How I Earned 250,000 Extra Points With Rakuten

Hey friends, Phillip here with Points With Phillip!

Over the past two years, I’ve earned roughly 250,000 points through Rakuten—on top of the rewards from my credit card spending and the welcome bonuses I’ve earned separately.

Some of those points came from everyday shopping. Others came from larger promotions for banking products and credit cards. Together, they’ve made Rakuten one of my favorite tools for building a travel rewards balance.

The habit behind it is simple: before I buy something online, I check Rakuten.

Here’s how I use it, how rewards can stack, and what you need to know before choosing cash back, American Express Membership Rewards points, or Bilt points.

How Rakuten works

Rakuten is a shopping rewards platform. You start your shopping trip through Rakuten, click through to a participating retailer, and complete an eligible purchase on the retailer’s website.

You’re still shopping with the store. Rakuten adds another opportunity to earn rewards.

You can start through its website, mobile app, or browser extension. The important part is activating the offer before shopping and following the merchant’s terms. Each new purchase generally needs a new shopping trip. Rakuten’s shopping guide

That means I can check for rewards before buying clothes for a trip, ordering supplies for our family, or booking an activity we already want to do.

The rates change frequently, so the offers I mention below are examples from my walkthrough or illustrations of the math—not promises that the same deal will be available when you shop.

How a cash-back percentage becomes a points multiplier

One of Rakuten’s best features is the ability to receive eligible earnings as travel points.

With an eligible American Express Membership Rewards account linked and points selected as your payment method, a 6% cash-back offer becomes 6 Membership Rewards points per eligible dollar spent. Rakuten’s stated conversion is equivalent to 100 Membership Rewards points per $1 in cash back. Rakuten’s Amex points FAQ

Here’s what that looks like on a $100 eligible purchase:

You receive your selected reward type. You don’t receive both the cash and the points from that same Rakuten earning.

For me, the appeal is the opportunity to turn purchases I already planned into points for future travel. But cash back is a perfectly good choice, too.

My Macy’s example: earning twice on one purchase

In my walkthrough, I pulled up Macy’s while thinking about clothes for our upcoming Scotland trip. The offer displayed was 6% cash back.

The process was straightforward: click through Rakuten, browse Macy’s, pick an eligible item, and check out.

Suppose I bought $100 of qualifying merchandise and paid with a card earning 2 miles per dollar. If my Rakuten account were set to Membership Rewards points, the rewards would look like this:

• 600 Membership Rewards points through Rakuten.

• 200 miles through my credit card.

That’s two separate rewards balances growing from the same purchase.

I wouldn’t describe that as an automatic 8% cash return. The points and miles have different redemption options, and their value depends on how I use them. Keeping the currencies separate makes the calculation much clearer.

Adding a card offer can make the deal better

I also check whether one of my cards has a merchant offer that works with the purchase.

For example, imagine an enrolled Amex Offer provides 5 additional Membership Rewards points per dollar at a retailer. If my card ordinarily earns 1 point per dollar on that purchase, that would produce 6 points per dollar from the card.

If a qualifying Rakuten offer separately earns another 6 Membership Rewards points per dollar, the combined result could be 12 points per dollar.

That’s an illustration, not a standing offer. The purchase must satisfy both sets of terms, including any spending limits, expiration dates, and payment requirements.

I’m particularly careful about offers that require clicking through a separate shopping link. Two shopping portals can compete to receive credit for the same order. A card-linked merchant offer and a second shopping portal are different things.

Travel purchases can generate meaningful rewards

Rakuten is also part of my trip-planning routine.

In the video, I found a Viator offer displaying 14% back and looked at a Scotland tour priced at $279 per person. If the entire $279 qualified at that rate, it would generate $39.06 in cash back—or 3,906 Membership Rewards points with that payout option.

That’s before any separate rewards from the card used to pay.

For a couple booking an eligible activity, those numbers can add up quickly. Still, I compare the total price and cancellation terms with booking directly. A higher portal reward doesn’t help if I’m paying substantially more for the same experience.

Travel rewards also require patience. Rakuten says travel earnings may not be confirmed until weeks after the trip is completed. Rakuten’s payment and confirmation guidance

I also wouldn’t assume an airline offer covers award-ticket taxes and fees. Those charges need to be explicitly eligible under the merchant’s offer.

