Rakuten Rewards
Rakuten Rewards is a cash-back affiliate platform serving consumers and merchant partners, enabling shoppers to earn rewards across 3,500+ brands via website, app, browser extension, card-linked in-store offers, dining, and co-branded payment products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Rakuten Rewards does
Rakuten Rewards is a consumer cash-back and affiliate commerce platform operated by Ebates Performance Marketing Inc. as part of Rakuten Group Inc. The platform serves individual shoppers who want cash back, coupons, and rewards on purchases, while generating revenue from merchant partners that pay affiliate commissions when Rakuten members transact through its channels. The company reports scale across over 17 million members, more than 3,500 partner brands, and cash-back activity spanning online retail, in-store purchases, dining, travel, and financial services offers.
The core product is a cash-back marketplace accessed through rakuten.com, a mobile app, and a browser extension. The browser extension activates eligible cash back and coupons during online checkout; the mobile app supports deal discovery, notifications, in-store offers, and dining rewards; and card-linking capabilities enable in-store and restaurant rewards through eligible American Express, Mastercard, or Visa cards. Adjacent products include Rakuten Dining, which offers 5% cash back at 22,000+ participating restaurants, a Rakuten American Express Card, Rakuten+ premium membership, and an influencer referral program.
Rakuten Rewards is free for consumers, with revenue coming from merchant commissions that are shared with members as cash back while Rakuten retains a portion. Its go-to-market motion is primarily direct-to-consumer, supported by referral bonuses, influencer programs, content marketing, email, social, owned app/browser distribution, and merchant partnerships. The 2026 alliance with impact.com indicates a shift toward a broader performance marketing ecosystem that combines Rakuten Rewards' consumer demand and shopping signals with advertiser tracking, contracting, and payment infrastructure.
Rakuten Rewards firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rakuten Rewards
- Legal name
- Ebates Performance Marketing Inc.
- Website
- https://rakuten.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Rakuten Rewards is a cash-back affiliate platform serving consumers and merchant partners, enabling shoppers to earn rewards across 3,500+ brands via website, app, browser extension, card-linked in-store offers, dining, and co-branded payment products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rakuten Rewards industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cash-Back Rewards Platform
- akta.pro primary industry
- Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms (BPAMAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Rewards Marketplace & Redemption Platforms (Merchandise, Gift Cards, Experiences) (THALAKAC), Rewards & Loyalty Credit Cards (FSAKABAH)
Keywords
Where Rakuten Rewards is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Rakuten Rewards business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Affiliate Commissions: Rakuten earns commissions from merchant partners when members make purchases through the platform. These commissions are shared with members as cash back while the company retains a portion as revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Quarterly | Free membership with cash-back rewards |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Rakuten Rewards product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rakuten Rewards operates a consumer-facing cash-back shopping platform that allows members to earn money back on purchases made at over 3,500 partner brands. Members shop through the Rakuten website, browser extension, or mobile app, and the company earns affiliate commissions from merchants, sharing a portion of those commissions back to members as cash-back rewards paid quarterly via PayPal, check, or gift cards.
Product overview
Rakuten Rewards operates a unified cash-back shopping platform combining multiple access points and reward mechanisms. The core Rakuten Cash Back Platform serves as the central hub where members earn money back from over 3,500 partner brands. This core platform is extended through the Rakuten Browser Extension (which auto-activates cash back and applies coupons during online shopping), the Rakuten Mobile App (providing on-the-go access, push notifications, and in-store/dining functionality), and specialized features including Rakuten In-Store Cash Back (credit card-linked rewards at physical retailers), Rakuten Dining (5% back at 22,000+ restaurants), and Rakuten+ premium membership. The Rakuten American Express Card provides an additional reward-earning vehicle. The Rakuten Influencer Program enables affiliate partners to earn by referrals. All these products feed into the quarterly payment system where members receive cash back via PayPal, check, Bilt Points, or American Express Membership Rewards points.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Rakuten Rewards: The primary operating brand for the cash-back shopping platform, rewards program, and affiliate marketing services operated by Ebates Performance Marketing Inc.
- Rakuten Cash Back
- Rakuten Dining
- Rakuten American Express Card
Products and services
- Rakuten Cash Back Platform The core cash-back shopping platform that enables members to earn money back from purchases at over 3,500 partner brands. Members shop through the website, mobile app, or browser extension and receive quarterly payments via PayPal, check, or alternative reward options.
- Rakuten Browser Extension A Google Chrome browser extension that automatically activates Cash Back when members shop at partner stores, applies eligible coupons at checkout, and displays Cash Back rates when searching for stores on Google.
- Rakuten Mobile App Mobile application available for iOS and Android that allows members to shop, browse deals, receive push notifications for exclusive offers, and access In-Store and Dining Cash Back features on the go.
- Rakuten In-Store Cash Back A feature offering members the ability to link eligible American Express, Mastercard, or Visa credit cards to their Rakuten account to earn Cash Back when shopping in-person at participating local retail stores by paying with their linked card.
- Rakuten Dining A dining rewards program offering 5% Cash Back at 22,000+ participating restaurants. Cash back applies to the entire bill including tax, tip, and drinks when paying with a linked credit card.
