Rakuten gives new members a $50 cash-back bonus (or 5,000 American Express Membership Rewards points) after they join through a referral and spend $50 on qualifying purchases within 90 days. The cash bonus is paid on Rakuten's normal quarterly schedule by check or PayPal.
Referral-gated. This bonus requires signing up through an existing member's referral link. Dealaka links only the official program page and never inserts its own referral link. See the method.
Eligibility
Available nationwide
No state restrictions on this offer.
No hard credit pull
Opening this account does not post a hard inquiry.
Requires a referral link
You sign up through an existing member's referral link.
How to get the Rakuten New Member Bonus bonus
- Join Rakuten for free using a referral link.
- Shop through Rakuten's site, app, or browser extension at a participating store.
- Spend at least $50 on eligible purchases within 90 days of becoming a member.
- Receive the $50 cash bonus (or 5,000 Amex Membership Rewards points) on the next quarterly payout.
The fine print that matters
- You must be a new Rakuten member to qualify.
- Your Amex card must be enrolled in the U.S. Membership Rewards program and not be cancelled or past due.
- Corporate cards and the Rakuten American Express Card are not eligible.
- Points must be confirmed by the store before the quarterly transfer date (Feb 15, May 15, Aug 15, Nov 15) to be included.
- If confirmed balance is 500 points or less it carries over to the next transfer date.
- Online and in-store earnings typically take 3 to 14 weeks to confirm.
Verification and reports
Confirmed against rakuten.com on Jul 19, 2026. Based on 0 field reports. Status Limited reports is computed from those reports, never hand-set.
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Sources: rakuten.com new member offer (checked Jul 19, 2026)