Banking and credit card promotions helped me reach 250,000 points

Everyday shopping contributed to my total, but larger financial-product promotions were a substantial part of the story.

During my walkthrough, I saw a $375 Rakuten offer associated with the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card. That kind of offer gets my attention because a portal bonus may be available alongside a separate issuer welcome offer.

The two offers have separate requirements. Before applying, I check the actual application page, compare its welcome offer with other available application channels, and read the Rakuten eligibility rules.

I’ve also used banking promotions, including offers involving SoFi and Chime. Those have helped grow my rewards balance over time.

However, I wouldn’t assume an offer can be repeated simply because I’ve participated before. New-customer restrictions, direct-deposit requirements, account-opening deadlines, and limits on repeat bonuses can all determine eligibility.

The useful habit is to check Rakuten when I’m already considering a financial product, then evaluate the complete offer. The bonus needs to fit a decision that makes sense on its own.

Choosing how to get paid

Rakuten offers several payout options, including PayPal, a mailed check, Bilt points, and Membership Rewards points for eligible Amex cardmembers. Eligible members can also redeem confirmed cash-back balances for gift cards. Rakuten payout options

I’ve used points payouts extensively, but choosing points means giving up the corresponding cash payment. I want a realistic use for those points.

For American Express Membership Rewards, you need an eligible card enrolled in the U.S. Membership Rewards program. You can connect your account and select points in Rakuten’s payment settings. Simply having any card with an American Express logo isn’t enough. Amex eligibility and account linking

For Bilt, you link your existing Rakuten account through Bilt’s app or website and select Bilt points as the payout method.

Bilt’s standard conversion depends on your status at the payout date:

Promotions can change the rate, so check the conversion displayed in your account. Bilt’s Rakuten conversion rules

That distinction makes a real difference. A 14% offer can translate to 14 Bilt points per eligible dollar for Silver members and above, but 7 points per dollar at the standard Blue rate.

Bilt lists two routes to Silver: earning 50,000 qualifying points or reaching $10,000 in qualifying spending during a calendar year. The spending route includes eligible activity across the Bilt ecosystem and excludes rent and mortgage payments. Bilt status requirements

Before choosing Bilt as my payout option, I check both my status and the rate I’m actually going to receive.

When the rewards arrive

Rakuten’s regular quarterly payment dates are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15.

Only confirmed rewards are included. A purchase showing as pending doesn’t necessarily make the next payment, even if I placed the order well before that date. Rakuten generally requires more than $5 in confirmed cash-back earnings for a regular payment; smaller balances carry forward. Rakuten’s payment schedule

I treat pending rewards as something to track, rather than points I can already use to book a trip.

The small habits that help purchases track

The extra click is easy. Remembering the offer details takes a little more attention.

Before checking out, I:

• Read the merchant’s exclusions and category-specific rates.

• Activate Rakuten before adding items to my cart.

• Complete the purchase in the shopping session opened through Rakuten.

• Avoid activating another shopping portal or competing coupon extension.

• Save my order confirmation and check that the purchase appears in my activity.

Unlisted coupon codes, excluded products, returns, and cancellations can reduce or void rewards. Gift cards also require special attention: some are eligible, but many are excluded. Rakuten’s tracking and eligibility guidance

If the advertised rate says “up to,” I check which category earns the highest amount. I don’t assume it applies to everything in the store.

Getting started with Rakuten

If you’re new, create an account, choose your payout method, and check the retailer before your next planned purchase.

A referral or welcome promotion can help you get started, but the bonus amount and qualifying requirements vary. In my video, I discussed a $50 offer; check the offer presented when you sign up rather than assuming that amount is always available. Rakuten says each bonus has its own terms and exclusions. Rakuten bonus guidance

The habit that has worked for me is checking consistently. Clothes for Scotland, supplies for our family, an activity for an upcoming trip—each eligible purchase is another opportunity.

My roughly 250,000-point result came from combining that routine with larger promotions over two years. Your total will depend on your purchases, eligibility, available offers, and payout choice.

What I like most is that Rakuten gives me another way to earn from decisions I’m already making. Before I click “buy,” I take a moment to see whether that purchase can help fund our next adventure.

What’s your biggest Rakuten win? A great shopping multiplier, a travel booking, or a bonus that gave your points balance a serious boost? Let me know in the comments.