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Rakuten

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Overview

Rakuten has a rating of 2.7 stars from 2,124 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Rakuten most frequently mention credit card, referral bonus, and family member problems. Rakuten ranks 5th among Cash Back sites.

  • Service
    187
  • Value
    151
  • Returns
    64
  • Quality
    121

This company does not typically respond to reviews

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 18.2%
Positive
2
Neutral
0
Negative
9
View ratings trends
61
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How would you rate Rakuten?
Top Positive Review

“Amazing Rakuten! Thanks so much Susan!”

Tetiana K.
5/7/24

Rakuten team are the best service I've come across in the US. We are refugees from Ukraine and we are very grateful to Rakuten for such joy as excellent service, impeccable work, patience, respect for the client and professionalism. I will be happy to buy everything only through the Rakuten service. This is a great savings and a great pleasure to know them! Thank you Susan!

Date of experience: 5/6/24
See positive reviews
Top Critical Review

“Thieves”

Cory C.
12/11/24

They never pay what you actually earned. I have yet to have a single transaction pay what was advertised. Even after purchases have been verified they just delete the payout for no reason. 100% scam!

Date of experience: 12/1/24
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Reviews (2,124)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (796) customer care (55) shopping trip (51) customer support (36) response time (19) credit card (31) gift card (35)
Thumbnail of user janets45
New Jersey
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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October 2nd, 2015
Verified purchase

Just love Ebates. I use it everytime I purchase anything online and make cash doing it! When ever there is an issue I need help with, the Ebates team handles it right away.

Date of experience: October 2, 2015

Thumbnail of user carolynm321
Florida
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 10th, 2019
Verified purchase

Used to be called Ebates and now Rakuten, Easy to shop thru the links and get a rebate. I don't know why every one doesn't use it. I try to use companies associated with them to increase my rebate.

Date of experience: June 10, 2019

Thumbnail of user victoriaf23
New York
1 review
1 helpful vote
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July 11th, 2017

Purely excellent customer service! A great way to get cash back on online purchases and in store. If you need to get a hold of customer service the response time is absolutely amazing!

Date of experience: July 11, 2017

Thumbnail of user kyris
Florida
1 review
2 helpful votes
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September 27th, 2017

I had not heard about Ebates until last year. Recently I had an issue with an order I did that I never saw the cash back for. It took approximately 3 months to get the cash back for the purchase and they would message me every week to give me an update of the status of my cash back. Once I thought it might be an automated message that they had in their system to send out to me and replied back that a supervisor should be involved. Needless to say within the hour a supervisor contacted me apologizing for the delay and the current update of the order. I was really blown away as I know that sometimes companies don't check general inboxes like that. Even after the supervisor contacted me a customer service agent updated me weekly about my claim. They followed up every step of the way and I can say that I am truly impressed. By the end of the 3 months I personally didn't think I would get the cash back since it was taking this long but I did! I have never dealt with a company that has provided such exceptional customer service as Ebates.

Date of experience: September 27, 2017

Thumbnail of user christieo1
North Carolina
3 reviews
1 helpful vote
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December 8th, 2015
Verified purchase

Ebates is incredible. I am in awe of the money I get back using their site. I love to shop on line and going through Ebates makes me want to spend more. 10 out of 10.

Date of experience: December 8, 2015

Thumbnail of user beverlyk67
West Virginia
1 review
1 helpful vote
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April 23rd, 2019
Verified purchase

Not able to use, not user friendly at all. I want to do my regular shopping without going through 3 or 4 different things to get to the site I normally go to with one click.

Date of experience: April 23, 2019

Thumbnail of user chipr4
Missouri
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
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April 18th, 2017

I have written the below three times and no response.

This is the third time I've emailed the below. Do you just not care? I would really appreciate a response from you before I
Spend an entire day giving you poor but honest reviews on social media.

I ordered Unique Bargains 20mm x 40mm Plastic Oval Blanking End Caps Bung Tubing Tube Inserts 24 Pcs over 10 days ago through
You (third party seller) on Sears.com. My credit card was charged on April 8 however I have received no email confirmation and
Haven't received the product ordered. I contacted Sears.com and they have no record of my order.

My company drop ships footwear and we ship out the orders the same day received.

Losing $6.61 is not the end of the world and judging from online reviews I am not alone is having this happen with your company. I
Did contact American Express and filed a dispute just due to principle but remain very disappointed with your company and online
Website. I feel it's my duty to warn others as well as to complain directly to Sears.

Date of experience: April 18, 2017

Thumbnail of user donnam105
New Jersey
1 review
1 helpful vote
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January 21st, 2016
Verified purchase

On the suggestion of friends at work-I created an ebates account at the end of last year when I was in the market for a new iPad. Using ebates for that purchase alone got me my first big fat check for almost $20. I have since used ebates several times for other online purchases. Last night- I decided to buy boots but didn't remember to log onto ebates first to see if the store I was shopping was an ebates vendor. I found out today that the store WAS an ebates vendor and the cash back amount of 7.5%. I was so upset with myself for forgetting to check on ebates first! I decided to contact ebates cust serv to see if anything could be done to include this purchase as an ebates purchase. (I would have canc'd the order and repurchased the boots using ebates, but the order was already in shipped status). The response from ebates was quick and they were very helpful in making a one time exception to adjust the purchase onto my ebates account. I have only good things to say about all of my ebates experiences so far. Thank you!

