Rakuten Referral Bonus: Get $50 With Code JRDNBS3

The Rakuten referral bonus is $50. You get it when you join Rakuten through a referral link and spend at least $50 at Rakuten stores within 90 days. My Rakuten referral code is JRDNBS3, and it’s already built into the link above.

Disclosure: this is my personal Rakuten referral link, and Rakuten pays me a bonus when someone joins with it and qualifies. It doesn’t cost you anything, and you get the same $50 whichever referral link you use.

How the Rakuten Referral Bonus Works

• Bonus: $50, added to your Cash Back balance.
• What you have to do: make purchases that earn Cash Back through Rakuten, totalling at least $50, within 90 days of joining.
• Who qualifies: Rakuten’s referral program is open to new members in the US and Canada. The $50 bonus itself is for members who live in and are located in the 50 US states or Washington, DC.
• What doesn’t count: Amazon.com orders (music.amazon.com is the only exception), and any order you cancel, return or exchange.
• When it’s paid: with your next quarterly Cash Back payment, by PayPal or check.

That’s a lot more than the welcome bonus Rakuten shows people who sign up without a referral, which is usually $10 to $20. You can only get one sign-up bonus per member, so the referral code or link has to be used when you first create the account.

How to Get the $50 Rakuten Bonus

1. Open my Rakuten referral link.
2. Create your account on the page it opens, with an email address you’ve never used on Rakuten (or Ebates) before.
3. Install the Rakuten browser extension or app if you like, so you don’t forget to activate Cash Back.
4. Shop at stores that show Cash Back on Rakuten until you reach $50. It can be one order or several, as long as it’s within 90 days.
5. Keep the order. Once it’s confirmed, the $50 appears in your account and goes out with your next quarterly payment.

An easy way to hit $50 is to time your sign-up with something you were already going to buy, like a laptop, a hotel booking or a big grocery delivery order. You earn the store’s normal Cash Back on top of the $50.

Where to Enter a Rakuten Referral Code

Every Rakuten member has a referral code. Mine is JRDNBS3, the part after /r/ in my link. To type it in yourself, open Rakuten’s sign-up form and click Did someone refer you? under the Join Now button. A box opens labelled “Friend’s email or referral code (optional)”. Type JRDNBS3 there and create your account.

If you join from rakuten.com/r/JRDNBS3 instead, the code is already applied and you can skip the box.

Rakuten doesn’t have a separate sign-up promo code. The referral code is what gets you the $50. The coupon codes you see listed under each store are discounts at that store, and you can use them on top of Cash Back.

What Is Rakuten?

Rakuten, which was called Ebates until 2019, is a free cash back site. Stores pay Rakuten a commission when you click through to them from Rakuten, and Rakuten gives you part of that commission back as Cash Back.

It lists more than 3,500 stores and says it has paid members over $4.6 billion since 1999. Your Cash Back builds up in your account and is paid every quarter by PayPal or check, or as American Express Membership Rewards points if you prefer.

If you live in Canada, Rakuten points you to Rakuten.ca, which runs separately with its own stores and offers. If you’re comparing cash back sites, TopCashback is the other big one.

Rakuten Referral Bonus FAQ

How much is the Rakuten referral bonus?

$50 for new members who join through a referral link and spend at least $50 at Rakuten stores within 90 days.

What is a Rakuten referral code I can use?

You can use mine: JRDNBS3. Type it in the “Friend’s email or referral code” box at sign-up, or sign up through rakuten.com/r/JRDNBS3 and it’s applied for you.

Do Amazon purchases count toward the Rakuten bonus?

No. Amazon.com orders don’t count toward the $50, apart from music.amazon.com.

Can I get the bonus if I already have a Rakuten account?

No. The referral bonus is only for new members, and an old Ebates account counts as an existing Rakuten account.

How long does the Rakuten referral bonus take?

The $50 shows up in your account once your qualifying purchases are confirmed by the store, and it’s paid out with your next quarterly Cash Back payment.

What does the person who referred me get?

Rakuten pays the referrer a bonus too. It doesn’t reduce your $50.

Bottom Line

Joining Rakuten through a referral link instead of the homepage gets you a $50 bonus for spending money you’d probably spend anyway. Just use a non-Amazon store, keep the order and reach $50 within 90 days.

More referral codes on Yore Oyster: TopCashback referral link, Kindred referral code (5 free nights), Rove referral code and Agentio referral code.