- Rakuten American Express Card A co-branded credit card issued by First Electronic Bank, powered by Imprint Payments, Inc., offering cash-back rewards and special benefits for Rakuten members. Eligible card members can earn American Express Membership Rewards points instead of Cash Back.
- Rakuten Influencer Program A partner program enabling influencers and content creators to earn money by referring new members to Rakuten. Participants receive a flat bonus per new member sign-up and a $50 bonus after 10 qualified referrals, along with access to best practices and promotional insights.
Companies that use Rakuten Rewards
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rakuten Rewards technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Rakuten Rewards partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- impact.comflagshipRakuten International and impact.com formed a strategic alliance merging Rakuten Advertising's global partner relationships, managed services, and Rakuten Rewards' Cash Back shopping platform with impact.com's technology infrastructure for tracking, contracting, and payments. The collaboration creates a unified performance marketing ecosystem providing advertisers with greater campaign control, improved measurement, and access to direct consumer signals. Publishers and creators gain access to expanded monetization opportunities across affiliate, creator, and commerce channels.
- Hotels.comcoreHotels.com is a travel partner offering up to 3% cash back on bookings through the Rakuten platform.
- ExpediacoreExpedia is a travel partner offering up to 10% cash back on bookings through the Rakuten platform.
- Booking.comcoreBooking.com is a travel partner offering up to 8% cash back on reservations through the Rakuten platform.
- PricelinecorePriceline is a travel partner offering up to 8% cash back on bookings through the Rakuten platform.
- Rakuten AdvertisingcorePart of the Rakuten Group, Rakuten Advertising provides global partner relationships and managed services as part of the strategic alliance with impact.com.
- First Electronic BankcoreFirst Electronic Bank is the issuing bank for the Rakuten American Express Card, which is powered by Imprint Payments, Inc.
- American ExpresscoreAmerican Express partnership enables Rakuten members to earn Membership Rewards points instead of cash back, and powers the Rakuten American Express Card.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Rakuten Rewards competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Slickdeals: Community-driven deals aggregation platform that has expanded into cash-back and coupons. Indirect competitor that funnels deal-seeking shoppers who may also use Rakuten, with partial overlap on affiliate monetization.
- BeFrugal: Smaller cash-back shopping platform with high commission pass-through messaging. Competes with Rakuten for price-sensitive shoppers and offers a comparable browser-extension experience.
Direct peers
- TopCashback: Direct cash-back competitor offering 100% commission pass-through to members. Operates internationally across the US, UK, and other markets, competing head-to-head with Rakuten on retailer relationships and member sign-ups.
- Mr. Rebates: Smaller direct cash-back competitor with a similar merchant-commission model. Operates primarily in the US and competes with Rakuten on retailer depth and member payouts.
- Swagbucks (Prodege): Rewards platform offering cash back, gift cards, and survey-based earnings. Overlaps with Rakuten on the cash-back shopping core while differentiating on multi-activity rewards earning.
- CouponCabin: Cash-back and coupon platform with comparable online-shopping affiliate model. Competes with Rakuten for both consumer mindshare and merchant partnerships in the US market.
- Capital One Shopping: Capital One's free browser-based shopping assistant offering coupons, price comparison, and cash-back rewards. Directly competes with Rakuten for online-shopping affiliate commissions and shares the same browser-extension activation model.
- RetailMeNot: Long-standing coupon and cash-back platform with a similar merchant-affiliate model. Owned by Harland Clarke, it competes directly with Rakuten on online couponing and retailer cash-back offers.
- Ibotta: Cash-back rewards platform with strong focus on grocery and in-store rebates. Public company (NYSE: IBTA) competing with Rakuten's In-Store Cash Back and Dining products for share of in-person consumer spend.
- Honey (PayPal): Direct competitor in browser-based coupon and cash-back shopping, acquired by PayPal in 2020 for ~$4B. Both platforms automatically apply coupons and offer cash back through partner retailers, directly competing for the same online-shopper use case.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rakuten Rewards social profiles
Digital presenceRakuten Rewards compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Rakuten Rewards financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rakuten Rewards leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Rakuten Rewards funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rakuten Rewards M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A8 records
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rakuten Rewards
What does Rakuten Rewards do?
Rakuten Rewards operates a consumer-facing cash-back shopping platform that allows members to earn money back on purchases made at over 3,500 partner brands. Members shop through the Rakuten website, browser extension, or mobile app, and the company earns affiliate commissions from merchants, sharing a portion of those commissions back to members as cash-back rewards paid quarterly via PayPal, check, or gift cards.
Is Rakuten Rewards a public or private company?
Rakuten Rewards is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Rakuten Rewards founded?
Rakuten Rewards was founded in 1999. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Rakuten Rewards based?
Rakuten Rewards is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rakuten Rewards make money?
One revenue line is on record: affiliate Commissions.
Who are Rakuten Rewards's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Slickdeals and BeFrugal. Direct peers are TopCashback, Mr. Rebates, Swagbucks (Prodege), CouponCabin, Capital One Shopping, RetailMeNot, Ibotta and Honey (PayPal).
Does Rakuten Rewards have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rakuten Rewards.
What industry is Rakuten Rewards in?
Rakuten Rewards's product category is Cash-Back Rewards Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAH, Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms, with a secondary code of THALAKAC, Rewards Marketplace & Redemption Platforms (Merchandise, Gift Cards, Experiences).