Rakuten Review 2026: Is It Worth It For Travel Shoppers? (Honest Pros & Cons)
How travel shoppers can earn hundreds in cash back every year. Every travel purchase you make without Rakuten is money left on the table that could fund your next flight or hotel stay. I’ve been using Rakuten for years alongside my travel credit cards and flight deal subscriptions, and it’s one of the simplest ways to stack rewards without changing how you shop.
Whether I’m gearing up for an Iceland trip or booking a last-minute hotel on the Amalfi Coast, Rakuten runs quietly in the background, earning cash back on purchases I’d be making anyway.
In this review, I’ll show you exactly how Rakuten works for travelers: what travel bookings qualify, how to stack it with your credit card rewards, and why the browser extension is a non-negotiable for anyone who shops before a trip.
Let’s start by exploring how Rakuten helps travelers earn more from their bookings.
Right now, Rakuten is offering a $50 welcome bonus when you create a free account and make a qualifying purchase within your first 90 days. Claim your $50 Rakuten bonus here. Payouts come via check, PayPal, or American Express Membership Rewards points, which you can redeem for travel.
Disclaimer: When you use my referral link, I earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Ready to dive deeper?
Continue reading this review or listen to the full podcast episode for more tips on maximizing travel cash back.
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What is Rakuten?
Formerly known as “Ebates,” Rakuten is a free cash back platform that pays you to shop at over 3,500 retailers, including travel brands like Hotels.com, Expedia, Priceline, and more.
Fun Fact: “Rakuten” means “optimism” in Japanese.
Earn $50 when you sign up for Rakuten by making a qualifying purchase within the first 90 days.
How Rakuten Cash Works
Instead of going directly to a retailer’s site like target.com, visit Rakuten’s website or app, or use their browser extension and then shop like you normally would.
Essentially, Rakuten is an affiliate. They earn a percentage of each sale by referring shoppers to retailers, and Rakuten shares a portion of that commission with you as “cash back.”
Earn anywhere from 1% to 20+% cash back on purchases.
Helpful Tip: If you’re like me and sometimes forget to visit Rakuten’s site before making an online purchase, consider downloading the browser extension. The extension automatically alerts you when you’re on a site offering Rakuten cash back, making it easier to activate offers without extra steps.
Every time I visit a website that offers Rakuten cash back, a pop-up appears in the top-right corner prompting me to click the activation link. This ensures I never miss a Rakuten cashback offer.
See It In Action: How I Stack Rakuten on Iceland Tours | I’ve visited Iceland four times, and one of my go-to strategies is combining Rakuten cash back with Viator and GetYourGuide. It takes less than a minute to set up and adds up fast when you’re booking tours, airport transfers, and activities.
Read: Iceland-Money Saving Tips – How I Stack Cash Back on Tours
Does Rakuten Work for Travel Bookings?
Yes, and that is where Rakuten really shines for travelers.
Rakuten partners with hundreds of online travel brands, which means you can earn cash back on hotels, rental cars, tours, vacation packages, and even cruises. Some notable retailers include Expedia, Booking.com, Hertz, Groupon, Marriott, Vrbo, and more.
Helpful Tip: Rakuten runs flash promotions where rates jump dramatically for 24-48 hours. Earlier this year, you could earn 10x (up from 3x) on Expedia, IHG, and Hertz bookings.
Stacking Rakuten with Your Travel Credit Card
Here’s the strategy most travelers never think about: Rakuten doesn’t replace your credit card rewards; it stacks on top of them.
Every time you activate Rakuten before booking, you earn cash back through Rakuten and whatever points or miles your credit card earns on that purchase, too.
Here’s what that looks like in practice using tools I personally use:
Step 1: Find the flight deal with Thrifty Traveler Premium: I use Thrifty Traveler Premium to find discounted flights and mistake fares. Once I’ve locked in a flight deal, I know my destination and can start planning the rest of the trip.
Step 2: Activate Rakuten before every booking: Before I go to Viator, Hotels.com, or any other travel site, I activate Rakuten through the browser extension, one click, 10 seconds. That single step means I’m earning cash back on every hotel night, rental car, and tour I book.
Step 3: Pick the right credit card using CardPointers: To ensure I’m maximizing travel rewards, I use CardPointers to confirm each card’s earning potential and pick the card with the highest.
