Rakuten $40 Referral Bonus Promo + 15% Cash Back (Ends Soon)

Update: the Rakuten referral bonus highlighted below is currently not active, but you can still get a generous $30 Rakuten welcome referral bonus in 2023 through this link. Full details at the preceding links.




This week, popular shopping portal site Rakuten (formerly “Ebates”), is offering a very nice $40 referral welcome bonus for new users who join via a Rakuten referral link from existing users (myself included) by next Monday (May 15), and then make $40+ in purchases by using the Rakuten site/app/extension to initiate a purchase at any of the thousands of retailers Rakuten partners with (e.g. Target, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Lowe’s, giftcards.com, etc.) within 90 days. The $40 bonus matches the highest welcome bonus I’ve seen from Rakuten (they typically only offer this twice per year for 1 week).

To get the limited time $40 referral welcome bonus, simply:

  1. Become a new Rakuten member (it’s free) using this Rakuten referral link by next Monday, May 15.
  2. Start at Rakuten and find the retailer(s) you want to purchase from (purchases must total $40+ within 90 days of becoming a member), and click the referral links at Rakuten to go to the retailer’s site to make a purchase.

After making the $40+ in purchases, you’ll get the referral welcome bonus deposited into your account. You can then withdraw/transfer the bonus (I opted for the mailed check option, but you can also opt for payment via PayPal or Amex Membership rewards points).

Rakuten $40 referral welcome bonus promo

Extra 15% Cash Back Bonus for “Big Give Week”: Through next Monday (May 17), 700+ stores are offering 15% cash back or 15x Membership Rewards on purchases initiated on Rakuten as part of their “Big Give Week”. A sample of retailers participating in Big Give Week includes Expedia, Gamestop, Zappos, Petsmart, and Old Navy. This is stacked on top of the welcome bonus you will be getting if you make qualifying purchases. So, you can get your bonus, and then get an additional cash back bonus for a purchase you were planning to make anyways.

Rakuten cash back offer




How can Rakuten afford all this? They have ad agreements with retail partners and get a small commission from the retailer for any purchases that are referred from Rakuten.

Once you’ve become a member, you can share the offer with your friends so they can get a bonus too!

Disclosure: I don’t have any advertising or sponsorship relationship with Rakuten, I’m simply a Rakuten user who wanted to pass along this promo to my readers! If you take advantage of the offer, I may be eligible for a member referral bonus. Enjoy the bonus!

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