How to earn with Rakuten without spending money (6 Ways)

Most people think you have to buy things to save, but that’s not the whole story.

If you’ve been wondering how to earn with Rakuten without spending money, you aren’t alone.

By leveraging the power of their high-value referral program, you can turn your social network into a consistent revenue stream.

In this guide, I’ll show you the exact steps to build a balance without placing a single order yourself.

Here are the ways.

• Rakuten Referral Bonuses
• Rakuten Gift Card Strategy
• Rakuten Referral Bonuses with Other Programs
• Rakuten and Email
• Rakuten Browser Extension
• Influencer & Publisher Program

Keep reading, and I’ll go over these ideas in more detail, a way to get paid when signing up to Rakuten, and 4 other unique ideas to put extra cash in your pocket….

What is Rakuten and How Does the Cash Back App Work?

It’s an app that helps people save money when they purchase things.

The app gets a commission when you purchase through their link. This is called (affiliate marketing), and they share that commission with you to give you the discount.

It’s similar to Honey App; however, that app got into some trouble because there were cases of it stealing the commission of influencers who promoted it, such as Mr. Beast.

This is why many affiliate networks delisted the Honey app.

However, there are other ways to earn money with Rakuten instead of buying products, and that is what this post is all about.

How to Maximize Your Rakuten Referral Bonuses for Extra Cash

One of the best ways to earn money with Rakuten is by referring people to the platform. If they spend $50 within 90 days, then if you referred them, you get $50.

Here is my link if you want to do me a favor. Oh, and if you use my link, you get $50 if you spend $50 within 90 days. I hope this makes sense!

Of course, that $50 welcome bonus is a timed thing so it may change.

$50 is a great referral bonus, too, so everyone wins.

Another great thing is Rakuten takes “anyone.” Some affiliate places are more strict!

Like RankMath, this WordPress plugin I’ve been using forever, been blogging forever too, and I still get rejected when I try to be an affiliate.

How to Use Rakuten to Buy Gift Cards and Trigger Your Bonus

A nifty strategy is with gift cards.

So if you click my link with Rakuten, you get a $50 Welcome bonus.

Yes, it is a timed thing, so it can change.

Rakuten gives cash back on certain offers. Sometimes “Giftcards.com” or “Raise,” can offer a 15% cash back.

Raise is when someone sells a gift card and earns cash, and you can buy them at a discount.

As I’m writing this, I see giftcards.com, and I can get 1% cash back.

If you purchase the $50 Gift card, 1% cash back you would get 0.50 cents. Then you get the welcome bonus, and you get a $0.50 cent profit.

Another option is Freecash. This is 5% cash back.

This site pays you to do things like play games, test apps, and take surveys. Once you earn $50 then, it triggers that $50 reward, plus the cash back, $2.50.

The cash back is for completing a milestone or completing a task. I don’t think you get $5 for just signing up.

The Best Apps to Stack with Rakuten to Double Your Rewards

The magic with Rakuten is that you can build on it with other things, and it’s VERY easy to do this.

For example, there are grocery receipts.

Grocery receipts are amazing. Basically, you can get cash or gift cards for taking a photo of any receipt you have.

Plus, you can use 1 receipt with 11 apps that I use, which ALL pay you. All or most of the 11 of those apps do have affiliate programs where you can get a bonus for referring someone.

Some of these apps, you earn a lifetime income based on the people you refer.

I wrote a whole post on how to earn money with receipts if you want to know more.

Another program that can stack well with Rakuten is Amazon.

The Amazon affiliate program can be tricky to get into, plus you need to get a sale within 6 months. This opens the doors to earning money from many products.

Amazon is nice because you get a cut from whatever someone purchases within 24 hours of visiting Amazon.

Plus, Amazon does a great job with its site. So you just have to get someone there.

I’ll just give you one more idea: there is an app that saves on groceries, gas, and restaurants. You can also get paid to refer people to it, and I wrote a post on this app, Upside, that gives discounts.

How to Earn with Rakuten Using Simple Email Marketing Tips

I have to mention that all this referral income and affiliate stuff work better when you have an email list.

Plus, you own the traffic.

Various platforms like TikTok or YouTube can change, and we all play under their rules. When you own a list, you reduce the risk because platforms change.

I built a 6,000-member Reddit group, and out of the blue, someone higher up decided to cancel the group. It happens.

Oh, and I created a free cheat sheet on how to build an email list for free.

Why You Should Install the Rakuten Browser Extension for Automatic Savings

Another cool thing about Rakuten is that it has a browser extension.

So it’s easy to find and share double cash back events with friends and family. These events are when someone gets “a lot” of money back on something.

They use your referral link, and you get paid. Plus, the person you referred gets a lot of cash back!

How to Join the Rakuten Influencer Program to Earn Higher Commissions

Lastly, if you have MORE of a presence online, you can try for the Influencer program.

This allows you to earn a commission by promoting certain brands and products. You would first sign up for Rakuten and get that welcome bonus for yourself.

Then apply to the website. Be prepared to submit a website URL or social media handles and explain how you plan to promote their products.

Also, if you refer 10 Qualified Referrals in a single calendar quarter, they automatically promote you to influencer.

The Best Work-From-Home Side Hustles to Pair with Rakuten

Apart from Rakuten, there are many ways to earn money from home.

One idea is a work-from-home job.

I know it doesn’t sound sexy, BUT some are awesome.

I did one where I was contacting business owners, giving them a tax credit, and I had to force myself to stop working and do other things.

It was that much fun.

Sadly, some work-from-home jobs are scams and bullshit. A place like this vets these jobs to only give you good opportunities you can look at.

Plus, they have a LARGE list. Also, Advanced Search Filters to help you find your ideal work-from-home gig.

They also help you get the job.

They give you detailed company profiles, so you know what you’re getting into.

It is a subscription service, BUT you can always sign up for the free trial find a few places, and then cancel.

 There are a few simple tweaks that easily put money in your pocket.

They make reusable freezer bags, and I just recently got them and LOVE them.

They are easy to clean, help the environment, and put money in your pocket since you don’t have to buy them.

You can check if Amazon is running any discounts on them.

Another easy way to save cash, which I also recently purchased, was these dryer balls. They sound silly, but all you do is throw them in the dryer, and they save 15-25% of the electrical bill of the dryer.

It adds up.

Also, to get the full effect, you want to use all 6 balls and NOT have a full dryer.

If the weather allows, then hanging up clothes outside using a wire like this is a great idea.

Closing: How to earn with Rakuten without spending money

I hope this post was helpful.

With the money you save, you might want to give yourself a vacation.

I wrote a post on 12 ways to save more money when traveling.

Bye for now.