This is obviously a very long way from the $1000 welcome bonuses that are easy to get for almost all travelers. But it’s a free $40 bonus that’s on top of that, and that really everyone can get. Because it doesn’t involve credit cards and therefore doesn’t require being among those who understand how powerful cards are, nor among those with a good credit score.
To earn lots of travel rewards that will give you more free travel, you should always prioritize getting huge welcome bonuses. That’s literally the most important thing. Speaking of, since today, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card has a new record-high offer (we’ll talk about it here Saturday; but it’s enough for 25hrs in the world’s best business class).
But still, you should also always use online shopping portals (it’s so easy). Flytrippers helps you travel for less with our free newsletter specifically about travel rewards, our ranking of the best current deals, our monthly live videos, and our infographic with all the basics.
Here’s how to take advantage of the free $40 signup bonus offered by the Rakuten online shopping portal.
What is the Rakuten signup bonus?
Rakuten is an online shopping portal that gives you rewards (very simple cashback) at 750+ brands. More rewards means more travel. To encourage you to try it, they give you a signup bonus, which is normally $30.
Until May 8, it’s 33% higher: $40 completely free! Just to make a purchase you’d make anyway! In addition to the regular Rakuten cashback (this is a bonus), and in addition to your rewards from your credit card and the brand (it just gives you more).
If you know how to earn rewards the right way, this Rakuten signup bonus can actually give you 81% back on a $100 purchase (I’ll explain that example below)!
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!
How do I get the Rakuten signup bonus?
It’s extremely easy to get the Rakuten $40 free signup bonus.
Here are the 5 easy steps to follow one by one:
- Create a free account on Rakuten with our Flytrippers referral link
- Use Rakuten to access one of the 750+ well-known brands’ websites
- Buy from any of them within 90 days ($40 minimum for the bonus)
- Get the normal rewards from Rakuten
- Get the $40 signup bonus from Rakuten
It’s as simple as that! And that 1st purchase can even give you 81% back!
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 $40 signup bonus.
What about after I get the Rakuten signup bonus?
Your $40 bonus will automatically appear on your account very quickly after your 1st purchase, as long as you create your free account by the end of the day on May 8 and make a $40 purchase within 90 days of signing up.
(Let’s just say that’s a pretty easy spending requirement; you don’t need our tips to meet the minimum spending requirements for credit cards!)
Normally, you’d get $30, but the bonus is increased.
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 $40 per referral if they use your link, and they’ll get the $40, too.
Even more rewards for your future travels. This is just one aspect of the multi-player mode trick; this 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 150,000+ 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. We’ll start covering them regularly again in our free newsletter dedicated to travel 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.
How can the Rakuten signup bonus give me 81% back?
So many people sadly settle for earning an absolutely terrible 1% or 2% back on their purchases.
If you know how to earn rewards, you can maximize your return with 3 different earn paths:
- Credit cards
- Rewards programs directly
- Online shopping portals
For each of the 3, the return you get varies constantly. But it can be pretty amazing.
Here’s everything you’ll get if you finally get into shopping portals with this Rakuten bonus:
- Credit card
- 1% to ≈ 25.6% back
- Rewards program directly
- ≈ 1% to ≈ 10% back
- Online shopping portal
- 1% to 15% back
- $40 signup bonus
Concretely, let’s look at a few real examples of what that means, depending on a few options.
Let’s say you make a $100 purchase, to have an easy round number:
- Credit card
- $25.60 with the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card bonus (25.6%)
- $13.30 with the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card bonus (13.3%)
- $1.00 with a card on which you’re sadly not earning a bonus (1.0%)
- Rewards program directly
- $10.00 with the Hotels.com Rewards program (10%)
- $2.00 with the Simons rewards program (2%)
- $0.00 with many brands that don’t have a program (0%)
- Online shopping portal (Rakuten earn rate)
- $15.00 at Sporting Life, Adidas, Under Armor, etc. (15%)
- $3.00 at Hotels.com (3%)
- $1.00 at many brands when Rakuten has no promotion (1%)
- Online shopping portal (Rakuten signup bonus)
- $40.00 signup bonus (fixed value)
If you maximize, that gives you $81.60 back (80.6%) on a $100 purchase at Sporting Life, for example.
Obviously, the $40 signup bonus isn’t there with every purchase (although many people add a “+” and an extra word to their Gmail username to create multiple Rakuten accounts)…
But even the return rate without the bonus, which gives you 40.6% back, is incredibly better than what most people get.
As mentioned, Rakuten earn rates vary throughout the year; taking advantage of promotions is key (just like with credit cards).
Why use Rakuten instead of the Aeroplan portal?
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 not to take a nice free $40 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 2026. And for every purchase I make, I always compare the Aeroplan portal and Rakuten portal earn rates (the bonuses offered vary; each has its own 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, since it gets you a 0% bonus (in addition to also wasting time, of course). Going through the Aeroplan eStore portal was unfortunately not an option, because RONA wasn’t on that one.
By going through the Rakuten portal, I got 2.5% in rewards for free (RONA is sadly no longer on Rakuten either since).
Cashback is not better than points, but it’s certainly better than nothing. It took me just 1 extra click 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 $40 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 buying 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 $40 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.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn pro tricks: Travel tips
Featured image: Infographic about the Rakuten online shopping portal (image credit: Flytrippers)
Original publication date: October 7, 2025
