. It does not charge any annual fee, and it has a variable APR of 26.99% and there is no annual fee.
Cash back doubled during events
There is an offer called Double Cash Back that allows you to earn twice as much cash back at certain stores. This tab allows you to view a list of stores that are offering more than double their cash back amount when you click on it. You can use this site to find the best deal when you don’t have a specific store in mind and you’re looking for the best price.
Hot deals
Hot Deals for Rakuten customers include special discounts. The following are among them:
- Customers can buy something online and pick it up in-store, which allows them to get it sooner than they would if they waited for the item to arrive.
- In this section, you can find out which stores are offering free gifts with purchases.
- The Rakuten website shows you how to qualify for free shipping at certain stores.
- Gift Cards: You can earn cash back through Rakuten by buying gift cards through sites such as Raise.com or directly from the retailer.
- Here are some popular retailers that offer Buy One, Get One Free deals.
Holidays and travel
In addition to cash back on basic purchases, Rakuten also offers cash back on travel-related purchases such as hotel reservations at Holiday Inn, IHG, and Choice Hotels. Discounts are also available on tourist attractions such as Busch Gardens and travel sites such as Booking.com and Expedia.
You can maximize your potential cash back if you use a travel rewards credit card in conjunction with Rakuten.
Earn more by referring others
You can earn $25 when your friends make their first purchase at Rakuten after you refer them. In addition to that, just by signing up, they’ll get $10 as well. If you would like to share this link online, by email, or on your social media pages, then you can do so.
If you don’t shop at Rakuten, you can get more rewards this way.
What Rakuten Has to Offer?
You can still shop at your favorite stores while saving money with Rakuten.
Simple to use
You can use Rakuten from anywhere, whether you’re browsing with a browser extension, using the app, or using the website. Because you don’t have to manually search for deals with the browser extension, it’s the easiest of the three.
Purchases you already make can earn you cash back
With Rakuten, you are able to save money on the stores you already shop at, which is the best part of using the service. In order to take advantage of Rakuten, you do not need to change your shopping habits in any way. There are many different stores where Rakuten offers cash-back deals, so users won’t need to spend a lot of time looking for the best deals.
Various shops to choose from in order to meet your needs
It is likely that you will find a cash-back offer at a store where you already shop, since Rakuten offers cash-back offers at more than 2,500 stores, including Target, Kohl’s, and Amazon. As well as everyday shopping, they also have luxury brands such as Rebecca Minkoff, Harvey Nichols, and Bumble and Bumble available on their website.
The Disadvantages of Rakuten
In spite of the fact that Rakuten is a useful plug-in, it has some drawbacks that may make some users wary of its use.
Quarterly checks are issued
It is true that a credit card may offer cash-back rewards to customers on a monthly basis, but Rakuten takes this process a bit longer. In order to receive rewards, you will have to wait until the end of every quarter. In the event you purchased something in January and you have not yet received a check in the mail or seen the money appear in your PayPal account, it may be a few months before you see the money.
Rakuten does not have a reputation for being slow at processing rewards, that is not the case. In order to explain this, it is due to the fact that companies that pay Rakuten an affiliate fee can take a while to send their payments to Rakuten. As an example, if you purchase something from a store, that store may then take up to two months to send the affiliate fee to Rakuten once you have made your purchase. The company has to verify the purchase and ensure that you have bought it legitimately before they can release the goods.
As of now, there are four quarterly schedules:
- January 1-March 31: Payment sent May 15
- April 1 – June 30: Payment sent on August 15
- July 1 – September 30: The payment will be sent on November 15
- October 1 – December 31: The payment will be sent on February 15
Rewards aren’t issued immediately, which can be frustrating to customers who are used to receiving them as soon as possible.
Rewards are earned by spending
You can only earn cash back at Rakuten when you spend money. Unlike survey sites like Swagbucks, Rakuten rewards you for spending money. People who are prone to overspending may be tempted to spend even more simply because they are earning rewards.