Step 4: Pay with a travel rewards credit card: My travel card earns points on every dollar I spend. Because Rakuten is a portal, not a payment method, stacking it with a rewards card is seamless. The card earns its points, Rakuten earns its cash back, and I collect both.
How to Earn on Rakuten
Again, making money with Rakuten is super easy.
Here’s a breakdown of how you can start cashing in on some extra cash back:
- Sign Up: First things first, create a free account on Rakuten’s website or app. When you sign up, you might snag a welcome bonus if you make a qualifying purchase within the first 90 days. Free money? Yes, please!
- Shop Through Rakuten: Instead of heading straight to your favorite store, start your shopping trip on Rakuten. Just click on the store you want, and you’ll earn cash back on your purchases. It’s that simple!
- Get the Browser Extension: To make sure you don’t miss any cash back deals, grab the Rakuten browser extension. It gives you a little nudge when you’re on a site that’s offering cash back, so you can earn while you shop.
- Use In-Store Offers: If you love shopping in person, Rakuten has your back, too. Link your credit or debit card and check out the in-store cash back offers. Just remember to use that linked card when you pay.
- Refer Friends: Got friends who love to shop? Share Rakuten with them! You can earn bonuses when they sign up and make their first purchase. It’s a win-win!
- Get Paid: “Big fat checks,” as Rakuten calls them, are distributed quarterly, but you must have at least $5 earned to get your payout. Rewards are sent every three months. Choose from a variety of options, including: payment by check, PayPal, Bilt points, or American Express Membership Rewards points.
Does Rakuten Cash Back Expire?
No, your Rakuten cash back doesn’t expire, which is great news!
Once you earn cash back on your purchases, it remains in your account until you decide to cash it out.
However, you need to accumulate at least $5 in cash back to request a payout.
Tired of reading? Listen to the episode here.
Can I Trust Rakuten?
Yes, Rakuten is legit and works. You can really make money using them.
Rakuten has made a name for itself as a go-to cash back service, and it’s been around for over 20 years, helping millions of users save money.
With partnerships with over 3,500 retailers and new cash back rates every day, it’s easy to earn cash back on all your everyday purchases.
Rakuten Review: Is Rakuten Worth It?
As financially savvy travelers who strive to earn and spend our hard-earned funds wisely, Rakuten helps our family earn cash back on purchases we would be making anyway. So, in addition to earning points and miles using credit cards, we can stack on cash back hassle-free without doing too much extra legwork.
Rakuten Cash Back Pros
Rakuten is easy to use, and because they partner with thousands of stores, cash back savings add up quickly.
Search by categories like clothing, baby and toddler, office supplies, or home and garden.
You can also search by store or product using the search bar.
Look out for “deals of the week,” “hot deals,” “seasonal deals,” and more.
Rakuten Cash Back Cons
What is the downside of Rakuten?
While it doesn’t take too long to set up, Rakuten takes longer to use its link than to shop directly.
It’s also easy to miss out on cash back opportunities if you’re not focusing on optimization (e.g., not using the correct link or credit card in-store).
Another con is that not all items purchased are eligible for Rakuten cash back, so read the fine print carefully.
Also, some people would prefer more frequent payouts instead of quarterly – this is outside your control.
Lastly, Rakuten is not an aggregator like Cashback Monitor, so if you use Rakuten, you may be missing out on the opportunity to earn more on other cash back sites.
Final Thoughts: Rakuten Get Cash Back For Shopping
When my husband purchased a new Dell laptop last summer, we used Rakuten to earn 10% cash back in 30 seconds. Hey, if you’re going to spend anyway, you might as well get cash back for it. Right?
So, is it worth it to join Rakuten? Absolutely, yes!
Rakuten is free and used by millions of people, including yours truly. There is also no monthly fee.
Remember, to get started, you can earn a $50 Rakuten sign-up bonus by making a qualifying purchase within the first 90 days.
Other Money-Saving Tools
CardPointers Review: This App Helps You Maximize Credit Card Points and Miles
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Cash back vs Points – Which Travel Reward is Better?
Danielle Desir Corbett is an award-winning and 6x grant-funded travel writer and podcast host who went from financial struggle to visiting 27+ countries all without waiting until retirement. Her story is proof that budget doesn’t limit adventure. Tune into The Thought Card Podcast for practical strategies to travel smarter and live on your terms. Say hello: thethoughtcard (at) gmail (dot) com.
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