
Rakuten.com Reviews
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About Rakuten.com
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, serves over 12 million users in the US by providing cash back deals and promo codes for shoppers. With a browser extension tool and over 2,500 brands on its site, Rakuten offers deals and savings in nearly every online market.
Visit www.rakuten.com- Deals and discounts available
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Rakuten.com Reviews
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Reviewed April 16, 2025
Denying legitimate cash back requests all the time now! I have shopped through Rakuten since before COVID. Their technology for capturing shopping trips isn't great. I frequently have to report missing cash back. This used to be easy and the cash back would be quickly credited. Now they always seem to find a way to deny cash back. I'll submit a missing cash back request and they find some weird excuse to deny it. I have even been given different excuses for the same request. Let me tell you - I absolutely shopped through Rakuten! Something is amiss with Rakuten tech (which has always been glitchy) and that I didn't suddenly forget to shop through Rakuten.
Reviewed April 14, 2025
More than a few times I’ve gone out of my way to use Rakuten because of the cash back only to be denied cash back after the fact. Had to return a $600 item, didn’t give me cash back for that, which is understandable, but I was given a credit by the site for that order, so it’s still cash I spent and using on something else on that site, refused to do cash back on that because it was site credit now, not cool, but whatever. Have shopped at a couple places only because of the cash back and have recently found out they will not give you cash back if your rewards for business is connected?!? So the amount is brought down a little because of rewards, meaning the cashback amount would actually be less on their end, but instead, they’re using it to deny me my cashback altogether. Feeling ripped off now because I could have went to other businesses for these products for cheaper but didn’t because of the “cash back”.

Hi there - Unfortunately, some stores may not give Cash Back if the order is for business purposes such as reselling. Each store has their own terms so we recommend viewing this in their Rakuten page prior to shopping.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

Reviewed April 7, 2025
I’m going to remain civil for now regarding how this company is handling things. I’ll leave a rating, but it’s difficult to promote a service that’s making me look disingenuous. Originally, the referral program offered a $30 bonus when someone signed up through my link and spent $30. However, now when I visit my referral link, there is no longer an invite page, which was much clearer and more intuitive. Now, you must first click on the three lines at the top left side of the page, and it shows a different offer: a $10 sign-up bonus and an additional $25 when spending $25. This change is quite confusing for me, and I’m sure it’s confusing for new customers as well.
To make matters worse, in the same area, there is a link to refer new customers for a $30 bonus. It seems like they are trying to recruit new referrers via my link, and I don’t believe the referrers receive credit for recruiting other affiliates. I’m not trying to smear their company; I’m stating facts and I’m bewildered by their business model. I’m telling people one thing, and they’re offering something else. As for recommending it to friends and family, I have before. It was during the holidays when the offer was $40 when you spend $40, and that was stated clearly on the invite page. So far, I haven’t had any complaints. With that said, I could be wrong in my assessment of this company, but they are not proving me wrong.

Hi Victor - Please note that your referral link should bring visitors a sign up page that shows the current referral bonus for both you and them if they sign up. We tested this on our end and it seems to still be the case. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Reviewed March 27, 2025
I have been a member since it was Ebates. However this company is becoming shady. They didn't require one to make a purchase on their browser before. However now all your passwords are saved by them which doesn't make any sense. Almost 3 years back they were issuing cash back checks regularly and efficiently. I didn't even have to check but now it seems that they are looking for ways to deny that and label transactions as ineligible.
In addition they won't honor the welcome or referral bonus any more. I had convinced around 10 to 12 people to sign up. One of whom is my mother who is elderly and shops a lot. I helped her make her account. They denied her bonus and even deactivated her account. Trisha M messaged who was very curt and rather accusatory. The last kind of person who should be in retail or marketing. I have let all my other referrals know and they are also not going to sign up now. Neither will I because the only reason I continued when it changed to Rakuten was because Ebates was a trustworthy and reliable company and I thought this will be as well. Unfortunately it is not and there are far too many cash back apps and platforms to tolerate the above mentioned 4 issues: storing passwords from other sites, randomly labeling transactions as ineligible, not honoring bonuses and unfriendly and belligerent customer "service". Thanks.

Hi there - At Rakuten we are very proud of the generous incentives we offer to people who refer members. These incentives are awarded for new members who have never signed up before and who do their own shopping through Rakuten. Our automated systems try to prevent us from paying referral bonuses which do not meet this criteria. If you think our systems have made an error and would like our customer service team to take a second look, please email us the details to socialhelp@rakuten.com.

Reviewed March 11, 2025
When it works, you can get some cash back from your shopping experiences. But when there are glitches, you are on your own. There use to be an online process to inquire about missing cash back, but that has disappeared. Now there is just a frustrating "Frequently Asked Questions" section that is only answers basic "how to" questions.