Spending impulses may be encouraged
According to some studies, people who use credit cards spend more money. According to other experts, people may actually spend more money because they feel like they’re getting a great deal when they earn rewards.
Observe whether Rakuten encourages credit card debt, overspending, or impulse shopping if you suffer from these problems. If seeing that button pop up causes you to add something to your shopping cart, you may need to disable the browser extension.
Alternatives to Rakuten
Saving money when shopping online isn’t limited to Rakuten. Using this app can be combined with other cash-back apps if you want to save even more money, or you can substitute it with some of its competitors if you want to save even more money.
CapitalOne Shopping Center
CapitalOne Shopping offers coupons and rewards through its app and browser extension.
CapitalOne Shopping searches the internet automatically when you’re shopping online with the browser extension installed. During checkout, you’ll see a pop-up if one is found. This offer can then be applied to your purchase to save you money.
A personalized watchlist, Amazon-specific features, and featured and local deals can also help you find low prices on items.
Honey
Honey provides discount codes, displays special sales, and provides cash-back offers for certain retailers. It’s not as comprehensive as Rakuten and their list of retailers changes often. They currently have only nine stores listed on their Offers page, versus thousands on the Rakuten website.
To be notified when a store has a promo code that you can use, Honey has a browser extension that you can download. Be aware that if you click on this browser extension, your Rakuten click may be invalidated.
Our Honey review provides more information about how it works.
RetailMeNot
RetailMeNot offers cash-back offers and discount coupons. You can visit RetailMeNot to see if Target has any promo codes if you know you’re going to buy something from them.
The RetailMeNot app and website are available for both iOS and Android, but it does not have a browser extension like Rakuten’s. Having to search manually for offers before you start shopping means that you will have to put in a lot of effort.
You can earn money both in-store and online by shopping at your favorite stores like Rakuten.
Ibotta
Ibotta is primarily an app that saves you money on groceries. Ibotta is an app that allows you to browse coupons and offers, select those that you are interested in, and then download them to your Ibotta app. In the event that you have any eligible offers, you can redeem them after you have completed your shopping by scanning your receipt. In our review of Ibotta, you will find out more about how it works and how it can save you money.
The Rakuten Review Verdict for 2022: It’s Worth It
The app and browser extension make using Rakuten simple. If you don’t disable the extension, there’s little chance you’ll forget to check if there is a cash-back offer on the site unless you disable it.
Rakuten allows you to deposit physical checks into your PayPal account, so you no longer have to deposit them physically. There is one downside to using Rakuten, and that is the fact that you may have to wait months for your payment for shopping you’ve already forgotten about.
The shopping process with Rakuten is seamless if you are a frequent online shopper. You can activate Rakuten’s in-store offers before heading out if you prefer to do your shopping in person. If you have the Rakuten app, you can activate these offers even while you are standing in line.
Make sure you are aware of your shopping habits when you are using Rakuten. Even though you earn 5% cash back, that doesn’t mean you’re saving money if you weren’t going to buy that item anyway.
Browser Extension for Easy Cash Back
In addition to giving cash back on everyday purchases, Rakuten (formerly Ebates) also offers free rewards. Shop at sites such as Amazon, Ray-Ban, Overstock, and Sephora, and you can earn up to 40% back on your purchases. By installing the browser extension, you will be able to receive cashback alerts when you shop on a partner site of Rakuten. In order for you to receive your Big Fat Check each quarter, you can have it mailed to you or deposited directly into your PayPal account.
Pros:
- A free account can be created in a few minutes
- You do not need to provide any personal information or use a credit card
- You can earn rewards for purchases you have already made
- For convenient alerts, install the browser extension
- Refer a friend and earn a bonus
Cons:
- It sometimes takes a while for rewards to appear
- A quarter-by-quarter payout schedule is in place
- If you return your items, your rewards will be voided
