How to Turn Rakuten Cash Back Into Amex Membership Rewards and Free Travel

Enjoying Global Watchdog? Fuel the watchdog — Support on Patreon

10 min read

Last updated Updated October 5, 2026

Here is the least glamorous travel trick I know, and it works better than most of the fancy ones. I start my online shopping on a cash back website, same as your aunt buying shoes, and I turn my Rakuten cash back into Amex points that transfer to airlines instead of cash. That website is Rakuten. You have seen the commercials. I ignored them for years too, because anything advertised that hard usually has a catch.

The catch, near as I can tell, is that most people leave the good part on the table. Rakuten will happily mail you a check for forty bucks. Or, with the right American Express card, it hands you that same forty dollars as 4,000 Membership Rewards points, and points like that become a seat in the front of the plane. I have booked business class flights to Cozumel, Paris, Japan, and Madrid, and Rakuten quietly fed tens of thousands of points into my accounts from shopping I was going to do anyway. It did not buy those tickets by itself, and I will not insult your intelligence by claiming it did.

Disclosure: This article contains referral links. I may receive points, cash, or another reward if you sign up or are approved through certain links. Your support helps fund GWMAC and does not increase your cost.

Last updated October 5, 2026: this guide shows how to turn Rakuten cash back into Amex points at 100 points per dollar, with Bilt Points as the other payout and the Amex cards that qualify right now.

What is covered here:

• What Rakuten actually does
• Cash, Amex points, or Bilt points: pick your payout
• The math that makes this worth doing
• How Rakuten stacks with your credit card
• How to turn Rakuten cash back into Amex points
• Which Amex cards qualify
• The new option: take Bilt points instead
• Mistakes that cost people money
• Rakuten FAQ

What Rakuten actually does

Rakuten is a shopping portal. When you click from Rakuten to a store and buy something, the store pays Rakuten a commission for sending you. Rakuten keeps part of it and gives part back to you. The only question is whether you collect your share or let it evaporate.

Thousands of stores participate, from Walmart and Target to hotel chains like IHG and Marriott. Rates change constantly and spike during sales. Shop on the website, in the app, or with the free browser extension, which lights up when a store offers cash back. The extension matters: the number one way people lose money here is forgetting to start at Rakuten.

Rakuten pays every three months once you have at least $5.01 in confirmed earnings, with payout dates in February, May, August, and November. Purchases show as pending until return windows pass. The wait is mildly annoying. The money is free. I cope.

Cash, Amex points, or Bilt points: pick your payout

Cash back. A check in the mail (the Big Fat Check) or PayPal. Every dollar of Rakuten earnings is worth exactly one dollar: simple, predictable, and worth the least to a traveler.

Amex Membership Rewards points. With an eligible American Express card, you can link your Amex account and take your earnings as points instead of cash. That is the whole trick to turning Rakuten cash back into Amex points, and it takes about two minutes in your settings. Membership Rewards transfer to a long list of airline and hotel programs, and a point used well for a flight beats a penny. This is the option I use.

Bilt Points. The newest option. Rakuten now lets you take your earnings as Bilt Points, which transfer to airlines and to World of Hyatt at strong value. You do not need a Bilt credit card to do this.

You are not locked in. You can change your payout preference anytime in your settings.

The math that makes this worth doing

Rakuten converts cash back to Membership Rewards at a rate that is easy to remember: $1 of cash back equals 100 Membership Rewards points.

• $10 of cash back = 1,000 points
• $50 of cash back = 5,000 points
• $100 of cash back = 10,000 points
• $500 of cash back = 50,000 points

Run a normal year through that lens. Say you earn $300 in Rakuten cash back across a year of clothes, electronics, gifts, and hotel bookings. As cash, that is $300. As Membership Rewards, it is 30,000 points: a solid chunk of a business class award, or a domestic round trip in economy with the right transfer. Same shopping, same stores. The only difference is a setting in your account.

Bank account offers can sometimes produce unusually large Rakuten rewards, because banks pay well for new customers. Check Rakuten’s Banking section for current offers rather than trusting any printed number, this one included. Hypothetically, a $150 Rakuten bank payout becomes 15,000 Membership Rewards points at the standard conversion.

How Rakuten stacks with your credit card

Here is the part the old version of this article explained poorly: the card you pay with and the way Rakuten pays you are two separate things. Rakuten says its rewards stack on top of credit card rewards, and in practice that is exactly how it works.