Hi Paula - Please note that our Member Services team is always available to assist via email. You can view our Help page here https://www.rakuten.com/help, which should be able to create a ticket for any issues you're experiencing.
For missing Cash Back specifically, you can create a ticket here: https://www.rakuten.com/help/missing-cash-back
Reviewed March 4, 2025
Have been a user for many years (back to the ebates days) but am finding increasing problems with getting cash back on purchases. The most recent response to my query about missing cash back included 6 conditions that could affect eligibility for cash back--none of which seemed to apply before as I have purchased from the same vendor through Rakuten many times in the past without issue. Seems like the company is looking to reduce cash back that it actually pays despite the rates advertised.

Hi Jean - We're sorry to hear that you're having issues getting Cash Back. To better help with future orders, we'd recommend taking a look at our page about why the order may not track for Cash Back: https://www.rakuten.com/help/did-not-earn-cashback
This can be anything from possibly having another extension open or a coupon code found from a different site. For any orders that aren't earning Cash Back, please reach out to us here: https://www.rakuten.com/help/missing-cash-back
Thank you,
Reviewed Feb. 16, 2025
I am brand new to Rakuten. Want to purchase boots on Nordstrom and take advantage of the 12% cashback. The link won't load and comes up Web Page Unavailable. I emailed Rakuten and no response except they received my email. I was looking forward using Rakuten but now turned off. I guess these boots are made for walkin'!

Reviewed Feb. 6, 2025
Rakuten is a scam! My purchases from November and December are still pending so they don't have to pay me in February. They use to update quickly. So, I guess they are using my money to finance their website!

Hi Joanie - Please note that Pending means your Cash Back tracked successfully but takes around 20 - 100 days to be Confirmed. Confirmed simply means that it's now eligible to be paid to you in the next payment.
This wait period is to account for return periods. As long as you didn't buy anything excluded or returned/exchanged the order, the Cash Back will eventually be Confirmed. You can find more information here: https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/account-faq-34279916493843
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2025
I joined thru a friend and never got my $30 for a new customer. I made an order thru them and now don’t get the cash back. As soon as I emailed them they made my account inactive. My friend also gave not received their $30 for referring me. Definitely a shady app! Now my info is in there and I’m not able to delete my account, as I’m not able to sign in.

At Rakuten we are very proud of the generous incentives we offer to people who refer new members. These referral incentives are awarded for new members who have never signed up before and who do their own shopping through Rakuten.
Our automated systems try to prevent us from paying referral bonuses which do not meet this criteria. If you think our systems have made an error and would like our customer service team to take a second look, please email us the details to socialhelp@rakuten.com.
Reviewed Jan. 20, 2025
I used it to purchase several items, got my cashback on time and without a problem via PayPal. They have a wide variety of places to shop. A lot of Triple cash back opportunities. I fully recommend Rakuten.

Reviewed Jan. 15, 2025
Ebates was a dependable company but Rakuten.com doesn't have that reputation. I receive a fraction of the cashback I used to receive. I routinely earn over a hundred dollars a payout but most of that amount is "pending" which means Rakuten hasn't collected the funds from the retailer so I won't receive it. At least that's the explanation Rakuten gave me. What they don't tell you is why the funds haven't been collected. Are retailers stiffing us or is it Rakuten? It's rather strange it was never an issue in all the previous years I used Ebates and Rakuten. It's only been the past year or two. I've found that pending cashback just disappears if it hasn't been collected by the time you get your "big fat check". That said, much of the money earned never even goes on your account, especially when the cashback percentages are high.
You can contact Rakuten and they will automatically add the funds but they always end up in "pending" and never get paid out. I don't even follow my account anymore. I don't see the point. Something is very wrong with the way Rakuten is conducting business. What used to be fun and profitable is now hardly worth your time. They should be investigated by a consumer agency.

Hi there - Please note that Pending means your Cash Back tracked successfully but takes around 20 - 100 days to be Confirmed. Confirmed simply means that it's now eligible to be paid to you in the next payment.
This wait period is to account for return periods. As long as you didn't buy anything excluded or returned/exchanged the order, the Cash Back will eventually be Confirmed. You can find more information here: https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/account-faq-34279916493843

Reviewed Jan. 14, 2025
This company is a scam. They do not honor your cash back, especially on larger purchases. I have been waiting since October for cashback related to a hotel booking. I chose that hotel specifically for the “guaranteed” cash back.

