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Rakuten started their Black Friday on Thursday with 12x, but as they have done in the past, they popped the deals up to 15x for Black Friday itself. Saks is at 16x – great for Amex Platinum, Dell at 15x – great for Amex Business Platinum, 1800 Contacts is at 20x, etc.
Rakuten has done 15x in the past for Black Friday, and even some targeted 20x just as we’re seeing today. There is a chance we could see it come back on Cyber Monday, but if you’re looking to do some shopping, strike while the deal is hot.
If you’re unfamiliar with Rakuten, or shopping portals in general, read this article which goes into more detail. Throughout the year, Rakuten runs increased bonus promos like the 11x we are seeing today, but keep an eye on the upcoming weeks – we usually see bonuses increase to 15 to 20x around Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
You can earn cashback or Amex points via Rakuten
If you are unaware, Rakuten ( formerly Ebates ) partnered with American Express and gave its members the option to earn Amex Membership Rewards in lieu of Cashback. The rate: 1% = 1 Membership Reward. Read this article if you want to learn more.
Personally, I find this to be a far more attractive option since I value Membership Rewards anywhere between 1.5 and 2 cents. This current promo means you could earn an effective 21/ 28% back in the form of points.
Don’t have a Rakuten account? Get $40 after you spend $40 with our referral
You can earn $40 cashback when you spend $40+ by using our link
Loads of stores at 12x but look at Dell and Saks
There are great sales at Nike, Dermstore,
How quickly do the points populate your account?
Once a quarter, Rakuten will send the points over to your Amex account. Feb 15th, May 15th, and so and so forth. You can see it populated the same day.
That was a really big quarter for me, but just those points alone were close to a Lufthansa First Class redemption via Avianca LifeMiles ( 87k ).
Overall:
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A Monkey Miles favorite for beginners and point pros alike – a staple of our wallet that earns Premium transferrable Ultimate Rewards. $95 annual fee
♥ Earn 60k Bonus Points after $4k Spend in 3 months
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♥5x on travel purchased via Chase Travel and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
♥3x on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
♥3x on select streaming
♥ 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs
♥ $50 Annual Credit on hotel stays purchased via Ultimate Rewards. *New cardmembers can get this credit immediately – existing cardmembers get it after anniversary
♥ 10% Anniversary Point Bonus. Spend $10k in a year, get 1k bonus points.
If you sign up with my link and spend $40, you will get $40 (4,000 MR!) deposited to your Rakuten account instantly! https://www.rakuten.com/r/MATEOM182?eeid=28187
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Please use my link to signup and spend $40 for free $40 credit ! Thanks everyone
Hello!
Would you happen to have a screenshot of the black Friday Rakuten deals for Kohl’s? My shopping trip was 20% for Kohl’s on Black Friday, but they are saying it’s only 1%. I never had this issue before with them so I never thought to take a screenshot. I certainly will moving forward, but I’m trying to resolve this current issue.
Thanks for any info/feedback!
Weirdly as big as Rakuten is, their platform is not really hassle free. I’ve made purchases and depending on the store, Rakuten relies on the store reporting the purchase and not tracked from their own site. Also, after making the purchase, there’s no way of tracking which purchase ties to which shopping trip ID.. almost half of the purchases I made via Rakuten I had to follow-up.. so after some back and forth, you lose track of the purchases and the multiple earn factors (10x, 15x, etc). Some they just give back 1x even though it was bought when they had multiple Xs. I guess it’s a crap shoot, but I won’t argue.. extra free points is extra free points.. 🙂
Sorry for this indirect question, am I able to book a flight from the US to Tokyo for my son and his girlfriend?
From the ANA website, do I have to register my family using 1,000 ANA miles to submit the registration form or does this only apply if you live in Japan? I am in San Diego, CA.
Thank you!
I’m done with Rakuten. Way too many ways they try to wiggle out of cash back. Dell is a great example – the consider Dell to have multiple sub-departments (consumer v. business v. outlet) and yet there is no indication whatsoever to a purchaser which you’re purchasing from. You click on the Rakuten link to Dell.com and make a purchase and they tell you you purchased business and not consumer or vice versa despite no way for any consumer to tell. And I find you rarely get more cash back than you could just find a coupon for the same if not better discount. Yea – I get 15% cash back at Disney but cannot use my 20% coupon to get it . . . what a deal.