With the recent quarantine, many people have shifted almost all of their shopping to online stores. However, did you know that you can earn cashback from your favorite stores?
That’s right. You could be earning cashback through Rakuten each time you make purchases online. This means you actually get PAID to shop!
Sound too good to be true? That’s ok. We’ll show you how it all works and several tips to maximize earnings. You will even get a $10 BONUS for signing up with Rakuten through our link!
What is Rakuten?
What once was Ebates, Rakuten is a free portal that gives you cashback on your purchases in more than 2500 online stores.
Essentially, it’s a company that gets a commission from just sending people to retailers to shop. The magic of this company is that they then pass on some of that commission to you. Rakuten can also give you the best coupon codes for your purchases so that you always get the best deals possible!
Even though it used to be Ebates, not much has changed other than the Rakuten branding. Everything is still business as usual when it comes to earning cashback at your favorite stores.
How does Rakuten work?
Many people don’t believe that you can make money when you shop, so they think cashback portals like Rakuten are a scam. If you are an online shopper but are not using Rakuten, you are missing some big savings. It is so simple, and it works!
Rakuten partners with hundreds of retailers and earn a commission when they refer customers to shop on the stores’ website. Rakuten then splits this commission with their customers, allowing them to earn cashback.
As an example, Rakuten is currently offering 10% cashback when you buy glasses through EyeBuyDirect. Once you’ve identified your store, simply click the “Shop Now” button and a new tab should open in your browser taking you to the stores’ normal website.
From here, you simply do the normal shopping process that you would do on the store’s website. Browse for items, add things to your cart, and checkout as normal.
The minimum amount of cashback you must earn in order to get paid out is $5. Rakuten pays out your earnings on a quarterly basis. Refer to the chart below to see when you can expect your Big Fat Check.
How to sign up for Rakuten
Rakuten is a free service but you do have a create an account. Sign up here by either logging in through Facebook, Google or sign up with a traditional email and password combo. As a special offer to our readers, using our link you will get a $10 bonus when you make your first $25 purchase through Rakuten.
Once you’re logged in, the first thing you should do is going into your Account Settings and enter your mailing address and PayPal account information. Rakuten pays out your cashback either through a check in the mail or through PayPal. I personally prefer PayPal so I don’t have to worry about losing a check.
8 Rakuten tips to make the most money
- Enable cookies on your browser: When you click through to the stores’ website from Rakuten, it uses your web browser’s cookies to track you. This allows Rakuten to know when you’ve shopped through them. Because of this, it’s important that you have cookies enabled with your browser.
- Disable adblockers: Another thing to keep in mind is that you should disable any adblockers you might be using on your browser when you use Rakuten. This is because they prevent Rakuten from properly tracking you to the store’s website, and will, therefore, be unable to verify your purchase with the store.
- Download the Rakuten Cashback Button: One of the great things about Rakuten is that they have a special browser extension you can install that makes the cashback shopping process even easier! This will remind you of any cashback deals on the sites you are currently browsing. Rakuten offers the Cash Back Button on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari browser. To simply install the Cash Back Button, get started here.
- Use Rakuten for coupon codes: Some online stores may not offer cashback through Rakuten but they might have coupon codes. Using the Rakuten Cashback Button, it will scan coupon codes based on what is in your shopping cart and apply the best code for maximum savings!
- Download the mobile app for in-store savings: Rakuten now has an app where you can look for those same coupon codes to use in stores. Simply search for the store you are in, see if any coupons apply to your purchases, and show them the QR code.
- Add stores to your Favorite Stores list: When you “favorite” a store, you will be able to better keep up with current cashback promotions and coupon codes.
- Check out Double Cashback promotions: There is a Double Cashback Stores link at the top of your Rakuten account screen. I recommend checking it out regularly before you start your online shopping as you might be able to get a better deal on something that going through one of your normal shopping stores.
- Refer your friends and family: You will earn $25 for every person you refer to Rakuten once they $25 purchase. Check out the Refer and Earn $25+ button at the top of your Rakuten account screen.
Start earning cashback today!
Rakuten offers a lot of savings for people that shop online. Along with that, it is completely free and anyone can sign up. In my opinion, it is the best cashback around. If you want to get paid to shop and like saving money in a very easy way, I highly recommend getting started with Rakuten today with our $10 BONUS after your first $25 purchase.