Hi there - We're sorry to hear that you didn't receive your Cash Back. Please email us at socialhelp@rakuten.com and we'll be happy to look into it right away.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2025
A perfect website to "earn" cash back, but only wants to play pretend, so don't worry, it'll be marked "ineligible" for cashback secretly after it was already "confirmed!" A great way to get scammed!!!

Hi there - We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please reach out to us at socialhelp@rakuten.com and we'll look into your Ineligible Cash Back for you and see what the issue is.
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2024
1: I still call it ebates instead of this made-up work. 2: They're getting pickier and pickier with what actually counts for cash back. They keep making more exclusions, and even though the pop-up will say that your cash-back will arrive in your balance soon, they NEVER send a follow-up saying "Oh actually no, you didn't, we exclude all these things". You just have to remember and eventually go back to see that your balance hasn't changed. very frustrating. 3: I'm officially removing the extension, because it now includes this super obnoxious pop-up that blocks a bunch of stuff on your screen that you have to click multiple things to get rid of. Basically: they're doing all they can to be less usable and get you less money.

Reviewed Dec. 23, 2024
I have been using Rakuten for a few years. Lately I have not been receiving the cash back. The cash back remains in pending and it's troublesome to try and get it as a pay out. I purposely use the site for the cash back. Sometimes the the product is a little more expensive but the cash back is great. I'm not using Rakuten any longer. Honestly Amazon prime with the 5 percent credit is better even with Amazon's monthly fee.
I have been using Rakuten for a few years. Lately I have not been receiving the cash back. The cash back remains in pending and it's troublesome to try and get it as a pay out. I purposely use the site for the cash back. Sometimes the the product is a little more expensive but the cash back is great. I'm not using Rakuten any longer. Honestly Amazon Prime with the 5 percent credit is better even with Amazon's monthly fee.

Hi there - We sincerely apologize for the confusion this has caused. Pending means your Cash Back tracked successfully but takes around 20 - 100 days to be Confirmed. Confirmed simply means that it's now eligible to be paid to you in the next payment.
This wait period is to account for return periods. You can find more information here: https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/account-faq-34279916493843
Reviewed Dec. 19, 2024
I have 5 pending cash back purchases sitting in pending status. The oldest one is from Oct 13 2024. The newest one is from 12/16/2024. Three different stores. Rakuten states I need $5.01 In confirmed status to receive any payment in February. Since they won’t move the legitimate purchases to confirmed status, they won’t send the money. Very easy to place all my transactions in pending, blame it on the three different stores, keep the money! If you look at the numerous complaints on BBB site, every complaint is the same! A seemingly systematic policy to deny payment, by blaming the store. They collect the shopping data, but withhold the payment! Contact the customer service, and they continually respond…. Don’t worry, we're working on it… 3 months later!!?? Give me a break!

Hi there - We sincerely apologize for the confusion this has caused. Pending means your Cash Back tracked successfully but takes around 20 - 100 days to be Confirmed. Confirmed simply means that it's now eligible to be paid to you in the next payment.
This wait period is to account for return periods. You can find more information here: https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/account-faq-34279916493843
Reviewed Dec. 14, 2024
Rakuten is not an honest merchant. Almost all of my recent rebates were declined or given less than stated, even though I didn’t use any extra coupons or make any changes to the orders. This wasn’t frequent before, but it has become a common issue this holiday season.

Hi Phoebe - We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please reach out to us at socialhelp@rakuten.com and we'll look into your missing Cash Back for you.
Reviewed Dec. 9, 2024
I can not re-join Rakuten. No matter what I do I get the same lame answers. I was told to wait 45 days to re-join. Well, it's been more than 45 days, and I keep getting rejected. The app is of no help at all, so is the so called "help". Rakuten rejects my email and phone no. Always the same "oops!" I will be taking my business elsewhere.

Updated review: Feb. 26, 2025
They fixed it.
Original Review: Dec. 6, 2024
They are scammers. Owe me $150 after I bought a brand new laptop and then got denied the cash back. I wish a lawyer would reach out. I want them in jail and bankrupt. This is absurd. They scam people like this and get Away with it

Hi Michael - We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please reach out to us at socialhelp@rakuten.com and we'll be happy to look into your missing Cash Back for you.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2024
I’ve been a loyal Rakuten user, but my recent experience was very disappointing. I purchased clothes and shoes from adidas as Christmas gifts for my family during a great deal. Specifically, I bought four pairs of sweatshirts in two colors and three pairs of the same shoes, all for my family members. Rakuten refused to honor my Cash Back and accused me of being a reseller, which is completely untrue. These were personal purchases made for gifting. This kind of treatment feels unfair, especially since I followed the deal in good faith. Rakuten, this is not the way to treat loyal customers.
Reviewed Nov. 23, 2024
I've been a longtime time user, since it was Ebates, but it's really gone downhill. Most of my successful shopping trips, which were previously verified, turn into pending, then ineligible! This has now happened several times now, and I have to contact them and send them receipts breaking everything down. Then they try and cheat you by not giving you correct percentage back or making up excuses saying it wasn't activated even though you can clearly see it had been pending on the website. I'm going to look for a new way to shop as they've seem to become scammers!

