The Rakuten American Express Card Review
[2026.5 Update] The new offer is $200.
[2026.4 Update] The new offer is $200, only for today. [2026.4 Update2] The higher offer is expired. The offer is now $100 as usual.
[2026.2 Update] The new offer is $200, only for today. [2026.2 Update2] The higher offer is expired. The offer is now $100 as usual.
Application Link
Features
- $200 Offer: get a $200 bonus when you spend $2,000 in the first 90 days. This is the best offer on this card.
- Earn an extra 4% cash back on Rakuten purchases; earn an extra 5% cash back on Rakuten dining partners; earn 2% cash back on groceries and restaurants; and earn 1% cash back on everything else.
- You can choose to link your Rakuten account with AmEx Membership Rewards (MR) account, and transfer its cash back to MR points at a 1:1 ratio. You can also choose to link your Rakuten account with Bilt account, and transfer its cash back to Bilt points at a 1:1 ratio for a limited time (after 2026.5 the ratio will be 1:0.5 or more according to your Bilt account status).
- No annual fee.
Disadvantages
- There’s a cap on the extra 4% cash back rate on Rakuten purchases: up to $7,000 in a calendar year.
- The issuer is small (powered by Imprint, issued by First Electronic Bank).
- It has foreign transaction fee, so it's not a good choice outside the US.
Summary
You can buy almost anything on Rakuten, so this card is essentially a 4% online shopping card. The biggest limitation is the $7,000 a year cap.
Historical Offers Chart
Application Link
If you like this post, don't forget to give it a 5 star rating!
[Total: 0 Average: 0/5]