Shopping
Rakuten: Cash Back & Deals
Cash back at 3,500+ stores stacked on auto-applied coupons, paid by PayPal, check or gift card.
Get the app
Opens the official store page
- Developer
- Ebates Shopping.com, Inc.
- Score
- 4.8
- Downloads
- 100K+ ratings
- Age
- Rated 17+
- Version
- 13.20.1
- Price
- Free
Screenshots
About this app
Cash back on purchases at more than 3,500 online stores, paid out by PayPal, check or gift card. Rakuten sits between you and the retailer: open a store through the app, buy as normal, and a percentage comes back to you later. It costs nothing to join and is meant for people who shop online anyway. The app also applies coupon codes automatically at checkout, so cash back stacks on top of sale prices and discounts. In-store and dining offers can be activated for nearby restaurants and shops. The account section shows pending cash back, the next payment date and the payout method. Referring friends earns a bonus when they make their first purchase, with no limit on referrals. Payouts come on a set payment date rather than straight after each purchase.
Rakuten: Cash Back & Deals: the full guide
What the app is
Rakuten, formerly Ebates, is a cash back middleman. You open a retailer through the app, shop as you normally would, and a slice of the purchase is credited back to you later. Over 3,500 online stores participate, and the money arrives by PayPal, paper check or gift card on a scheduled payment date.
Coupon codes are applied automatically at checkout so the rebate stacks on top of sale prices. Offers extend to physical shops and restaurants near you once activated, the account screen tracks pending cash and the next payout, and referring friends pays a bonus with no cap on how many you bring in.
How it works day to day
The habit to form is launching every online purchase from inside Rakuten rather than from a bookmark. Search the store, tap through, buy, and forget about it; the pending balance updates later. Before a meal out, a quick look at the in-store section shows whether the restaurant has an offer to activate. Payout days are the small reward, when the accumulated balance goes to PayPal or arrives as a check. Occasionally you send a referral link to a friend who's about to buy something big.
Why people look for it
Free money on purchases you were making anyway is a hard pitch to resist, and that's precisely how people describe it to each other. Rakuten gets searched after a friend's referral, after seeing the payout totals someone posted, or when a shopper realises a big-ticket order could earn a few percent back. The automatic coupon stacking adds to the appeal for deal hunters.
Look and feel
Five screenshots are provided. For a cash back app they almost certainly show a store directory with percentage badges, an account page with a balance figure, and the in-store offers map or list. Shopping apps favour a bright, promotional look with large numbers, and Rakuten's percentage-back figures lend themselves to that. The listing doesn't describe navigation or theming.