Hi Christie - We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We'd be happy to look into your Ineligible Cash Back. Please reach out to us at socialhelp@rakuten.com and we'll take a look for you.
Reviewed Nov. 20, 2024
I've been using RAKUTEN for many years. Cash back posted on the site in less than a week, sometimes 2 weeks max. NOW....they are all "pending" for months and months with no movement. I've contacted them and they are NOW saying it may take up to 100 days to get info from the merchant. What a SCAM...because you can only access your 'shopping trips' for 90 days, so you have no way to know what's going on. This is the NEW way??? Well, then I'm OUT. I used this site faithfully, but this new system has me leaving for a new one. Hoping they go back to the old system, but for now, I'm jumping ship.

Hi there - We sincerely apologize for the confusion this has caused. Pending means your Cash Back tracked successfully but takes around 20 - 100 days to be Confirmed. Confirmed simply means that it's now eligible to be paid to you in the next payment.
This wait period is to account for return periods. You can find more information here: https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/account-faq-34279916493843
Reviewed Nov. 15, 2024
Rakuten had change all my confirmed purchases to pending and now everything is pending. Others have had stuff or pending for 5 months and the only thing Rakuten will say is give them 100 days. 5 months is well over 100 days. I would use a different company. They are not the only ones out there. They keep giving them same copy and paste response when you reach out or make a BBB complaint.
Reviewed Nov. 13, 2024
I am being harassed by this company! I was purchasing from another site when Rakuten popped up. I did not sign up yet they are very persistent and keep sending me emails referencing the purchase I made from the other site. I have tried to stop the emails to no avail. They want me to create an account in order to unsubscribe.
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2024
I made a purchase at PetSmart on 9/2/2024 and they had shown my cash back of $15.90 but after 2 months it shows the order hasn't been confirmed. I have sent emails to Rakuten. They just say they're waiting for the merchant to verify the order still after 2 months lol. I don't know if it's a scam but I know I'm not going to get pay when I should be.
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2024
I been using Rakuten for a few years and I didn’t had any issues with getting cash back. Now all purchases I made since 2 months already it keeps saying pending. I contact customer service. Every time they say something different. Now they are not even answering. I will not use this app anymore.
Reviewed Oct. 28, 2024
I have been using Rakuten/Ebates for a while. This company NEVER gives you a straight answer on the balance on shopping trips. Today my confirmed cash back balance shows $80.63 yet on 11/15/2024 I will only get $45.66 of this money - why are they holding on to money? To get the interest rather than send it for me shopping using their site. They don't always give cash back too. I have to constantly contact them asking where my cash back is for shopping trips.
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2024
Purchased a desktop through dell for 10% cashback. Immediately got a PayPal request to change my password for security reasons. Had a pending payment of $270 cashback for a couple days and it went to $0. Don't use them! You will not get your money and risk compromising your accounts.
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2024
I signed up for a $350 Sofi promo through Rakuten, after my initial deposit of $500 was declined because it was bank to bank and not ACH, I had 2 deposits totaling $500 ACH into my Sofi account. Rakuten would not recognize this, and declined to deposit the credit into my account. My husband did the EXACT SAME promo, and Rakuten deposited the points into his account as a COURTESY prior to it even being verified. This company's customer service is a joke, if you're a merchant using them please know they are causing you to lose customers. I am closing my Sofi account and letting them know why.
Reviewed Sept. 29, 2024
I never had any problems getting cash back when it was Ebates, since it has been Rakuten I have so many problems getting cash back. I constantly have to send proof of purchase with date, amount and all items that were purchased, I use the cash back button, receive the confirmation and still the cash back does not go into my account. When it is time to get the "Big Fat Check" (quarterly) the money is never the same as shown because all of a sudden my purchases were not verified. Last quarter it was $20 that disappeared. When you ask to speak with someone, they don't have a person to speak with, corresponding through email is useless. It would be a nice program if they lived up to what they say. Tired of getting ripped off by them.
Rakuten.com Company Information
- Company Name:
- Rakuten.com
- Company Type:
- Public
- Ticker Symbol:
- RKUNY
- Year Founded:
- 1997
- Formerly Named:
- Rakuten
- Address:
- 800 Concar Drive
- City:
- San Mateo
- State/Province:
- CA
- Postal Code:
- 94402
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.rakuten.com