Looking for the best ways to earn cashback with Rakuten? Look no further! Rakuten is by far and away one of the best ways to make money, especially if you shop online like I do!

I mean seriously – how great is it that you can get money for doing something as fun as shopping? And sometimes – when done well – you can even MAKE money using Rakuten (especially on Black Friday!)

How to Make Money with Rakuten

Disclosure: This post contain a referral link, which means I’ll be receive a monetary bonus should you choose to sign up. For more information on my policies and disclosures, visit this page.

What is Rakuten?

Have you asked yourself what happened to Ebates? It’s now Rakuten!

Rakuten is a site that allows you to earn cash back if you click through their links before shopping. Even better, they’ve recently added an “in-store” option! The best part is that you don’t have to do anything special, you just click through and shop like you normally would.

Does Rakuten Cost Anything?

Not a dime. Rakuten costs you NOTHING and I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would hesitate to sign up with them.

How Does Rakuten Work?

First, create an account by clicking HERE! By signing up through this link, you’ll earn an automatic $10 after your first $25+ shopping trip – not bad for 30 seconds of work, right?

And if you are living an EXTREMELY thrifty lifestyle, unable to make a $25 online shopping trip, make sure you learn:

How I Made $2.168.47 in One Month

50 Ways to Make Money From Home

How to Make Money Through Rakuten

Obviously, if you plan to do some shopping online, go to Rakuten first to see if that store is a part of their program. You should also keep an eye out for times when they’re offering extra cash back to your favorite stores – they did 16% back at JcPenneys recently!!

Coupon Codes

Another great thing about Rakuten is that you can combine the cash back you’re earning with any coupons available. They even have coupon codes right there for you – no need to hunt down a mailer you got or sift through e-mails. It’s especially easy if you’re using the Rakuten mobile app!

Pick Up In-Store

Something else you can do to make even more money back is to choose to “pick up in-store” while still shopping online. I do this all the time whenever I need stuff from Lowes! Not only do I then earn cash back through Rakuten, but I can pick up my stuff quickly, rather than having to walk through the store to grab it all myself and risk buying additional stuff I didn’t actually need.

Using Gift Cards

If you’re planning to do a lot of shopping, this is my top tip (it’s the best way to save during the holiday season!)

If you know ahead of time that you’ll be shopping at a certain retailer, be on the lookout for discounted gift cards through sites like Raise.com. Even if you don’t do a lot of online shopping, be sure to check out Raise.com – if you know you spend money on a regular basis somewhere (like a certain gas station!), why not buy gift cards for yourself and save even more?

For example, I recently purchased a $50 Sears Gift Card for $41.90. Then I made a purchase through Rakuten for $53, using mainly that gift card and earning myself a nice $4.24 back. So instead of spending the full $53, I’m actually only looking at a total deficit of $37.66. Pretty sweet, right?

How to Make Even MORE Money

First, make sure you’ve got the Rakuten extension downloaded for your browser! Just check out the bottom of the Rakuten homepage to download. This way you don’t even have to worry about going through Rakuten first when you’re browsing your favorite shopping site – seriously, could it get any easier to make money with this?

Rakuten cash back chart

Also, if you can behave when using credit cards, another “must do” with Rakuten is to have the Cash Back Credit Card. Just check out the footer on the Rakuten homepage for more information, but basically it allows you to earn even MORE cash back (typically an additional 3%). So in my above gift card example, if I used my Rakuten card, I could’ve only spent $36.07 on a $53 purchase. LOVE IT!

Finally, you can of course refer your friends. By just referring THREE friends, you can earn $75! How awesome is that?

Rakuten referral chart

At the time of writing this post, I’ve earned $134 and counting. That’s over a week’s worth of food for my family! All thanks to Rakuten and all in exchange for my doing something I would’ve done otherwise.

[Oct 2018 Update: I’ve now earned back well over $1,000!!]

Rakuten earnings statement

Don’t forget to use my link if you want that extra $10 back on your first purchase!

Have YOU signed up for Rakuten yet?

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