Book a $1,000 hotel stay through Rakuten at 10 percent cash back, paid with a card earning 2 points per dollar. You collect $100 of Rakuten earnings, which becomes 10,000 Membership Rewards points under the Amex payout, plus 2,000 points from the card itself. One purchase, two rewards. Add the hotel’s own loyalty points and you are three layers deep.

How to turn Rakuten cash back into Amex points

1. Join Rakuten. New members often get a welcome bonus through a referral link after qualifying purchases; the amount changes by promotion. Check my Rakuten referral link for the current bonus instead of trusting any fixed dollar figure.
2. Open your account settings and find the payment options.
3. Choose Amex Membership Rewards and link your Amex account. Rakuten walks you through signing in to Amex so it knows where to send the points.
4. Install the app and the browser extension. The extension is the difference between earning on most of your shopping and only the shopping you remember.
5. Start every shopping trip at Rakuten. Click through, then shop and check out in that same session without detouring to another coupon site.

Which Amex cards qualify

You need an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards, in your own name. Rakuten’s eligibility page names the qualifying cards, and the four I can refer are the four worth discussing. You only need one.

• The Blue Business Plus Credit Card. Where most people should start: a $0 annual fee and 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year, then 1X. See the Blue Business Plus and check the current offer.
• The Amex Business Gold Card. For businesses with heavy spending in categories like advertising, software, gas, or dining: 4X points on your top two categories each billing cycle, on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year. Annual fee $375. See the Business Gold and check the current offer.
• The Business Platinum Card. The premium travel option: lounge access, 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, and 2X on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more up to a yearly cap. Annual fee $895, sensible only if you travel a lot. See the Business Platinum and check the current offer.
• The Platinum Card for Schwab. For people who already keep money at Charles Schwab: the usual Platinum travel perks plus Schwab specific extras. Annual fee $895, and you need an eligible Schwab account. See the Platinum Card for Schwab and check the current offer.

Terms current as of October 2026. For the deep comparison of which card fits which wallet, see the companion piece: Best Credit Cards to Pair With Rakuten for Travel Rewards.

The new option: take Bilt points instead

The biggest change since I first wrote about Rakuten is that you can now take your earnings as Bilt Points. Bilt points transfer to airline programs and to World of Hyatt, and Hyatt awards are where they punch above their weight.

Setup is simple: a free Bilt Rewards account, with the same email as your Rakuten account. Link the two, choose Bilt Points as your payout, and your quarterly money lands as points. Bilt sets the conversion rate and may vary it by member tier, so check your rate before switching. One honest note: those points do not count toward Bilt elite status.

And let me be plain, because plenty of sites will not be: you do not need a Bilt credit card to earn Bilt Points through Rakuten. A free Bilt Rewards account does it. If you later want a card that earns points on rent or a mortgage payment with no transaction fee, the Bilt Palladium Card is the premium rung. Check the link for the current offer. Master the free version first.

Mistakes that cost people money

• Clicking another coupon or portal site after Rakuten. The last click usually gets the commission. Start at Rakuten, buy in that session, and skip the coupon code safari in between, or your earnings can vanish.
• Assuming everything at a store qualifies. Gift cards, certain electronics, and some categories are often excluded. Each store’s Rakuten page prints its exclusions. Read them before a big purchase.
• Returning things and expecting to keep the rewards. Return the item and the cash back goes back too, which is fair enough.
• Taking cash when you meant to take points. Cash is the default. If you want points, choose points in your settings. Plenty of people earn for a year and then wonder where their points went.
• Carrying a balance to chase any of this. Points earned at credit card interest rates are a donation to a bank. Pay your cards off monthly or none of this math works.

Rakuten FAQ

Do I need an American Express card to use Rakuten?
No. Anyone can join and take the cash. An eligible Membership Rewards card lets you turn Rakuten cash back into Amex points; a free Bilt Rewards account gets you Bilt Points.

Do I need a Bilt credit card to earn Bilt Points through Rakuten?
No. A free Bilt Rewards account linked to Rakuten does it, as long as the email addresses match. A Bilt card is a separate choice for people who also want to earn points on housing payments.

How often does Rakuten actually pay?
Every three months, once you have at least $5.01 in confirmed earnings. Confirmed means the store verified the purchase and the return window has passed.

Which payout should I pick, Amex points or Bilt points?
If you already collect Membership Rewards, take the Amex points. If you love Hyatt hotels or want a second flexible currency, take Bilt. Either beats cash for most travelers.

The bottom line

Ready to set it up? Join Rakuten through my referral link, flip your payout to points, and let your regular shopping start pulling its weight. Then come back and tell me: are you taking your Rakuten money as cash, Amex points, or Bilt points? I read every comment.