This is obviously a very long way from the $1025 welcome bonuses that are easy to get for most travelers. But it’s a free $30 bonus that’s on top of that and that really anyone can get. Because it doesn’t involve credit cards and therefore doesn’t require being among those who understand how powerful cards are or those with a good credit score.
To earn lots of travel rewards that will give you more free travel, you should always prioritize the huge welcome bonuses offered by the best credit cards in Canada. That’s literally the most important thing, as you know if you’ve read our infographic that summarizes all the basics of travel rewards.
But still, to get even more rewards (and therefore travel for less), you should finally start using online shopping portals — it’s so easy. It’s the 3rd of the 3 ways you should always combine, as explained in our ultimate guide on how to earn rewards.
Here’s how to take advantage of the free $30 signup bonus offered by the Rakuten portal (one of the best shopping portals in Canada).
Overview of the Rakuten signup bonus
It’s extremely easy to get the Rakuten $30 free signup bonus.
Here are the 4 simple steps to follow one by one:
- Use our Flytrippers referral link to get the Rakuten signup bonus
- Create a free account on Rakuten via that link
- Use Rakuten for your next online purchase
- Buy on one of the 750+ well-known stores (minimum: $30)
Here’s everything you’ll get if you do those very easy steps:
- $30 bonus (signup bonus)
- ≈ 1% to ≈ 15% back (regular Rakuten earn rate)
- ≈ 1% to ≈ 20,5% back (your credit card’s return rate)
- ≈ 1% to ≈ 10% back (if the retailer has its own rewards program)
On a random $100 purchase, that means you can earn $62.50 back even if the retailer where you’re buying doesn’t have its own rewards program ($30 with the Rakuten bonus, 12% with the Rakuten promotion, 20.5% with the welcome bonus on the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card).
On a $100 hotel booking on Hotels.com, a website that offers 10% back with its own Hotels.com rewards program, you earn $72.50 back when there’s a 12% back promotion with Rakuten on top of that!
Even after the Rakuten signup bonus, that’s 32.5% back and 42.5% back. Imagine how much you have been missing out on when you thought your credit card’s terrible 1% earn rate was what the world of rewards was all about!
Here’s the simplified infographic if you prefer.
It explains 2 things: how to use portals in general and how to take advantage of the Rakuten free $30 signup bonus.
Go through the Rakuten portal and get bonus cash back.
It’s as simple as that.
Your $30 bonus will appear on your account very quickly after your 1st purchase.
Pro tip: After creating your Rakuten account, you can then refer all your friends and family who have their own email addresses! You’ll earn $30 per referral if they use your link, and they’ll get the $30 too. Even more rewards for your future travels. The multi-player mode trick is a must if you want to get ahead in the world of travel rewards. Sign up for our free newsletter specifically for travel rewards to join the 120,000+ savvy travel rewards fans who receive many pro tips like that one!
Then, of course, keep using online shopping portals for every single thing you buy in your entire life. It’s not complicated. And if you want to be even savvier, always wait for promotions like those that give 10%+ more in rewards. Portals do these often, and by simply taking the time to plan ahead for all your purchases and travel bookings, you’ll earn so much more.
Very simple, too. It will literally give you 10%+ more… completely effortlessly. That’s huge.
Best portal: Rakuten vs Aeroplan
For travelers who want to maximize the value of their rewards, the best portal is often the Aeroplan eStore. Because the earn rates are often higher and because Aeroplan points have literally unlimited value.
For travelers who don’t want points of the more lucrative type with unlimited value (points that are necessarily a bit less simple, obviously), Rakuten is the best portal. Because it gives cash back, the most simple rewards.
So it’s a lot less hassle for those who always prefer it to be simpler but less lucrative (there are a lot of people who prefer that and it’s fine, as long as you know that more simple obviously always necessarily means less lucrative).
But for all travelers, the Rakuten portal is still useful for 2 main reasons:
- It doesn’t make sense to not take a nice free $30 bonus that’s so easy to get
- Rakuten has many more stores included than the Aeroplan or AIR MILES portals
Personally, I buy almost everything online because it’s 2025. And for every purchase I make, I always compare the Aeroplan portal and Rakuten portal earn rates (the bonuses offered vary; there are promotions throughout the year).
Often, the store where I need to make a purchase is on the Rakuten portal but not on the Aeroplan portal. So obviously, I prefer to earn cash back that is worth less instead of earning nothing at all.
For example, I had to make a big purchase at RONA. Going to the store is synonymous with throwing money away (and time too, of course) because that gets you a 0% bonus. Going through the Aeroplan eStore portal is unfortunately not an option, because RONA isn’t on that one.
By going through the Rakuten portal, I got 2.5% in rewards for free. It’s certainly better than nothing. It took me just 2 extra clicks than going to the RONA website directly…
Let’s say it took me 1 full minute more to go through Rakuten. In this specific case, that means I earned $2099 per hour just by knowing this tip that is so simple. That’s pretty good right?
In all cases, if you haven’t yet started using online shopping portals, Rakuten’s free $30 bonus promotion is a good reason to finally do it!
Basics of online shopping portals
Online shopping portals can seem complicated, but they really aren’t.
Here’s another infographic that summarizes the shopping portals if you prefer the visual version that compares the 2 scenarios for any purchase.
Instead of going directly to a well-known brand’s website (like to buy clothing on Old Navy’s website for example), you go through the portal first and it will redirect you to the same well-known brand’s website (you’ll still buy on Old Navy’s website).
But you’ll earn extra rewards, with literally just a few clicks and a few seconds of effort! It’s really absurd to miss out (when you know it exists).
These are extra rewards… completely free!
It’s yet another great example of a tip that’s sooooooooo simple… but that most people don’t even know exists. There are so many tips like this in the travel world, no wonder so many people believe the myth that travel is necessarily expensive.
(By the way, you can download our free ebook with 100+ travel tips!)
You can read our guide on online shopping portals if you want more details.
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Summary
Rakuten’s free $30 signup bonus is a good reason to finally use online shopping portals for all your purchases, no matter what they are. These are completely free rewards so that your next trip costs less.
What would you like to know about the Rakuten signup bonus? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Infographic about the Rakuten online shopping portal (image credit: Flytrippers)
