How to Earn Extra Amex Points Every Time You Shop Online With Rakuten

Becca Alves
Sep 1
3 min read

Get 3,000 bonus Amex points when you sign up with my Rakuten link:

👉 www.rakuten.com/r/BECCAC1049?eeid=28187

If you’re not using Rakuten with your American Express Membership Rewards account, you’re leaving thousands of points on the table. Seriously.

This is one of the best-kept secrets in the travel hacking world… even some of my clients who have millions of points don’t know about it!

✨ What Is Rakuten?

Rakuten is a shopping portal that gives you rewards (aka cashback or points) every time you shop through one of their partner stores – which includes places like:

Sephora
Apple
Booking.com
IHG Hotels
Viator
Nike
And 3,500+ more

But here’s the twist: if you link your Amex Membership Rewards account, you can earn Amex points instead of cashback – and that’s where things get really exciting.

🧠 Why You Should Use Rakuten With Amex

When you opt to earn Membership Rewards points instead of cashback, Rakuten turns every eligible purchase into a points-earning opportunity.

Here’s what that means:

5% cashback = 5 Amex points per $1
10% cashback = 10 Amex points per $1
Sometimes even 15–20x per dollar during promos

💡 These points are transferable to Amex’s top travel partners – including:

Air Canada Aeroplan
ANA
Delta
Qatar Airways
Hilton Honors
Singapore Airlines

That means your Lululemon leggings or Ulta skincare haul could be earning you a free flight in business class… if you play it right.

🛍 How to Use Rakuten to Earn Amex Points

Here’s how to set it up in under 3 minutes:

Sign up using my referral link to get a 3,000 point bonus:
👉 www.rakuten.com/r/BECCAC1049?eeid=28187
Go to “Account Settings” > “How I Get Paid:”
→ Select: American Express Membership Rewards
Start every online purchase by going to Rakuten.com, using the Rakuten browser extension, or app
Click through to the store you want to shop at and complete your purchase

Rakuten tracks it automatically, and your Amex points post quarterly (in batches). No need to submit receipts or jump through hoops.

If you prefer to watch a video tutorial, I have one here.

💼 Best Amex Cards to Pair With Rakuten

To earn Membership Rewards points through Rakuten, you need at least one of the following Amex MR-earning cards:

Amex Gold Card
Amex Platinum Card
Amex Green Card
Amex EveryDay Preferred
Amex Business Gold
Amex Business Platinum

If you’re not sure whether your card qualifies, check the “Rewards” section in your Amex dashboard – it should say Membership Rewards®. It will NOT work with cards that earn other types of points, like Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors.

💎 Why This Strategy Works for Travel Hacking

The cashback game is fine.

But the points game is where you unlock first-class seats and $0 luxury hotel stays.

Let’s do the math:

Spend $1,000 on a hotel stay with a 12x promo on Rakuten = earn 12,000 Amex points (on top of your regular credit card earnings!)

12,000 Amex points can be worth:

A round-trip domestic flight
¼ of a business class flight to Europe

Do that a few times a year with regular purchases, and you could be stacking tens of thousands of extra points every year – without changing your shopping habits at all.