Extended: Free US$30 on online shopping through Rakuten cashback portal

Sign up for Rakuten and get a free US$30 to use at iHerb, Book Depository or thousands of other merchants.

Update: Rakuten has changed their T&Cs such that only members in the USA and Canada can participate in the referral program. Be advised, they seem to be clawing back referrals from before the T&Cs changed.

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is an online cashback portal, similar to ShopBack or RebateMango. Although the site is US-based, Singapore users can still cash out their cashback through PayPal. 

From now till May 1, 2020, Rakuten is giving away US$30 to all new members who sign up through the referral program and spend at least US$30 at any merchant. 

Sign up for Rakuten and get US$30 here

That’s a mighty generous bonus, and with thousands of online merchants to choose from, there’s bound to be some way you can spend that US$30. For example, you could buy groceries on iHerb, which offers free shipping to Singapore for orders over US$60. Alternatively, you could buy books on Book Depository and enjoy free shipping with any purchase. 

Other no-shipping options for Singapore based residents include:

  • Purchasing antivirus software from McAfee/Norton
  • Subscriptions to the WSJ or The New Yorker

If you want to make travel plans, there’s a ton of hotel chains and OTAs on Rakuten, like Agoda, Booking.com, Hilton, Hotels.com, Millennium Hotels & Resorts and more. Do note, however, that your cash back will only be available after you’ve stayed. If you want the money now, it’s better to go with merchandise purchases. 

Once your cashback has tracked, you’ll be able to withdraw the money via PayPal. You can subsequently transfer it into your Singapore bank account, or use it for online shopping wherever PayPal is accepted. 

What card should I use?

Most of your purchases on Rakuten will be processed online in USD, so consider using the following credit cards for the most miles. 

  Earn Rate Remarks
Citi Rewards
Apply here
4 mpd Cap of S$1K per s. month 
DBS Woman’s World Card
Apply here
4 mpd Cap at S$2K per c. month
UOB Visa Signature
Apply here
4 mpd Min FCY spend of S$1K per s. month, cap at S$2K per s. month
SCB X Card
Apply here
3 mpd Until 30 Jun 20. Min spend S$2K per c. month
SCB Visa Infinite
3 mpd Min spend S$2K per s. month
BOC Elite Miles 
3 mpd  
S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month

Conclusion

This is basically a chance to get US$30 of free books, iHerb purchases or anything else you can find on Rakuten. Be sure to make your transaction by May 1, 2020, for the bonus cashback to be awarded. 

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

Similar Articles

Comments

32 COMMENTS

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

32 Comments
Oldest
Newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Brian

Hi, may I know why this online spend is not covered under DBS WWMC?

rubbadubdub

Thanks for the lobang, signed up with the referral link

Gli

Thanks for sharing this! How do you get past the address bit without a US add?

BE

If I use PayPal, does it convert from USD to SGD?

BE

Thanks! Also wondering, what are some of the sites which work for Singapore? E.g. If I buy something on Amazon SG/ Nike SG does it still clock the $30 spend, or has to be from the US site?

Jack

I bought from Adidas and it redirect me to Adidas sg,
Hope it capture the transaction ๐Ÿ™

IncompatibleItalic

Does the $30 spend need to be in a single purchase? The T&Cโ€™s are quite vague about it.

YS

It was cumulative for me.

I had 2 purchases made at Book Depository after having short of USD4 (because I forgot to convert USD30 to SGD – which was automatically converted in Book Depository listing)

Oh and I just received this reply from Rakuten after enquiring about it:
“Ebates (Rakuten)

May 4, 10:24 PM CDT

Hello.

Thank you for your email. The $30 purchase can be cumulative as long as all purchases are made within 90 days of creating your account.”

They should just make the T&C clearer…

Richard

Hi Aaron,
I just signed up. Do you know if we must pay in USD when making the purchase to qualify for the US$30 back?

J

No need.

Richard

Confirmed: Bought books from Book Depository. Paid in S$. Received my $30 rebate.

YS

How long did U wait for Rakuten to confirm the purchase on BookDepository?

Richard

An update: I referred my wife who also signed up and made a purchase. Initially, both our accounts received a $30 credit. Subsequently, the $30 credit was deducted from both our accounts, as was the $30 credit I received after making my initial purchase from Aaron’s referral.
I checked with their customer service, and received this reply:
“We have found a number of accounts in violation of our site’s terms related to yours. Due to the abuse of our program, our risk department has ended membership for all related accounts.”

Richard

I bought from Book Depository. My wife from iHerb.

Richard

Hope they did not deduct the $30 referral credit from your account.

Tat

Yea both my wife and my $30 credit was removed subsequently as well for no reason. We too bought items from iherb and books depository. Zzz

x

Same for me as well, my $30 credit was removed when I met the T&Cs of the promo after signing up via your referral link. Feels like I’ve been scammed zz

Matt

Owells me too. I signed up via your referral link and the $30 credit just got clawed back too /:

Vod

same here, all my family members’ accounts were terminated. (along with mine)

what a scam.

Jason

Hi Aaron, i’m wondering if there’s there been any reply from the customer service regarding the deduction?

J

I canโ€™t seem to cash out without having to enter a US address even though I choosed PayPal. Anyway to go around it?

Aaron Wong

Just enter a dummy address- thatโ€™s only important if you want a cheque mailed