This referral link will get you a $50 bonus when you sign up for Rakuten and spend $50. If you’ve been searching the internet for a Rakuten referral code — maybe you’ve been digging through Reddit threads or Googling “best Rakuten affiliate code” — I can confirm that this one works. If you’re nervous as a new user, don’t be. I was a new user a few months ago and got the $50 bonus (plus a different seasonal $10 bonus) pretty quickly.
If you want an actual review and deep dive of Rakuten — what it is, how they make money, how you make money, whether you can refer others yourself — read on.
What is Rakuten?
Rakuten is a cash back platform that gives you a percentage of your purchase back when you shop online through their site, app, or browser extension. It works with over 3,500 retailers and is free to join. Think of it as a middleman that shares their commission with you.
How Does It Work?
You shop for whatever you were going to buy anyway, but you make sure you click through to the retailer’s website through Rakuten first. That’s what connects your purchase to your account and makes the cash back track. The browser extension is the easiest way to do this — it pops up automatically when you’re on a partner site.
How Does Rakuten Make Money?
Rakuten gets paid a percentage of each sale they bring to the retailer. I’m guessing, but if Rakuten pays out 4% when you shop at Nike, Nike is probably paying them something like 6-8%, and Rakuten keeps the difference. Everyone wins: Nike gets more customers, Rakuten makes a profit, and you get a discount on items you would have bought anyway.
How Does Rakuten Pay You?
Rakuten pays via PayPal. The cash goes to your PayPal balance, which you can transfer to a bank or spend online. It’s simple and fast. Rakuten pays out when you’ve accrued at least $5 in cash back. If you use a referral link, such the one I mentioned above, you can get an extra $50, or whatever the current Rakuten referral bonus is at the time of signup.
https://www.rakuten.com/r/ALEX3954
Can I Use Rakuten at Nike, Apple, and Other Major Retailers?
Yes. Rakuten partners with over 3,500 stores including Nike, Apple, Sephora, Adidas, Samsung, Expedia, Nordstrom Rack, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dyson, New Balance, and many more. The full list changes over time and cash back rates vary by retailer.
There are some exclusions worth knowing about. Right now you can earn 2% back at Apple, although it excludes Macs except for refurbished ones (which honestly are a great deal — I’ve bought them before. Importantly, refurbished Macs from Apple are still eligible for AppleCare).
Can I Stack Rakuten with My Credit Card’s Cash Back?
Yes, and this is where it gets good. Let’s say you have a Citi Double Cash card, which gives you 2% back on everything. You buy $55 worth of gear at Nike. Nike currently offers 4% back through Rakuten. Combined with the referral bonus, you’d earn:
$1.10 on your Citi card
$50 from the Rakuten referral bonus
$2.20 from Rakuten’s 4% back on Nike
So your $55 Nike shorts end up costing you about $1.70. Not bad.
Can I Book Hotels or Restaurants Through Rakuten?
Yes. You can book Marriott hotels through Rakuten and get 1.5% cash back. There are also a number of restaurants where you can earn cash back on in-person dining.
How Can Rakuten Offer Such a Large Referral Bonus?
Because they make money every time you shop. They share some of that with you as cash back, and the $50 bonus is essentially a customer acquisition cost — they’re betting that once you sign up, you’ll keep using Rakuten and they’ll earn it back over time. Retailers are happy to work with Rakuten because it drives deal-seeking shoppers to their stores. Everyone benefits.
My Experience
I made two purchases. I picked up some Nike running shorts and then ordered a pair of running shoes from ASICS.
One thing I noticed: the Nike order, which was my second purchase, had the cash back post to my account pretty quickly. The ASICS order was slower. That was my first order and the one that triggered the $50 bonus, and it took about a month or two before the $50 actually showed up. From what I can tell, Rakuten waits until the return window closes before they confirm your bonus, which makes sense. They don’t want to pay out $50 if you’re going to return everything.
So don’t expect instant gratification on the sign-up bonus. The regular cash back came through faster, but the $50 took some patience.
What about the browser extension?
You can shop Rakuten via the app, via clicking online, or via a browser extenstion that makes getting cash back easy. Personally I prefer the app. but the browser extension is probably most convenient.
What If I Have a Problem with My Cash Back?
After my first order, I got nervous about whether the cash back had tracked correctly. So I messaged Rakuten’s customer support, kind of expecting to wait days for a canned response. They actually got back to me fast, and about a week later all of my cash back was confirmed and posted.
If something looks off, don’t panic. Just reach out. In my experience they were responsive and it all worked out.
Is Rakuten a Scam? Will I Actually Get the $50?
No, it’s not a scam, The $50 bonus is real — I got mine and here are the screenshots to prove it!
It does take some patience, and you do need to follow the rules: sign up through a referral link, spend at least $50 on qualifying purchases within 90 days, and don’t return everything. But if you do that, the $50 shows up. I was skeptical too, and it came through.
Is It Worth It?
If you were already going to buy something online from a major retailer — and let’s be real, you were — then yes. The $50 bonus alone makes signing up a no-brainer. After that, you’re passively earning cash back on purchases you’d make anyway.
I personally just think of Rakuten as free money on stuff you were gonna buy anyway, so you might as well sign up.
I went in as a skeptic who just wanted the $50, and I came out as someone who now checks Rakuten before buying anything online. I guess that’s as good of an endorsement as you’re gonna get.
Can I also get a referral bonus?
Yes, if you sign up for Rakuten, when you refer someone else, you can receive a referral bonus yourself. So, between yourself and a friend, you can get a combined $100.
Quick Tips
You need to start your shopping trip from Rakuten for the cash back to track. If you go directly to Nike.com without clicking through Rakuten first, you won’t earn anything. The browser extension makes this much easier.
Cash back rates change daily and vary by retailer. Some stores offer 1-2% back, others go much higher during promotions. Worth checking before you buy.
Once you’re a member, you can refer friends yourself and earn the referral bonus for each person who signs up. There’s no cap on referrals.
Final Verdict
If you landed on this page searching for a Rakuten referral code, a Rakuten affiliate code, or just wondering whether the Rakuten $50 bonus is legit — it is. I was skeptical too. I signed up purely for the money and ended up becoming an actual user.
Sign up for Rakuten here and get your $50 bonus.
This post contains a Rakuten referral code. If you sign up for Rakuten through a link on this site and make a qualifying purchase, I may receive a referral bonus at no extra cost to you.
Have questions about Rakuten, the referral bonus, or whether your cash back tracked? Drop a comment below!
