How to set up Rakuten to earn BILT Rewards

As promised, this is a post to explain how to link Rakuten to BILT to earn rewards. Rakuten is one of our favorite shopping portals and just recently it teamed up with BILT to give shoppers another option for point transfers.

Cash back or points? Choose wisely.

When you sign up, Rakuten will ask how you want to get paid. You can take a “Big Fat Check” (their words — it’s cash back), or you can earn American Express Membership Rewards points or BILT points. We will always steer you toward points over cash back — the redemption value is almost always significantly higher. To earn Membership Rewards you’ll need an AMEX consumer card, and for BILT points you’ll need a BILT account. This tutorial covers the BILT Rewards setup — if you would prefer to link Rakuten to AMEX, please read this post.

Once you’re set up and have the browser extension installed, earning points becomes almost automatic. One thing to know upfront: unlike some other shopping portals, Rakuten pays out quarterly, so it will be a little while before you see points land in your reward account. Worth the wait, though!

Important disclaimer: Currently Rakuten transfers to BILT on a 1:1 ratio (so if you earn 10x on Rakuten, you’ll receive 10x BILT reward points), HOWEVER if you do not have premium status with BILT, that ratio may drop to 1:.5. (10x on Rakuten to 5x on BILT). Information on this is vague, but something to keep on your radar. If you do not have status when this change happens, you may want to switch to AMEX membership rewards. One easy way to reach status with BILT is by applying for a credit card.

Here’s how to get set up:

1. Create your Rakuten account using this link. You’ll earn a sign-up bonus — and so will we, as a referral — as long as you complete a qualifying purchase within 90 days. The qualifying purchase amount is typically equal to the bonus amount.
2. If you do not already have a BILT account, you will need to create one there as well. ⚠️ It is important that your BILT account and Rakuten account use the same email address. Don’t skip this — mismatched emails will prevent the accounts from linking properly.
3. Once you have both accounts set up, head to the BILT Rewards tab.
4. On the upper right of your screen, toggle from Travel to Everyday Rewards.
5. Scroll down until you find the offer Earn BILT points when you shop with Rakuten.
6. Click Link Account
7. After your accounts are linked, head to the Google Chrome Store and download the Rakuten extension (Chrome is recommended, but Rakuten also has extensions for other browsers)— this is the step that makes everything automatic. You can start at Rakuten.com and click through to each store manually, but the extension eliminates the risk of forgetting entirely. When you visit a participating site, it does the work for you.
8. Now just shop online like you normally would. When you visit a participating site, a pop-up will appear on the right side of your screen prompting you to activate your reward. It may say “cash back” even if you’ve selected BILT Rewards — that’s normal, just activate it.
9. Before you check out, take a moment to read the terms and exclusions on that screen. There are often important conditions worth knowing — certain items or categories are sometimes excluded.
10. After your purchase, you can review your shopping trips anytime under your username. I like to add any purchases to a spreadsheet so I can track my point earnings. Occasionally points don’t show up — we’ll have a post coming soon that walks you through how to retrieve them. In the meantime, save your receipts. I keep mine in a dedicated email folder so I can find what I need quickly when I need it.

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