shopping portal
Rakuten
Rakuten is the largest cash-back shopping portal in the US, paying members a percentage back when they click through to retailers like Macy's, Nike, Sephora, and Best Buy. Crucially for points-and-miles users, Rakuten lets members redeem earnings as American Express Membership Rewards points instead of cash - at a 1:1 rate - which converts an everyday shopping rebate into transferable points usable across 16 airline and 4 hotel transfer partners.
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Sweet spots
Where your points punch above their weight.
Where this currency genuinely shines.
- Shop for Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cash back. If you hold a US Amex card enrolled in Membership Rewards, like the Gold, Green or Platinum Card, you can switch your Rakuten payout to points, and 10% cash back becomes 10X points. That turns ordinary online shopping into points you can transfer to airline and hotel partners. The catch: points post only four times a year (February 15, May 15, August 15, November 15), and only once the store confirms your order, which usually takes 3 to 14 weeks. You need more than 500 confirmed points to get paid. Corporate cards and the Rakuten American Express Card are not eligible, and choosing points shuts you out of Rakuten promotions with other card issuers.
- Bilt Points, if you hold Bilt status. Link your Bilt and Rakuten accounts and your cash back pays out as Bilt Points: 100 points per $1 of cash back at Silver, Gold or Platinum, and 50 points per $1 at Blue. The catch: your rate depends on your status on the payout date, so Blue members get half. The email address has to match on both accounts, and payouts follow the same quarterly schedule.
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Last reviewed: May 2026
Loyalty programs change rules, fees, transfer ratios, and award pricing all the time — sometimes without warning. We do our best to keep these pages current, but the program's own site is always the final word. Always confirm specifics directly with Rakuten before transferring miles or booking an award. Treat anything on this page as a starting point, not a guarantee. Crazy4Points is not responsible for actions taken based on information here — see our Terms of Service for full details.