Rakuten is one of TPG’s favorite online shopping portals, offering rewards from hundreds of retailers from July 7 to November 11. Additionally, more deals will be revealed every Wednesday this summer, including 25% of Petsmart on Wednesday, July 2.
We like Rakuten because it helps users earn simple cash on daily purchases (you get one in the email or put it in a quarterly PayPal account), and because you have the option to earn valuable American Express membership bonus points instead of cash back.
Here are the summer deals you need to know about Rakuten.
Rakuten Summer Trading
From July 7 to 11, Rakuten’s Big Stack promotion will offer 10% cash back (or $10 points per dollar) among hundreds of participating merchants, including Dell, Lego, KitchenAid, Macyaid, Macy’s, Petsmart, Petsmart, Ray-Ban and Walgreens. Also included are some travel merchants such as Expedia, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor and Viator.
But you don’t have to wait until July 7 to start winning rewards. Rakuten will make a new bonus offer every Wednesday with its big summer revelation. The latest deal is a 25% cashback (or 25 Amex points per dollar) at Petsmart, so if you are a pet owner, it’s worth storing supplies now.
The transactions on Wednesday will be revealed one week in advance. There are no specific deals next Wednesday (in the Big Stack Event), but check out next week’s deals.
How to use rakuten
Rakuten and other shopping portals are great ways to buy rewards every day, but you can also use them to save on your next trip. Rakuten works with several travel brands such as Priceline and Travelocity; and Rakuten Travel, a Japanese hotel reservation platform.
As travel costs rise and exchange rates fall, booking hotels and events by providing a cashback shopping portal can help you recover some of your travel budget.
Just make sure to read the beautiful print before shopping with any businessman through Rakuten, as the earning rates usually vary by category and exclusion rates may apply. For example, Expedia only offers 10% cash back on hotel reservations; you will get 3% event and vacation rentals and only 1% car rentals.
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And remember to use only the coupon code on the shopping portal as others may invalidate your reward.
Finally, from now until September 30, Rakuten will offer an unlimited $30 recommendation bonus. If you’ve already used Rakuten, ask your friends to sign up for your referral link – you can make $30 after they’ve made a $30 eligible purchase in the first 90 days.
Bottom line
If you don’t use the shopping portal to make online purchases, you’ll leave valuable rewards on your desk. Some portals offer cash back, while others earn airline miles or valuable transfer points.
We recommend using the Shopping Portal Aggregator to ensure you get the best return on your purchase.
