The shopping portal isn’t just for getting cash back.
Shopping with credit cards can help you rack up miles or travel points, but Rakuten might just take your rewards game to the next level.
Known mostly for giving cash back on online purchases, the shopping portal also unlocks travel perks for American Express cardholders—a handy little “hack” that’s been popping up on TikTok lately.
“I book all my travel through here,” TikTok user Chloe Jades shared in her post, explaining that she scored 400,000 Amex points this year alone by converting her Rakuten rewards into American Express Membership Rewards points.
To get the same benefits, just choose Membership Rewards Points in Rakuten’s settings (on desktop or the app). Then, link your American Express account, and from that point on, your Rakuten Cash Back will be deposited as Amex points.
What about past purchases?
Rakuten’s policy states: “Confirmed Cash Back earned before switching to points will be converted and transferred to your American Express Account on the next payment date.”
The travel points match the usual cash-back rate. For instance, shopping at Sephora or Gap gets you 2% back, while stores like Neiman Marcus can go up to 15%. With the Amex option enabled, that same percentage translates to Membership Rewards Points—so if a store offers 8% cash back, you’ll earn 8 Amex points per dollar spent.
“It doesn’t make sense to book directly when you can use Rakuten,” Jades said. “There’s literally no difference.”
Amex partners with tons of travel programs, most offering at least a 1:1 transfer rate (and often better). For example, 1,000 Amex points equal:
- 1,000 Delta SkyMiles
- 1,000 Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
…and many more.
Hotel partners have different redemption values—1,000 Amex points get you 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points, but the same amount converts to 2,000 Hilton Honors Points.
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