Why you need to get a Rakuten Account Right Now!
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Do you like saving money? Do you purchase items for your family online or in stores? Of course you do. If you don’t already have a Rakuten account, you need to sign up for one ASAP! You’ve probably heard of Rakuten by now, but, if you’re anything like me, you may be skeptical. I mean, why would a company reward you with a check for going shopping? Huh? Special coupons? What? Why? What kind of business would want to actually give you money AND help you save money at the same time?
I thought it sounded crazy, too, but, believe me when I say that Rakuten is awesome. It’s not fake. It’s not some scam. They’re not going to harass you. They’re literally just going to reward you for doing something you’re already doing: shopping.
Now, everyone is different, but since I signed up in 2011, I’ve earned almost $700 back from Rakuten. Every little bit counts, right? I signed up right before Black Friday in 2011. We had just had our first child, money was tight, and we had a ton of people to buy Christmas presents for. I had seen commercials on television about Rakuten (was then called Ebates) and, like I said before, I thought it seemed too good to be true. With Christmas shopping on the horizon, I figured it was worth a shot to sign up and see what happened. Worst that could happen would be that it didn’t actually work. BUT, it did work and I’ve been using Rakuten ever since.
How to Sign up for a Rakuten Account
- Sign up for a Rakuten Account either on their website or through their app.
- Fill out all the information required for your account. Make sure it’s all correct! You want to make sure your rebate check goes to the correct address, right?!
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How to Use your Rakuten Account
When shopping online, I tend to use my Rakuten account mostly from my phone, so downloading their app (available for Andriod and iOS) has been a huge help. When I’m not shopping from my phone or iPad, I’m shopping on my laptop or desktop computer and use the Rakuten Google Extension. All apps and extensions are available free to download and can be found in Google Play, iTunes, the Google Chrome Web Store.
When shopping online from the Rakuten app…
You’ll need to go directly to the Rakuten App when shopping on your phone/iPad/tablet. From there you’ll be able to search through over 2,500 participating store names, products, hot deals and more. Just click on the offers you’re interested in and information will follow. After you check out, you should get a confirmation screen from Rakuten. You should also receive a follow-up email with details on the total cash back earned from that specific shopping trip.
When shopping online from the Rakuten extension…
I LOVE shopping from my laptop & desktop because the Rakuten Chrome extension makes earning cash back super easy. I just need to go directly to the store’s website and, if they have partnered with Rakuten, a red button will appear in the top right of your screen. Just click on that to activate your cash back and continue shopping as normal! When you are done shopping, you’ll receive a confirmation and an email from Rakuten, just like when shopping through their app.
When shopping in brick & mortar stores…
Even if you’re shopping in an actual store, you can still benefit from cash back using your Rakuten account! To benefit from cash back while shopping in-person, you’ll need to connect your credit card to the app. When your card has been added, you can link deals and benefit from cash back when shopping in any of the 74 stores Rakuten has partnered with!
How to get cash back with your Rakuten Account
When you use your Rakuten account to earn cash back at participating stores, Rakuten will mail a quarterly check to you. Just deposit that check in your bank account as you would any other check. Then, smile and give yourself a pat on the back for being so awesome at saving money!
Some of my favorite stores to shop with Rakuten
Cash back percentages may vary from time to time, so check your app often! Especially around the holidays, the cash back percentage has typically increased and allows for a good amount of savings! Some of my favorite stores to earn cash back at are…
- Groupon
- Target
- Kohl’s
- Walgreen’s (especially for their photo printing services!)
- Staples
- Macy’s
- Old Navy
- PetSmart
- Sephora
- Coach
- Toms
- shopDisney
- Overstock.com
Have I convinced you that Rakuten is awesome yet?
Because it seriously is amazing to be able to get some cash back for buying things that you would’ve otherwise purchased anyways, right? For those of you saying that $700 really isn’t all that much, keep in mind that this is with minimal online shopping and because I am only human and sometimes do forget to open up my Rakuten app first. It happens, no biggie. Just think of all the things you could do with $700, though – pay for a portion of a vacation (Walt Disney World, maybe?), pay for multiple family meals out in a restaurant, pay a cell phone bill for a few months, update your wardrobe, pay for one of your kid’s sports…sounds good to me!
Go ahead and sign up for your own Rakuten account now and start saving!
