Rakuten Is Offering A Bonus For Chase Approvals
In a surprising twist, Rakuten is offering a bonus for Chase approvals. Well, at least for select Chase cards that is. The offer wasn't super exciting when it launched a few days ago, but it got mighty interesting with a recent bump over the last 24 hours. The increase is likely because of Rakuten's deal week which ends on 5/12/25. We don't know if this will end before then or not though. It is pretty wild that you could get Amex Membership Rewards points for signing up for an Ultimate Rewards earning card. That is true at least if you have the account set up properly to earn Membership Rewards. I do wonder how American Express feels about all of this (oh the drama!).
**If you don't already have a Rakuten account then you can sign up using our referral and earn a $40 / 4,000 point bonus as well. Thanks in advance for the support if you use our link to sign up! (Full Rakuten guide)
Offer Details
Rakuten is offering bonus cash back / Membership Rewards points if you are approved for select Chase credit cards. The points are showing up as pending on most accounts within 24 hours after immediate approvals. Here are the cards Rakuten is offering a bonus for Chase approvals on:
- Sapphire Preferred (our card review)
- $300 / 30,000 Membership Rewards
- Ink Business Unlimited (our card review)
- $300 / 30,000 Membership Rewards
- Freedom Unlimited (our card review)
- $150 / 15,000 Membership Rewards
You can just search Chase on Rakuten to get these offers to pull up. If you don't already have a Rakuten account then you can use our referral to sign up for your account and get that new member bonus too.
Offer Terms & Best Practices
There was one interesting terms section for the Rakuten bonus for Chase approvals that we should discuss in more detail:
Cash Back provided by Rakuten, not Chase. Cash Back only available for new, approved Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card who keep the account open for a minimum of 3 months after approval. Only one cash back bonus per Rakuten member account (bolding is mine). Applying for a new credit card may impact your credit score.
We are not sure if that means one bonus for a Chase sign up per Rakuten account, or if it means one bonus for each card type. I would assume it means the latter myself, but time will tell for sure there. The bonus is also based on the approval, not on the spending requirement to earn the welcome offer from Chase. The posting time just says that the bonus will be added to your Rakuten account within a few months. I wouldn't be surprised if that means three months, since holding the card for three months is a requirement of the offer.
As for best practices with Rakuten offering a bonus for Chase approvals, there are a few I would consider:
- I would only sign up for a card under the Rakuten members name. They may not pay out for it if it is your spouse's name etc. even if that is not mentioned in the terms.
- That is how it has worked for some other offers in the past, so best to be safe.
- You would be better off referring your significant other to a Rakuten account and having them sign up that way.
- You would get a referral bonus and they would get the new member bonus as well.
- I would also use a clean browser when applying to make sure that it tracks properly.
- Take screenshots / video of the application process starting on Rakuten's site.
- This offer is worth the extra effort in case something doesn't track properly.
I should also note that there is no way to combine this offer with a personal referral. Most people will come out well ahead with the Rakuten offer versus signing up via a credit card personal referral anyway. That is unless you value Chase Ultimate Rewards at 3x the value of Amex Membership Rewards.
We Want You To Get The Best Deal
Our goal is always to get you the best deal possible. That is why we are sharing this info, even at a detriment to ourselves. It is also why we have given readers and group members over 20,000,000 points in referral bonuses (and counting) at this point.
The truth of the matter is that we rely on affiliate revenue to cover the cost of the team working basically around the clock to answer questions in the group. It also covers the cost to provide most of the content on this site (since ad revenue is pretty much a joke). We do that all for free for our 150,000+ Facebook Group members and website readers. This definitely jeopardizes that set up if the program expands, or becomes more of the norm. We are not allowed to offer something similar unfortunately, and that is per Chase's own rules. That is what stinks about this, it isn't a level playing field anymore. A discussion for another day there though.
All that we ask in return, for always putting our members and readers first, is to support us by using our links when our offer does match the best offer available. We appreciate all of the support we have seen since starting Travel on Point(s), and hope that continues for years to come!
Rakuten Is Offering A Bonus For Chase Approvals: ToP Thoughts
The fact that Rakuten is offering a bonus for Chase approvals is pretty wild to see. We haven't really seen anything like it in the history of miles and points. Getting a competitor's points for signing up for another competitor's product still kind of blows my mind. It is an amazing opportunity for our members and readers though. One that basically offers two welcome offers for the same card sign up. Hopefully all that apply get an instant approval!
Final reminder that if you don't already have a Rakuten account then you can sign up using our referral and earn a $40 / 4,000 point bonus as well. Thanks in advance for the support if you use our link to sign up! (Full Rakuten guide)
Let me know if you are able to take advantage of this Rakuten offer over in the ToP Facebook Group.