Service
Value

Date of experience: January 20, 2016

Thumbnail of user ottod16
Kentucky
1 review
3 helpful votes
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June 4th, 2020

I'VE BEEN USING EBATES FOR YEARS. NO ISSUES. THEY MOVED OVER TO RAKUTEN, AND NOW THE PROBLEMS START. THEY DECIDED TO KEEP MY CHECK -- $450! THEY STATE I VIOLATED THE TOS, AND THEY ARE KEEPING THE MONEY. WHAT A SCAM. SOMEONE SHOULD CONSIDER A LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM.

Date of experience: June 4, 2020

Thumbnail of user mariog95
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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August 5th, 2019
Verified purchase

You get paid for buying things you were already getting anyway. It's easy and it's a no brainer. For some reason, it says you need 100 characters to post review so I had to write this sentence.

Date of experience: August 5, 2019

Thumbnail of user jeffp28
Pennsylvania
1 review
1 helpful vote
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October 5th, 2014

ABSOLUTELY THE WORST COMPANIES TO DEAL WITH!

I will never buy from Rakuten or Wayfair again! Both have non -existent customer service. You need to e-mail and wait 3-5 business days for another excuse why you need to wait 3-5 days for another reply. Tried logging in to the account that I set up when I ordered, only to be told that they did not have any record of my order or account. Wasn't a problem for them when they took my money though. The price seemed way to good to be true when I ordered, so I only ordered enough to get free shipping. As per their invoice I ordered and was charged for 3 sets of 6, which as far as I can tell should be 18 pieces. I was only delivered 3 pieces. Took 20 days to get a refund. What they try to do is wear you down with the run around, until you give up!

ABSOLUTELY THE WORST COMPANIES TO DEAL WITH!

Date of experience: October 5, 2014

Thumbnail of user amirl18
Kentucky
1 review
1 helpful vote
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November 20th, 2020

Just say: they are great! Whenever I have a problem, customer service answers me shortly. They always solve my problem and I am happy for being a Rakuten member.

Date of experience: November 19, 2020

Thumbnail of user cindyy114
Tennessee
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 6th, 2019
Verified purchase

I'm really glad to shop places that offer this however my only concern is what they say I'm going to receive and what I actually get sometimes it's not the same and I've always wondered why

Date of experience: June 5, 2019

Thumbnail of user patriceg66
New Jersey
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 6th, 2019
Verified purchase

I am so happy I joined and started using Rakuten! Getting money back for shopping for things I need is wonderful! Thank you for making such a great program!

Date of experience: June 5, 2019

Thumbnail of user ritam158
Louisiana
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 10th, 2019
Verified purchase

They've improved their rebate speed. I used to have to wait and message them but now they come very quickly, even the ebates credit card ones come quickly now.

Date of experience: June 9, 2019

Thumbnail of user katiek8
New York
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
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February 22nd, 2014

I have had an overall good experience with ebates but it does seem to require a lot of extra "work" on my part. Often times purchases do not post and I have to manually enter the purchase info. After doing this, the money is almost always posted immediately but it does make me have to keep track of my purchases.

I did have one problem which was that I did not receive a check when I was expecting it. I contacted the site and they wanted me to wait 30 days which seemed pretty long. When the check still didn't come I was told it would be combined with the next check... in 3 more months. This was disappointing but it did come next with the next payment so it was just delayed.

The only other problem I've encountered was actually an issue my mother ran into. She made a large purchase from Meijer.com and the cash Bach never appeared. When contacting coy stoner service she was told the purchase wasn't eligible for cash back because she had used another coupon (which she hadn't) or clicked off the site (which she didn't). It seems that very large purchases are not awarded the promised cash back.

Overall I really like the site and I think I have encountered some great deals... but beware of large purchases and make sure you keep good records of your purchases!

Date of experience: February 22, 2014

Thumbnail of user joyb23
Missouri
2 reviews
4 helpful votes
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March 24th, 2016
Verified purchase

I'm an avid online shopper but relatively new to EBATES. This week I had occasion to place four small orders on Amazon, however, I failed to click through EBATES on any of them. Oops! I contacted customer support expecting them to politely inform me that there was nothing they could do. On the contrary, they responded promptly and, to my surprise and delight, credited me for the rebates I had missed!

This is extraordinary to me for two reasons. 1) They will not be able to recover the funds from Amazon since I messed up. And 2) it amounted to a very small amount, in the grand scheme of things. But, as a penny pinching couponer, it meant a lot to me.

I might also mention that I made my first purchase through EBATES just two weeks ago and (prior to the above scenario) have earned $26.76 in rebates AND it has already been paid out to my Paypal account. In my opinion, anyone who shops online would be crazy not to use EBATES. I wish I had signed up the first time I saw it advertised. I'm trying not to think about how much savings I missed out on.

Date of experience: March 24, 2016

Thumbnail of user martac40
Maine
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 24th, 2019
Verified purchase

Wonderful! I am very satisfied. I will continue to use this all the time. Friends all love it! They have been very good about all services professional and curtious when contacted for help.

Date of experience: April 23, 2019

Thumbnail of user jok30
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
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November 19th, 2015
Verified purchase

I just signed up with EBATES and tested it out with a small purchase on eBay - got my "Cash Back" posted the next day! I had a question on my 2nd purchase, and EBATES Customer Service Dept responded immediately - Krystal was very prompt in helping to resolve my issue. If you do a lot of online shopping, you should consider signing up for EBATES & earn Cash Back on all eligible purchases.

Date of experience: November 19, 2015

Thumbnail of user deborahs414
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2019
Verified purchase

I can't understand why everyone is not on the Rakuten wagon. It is so easy to use and you get cash (yes, real cash) back on products you were going to buy anyway! Can't rate it high enough!

Date of experience: July 31, 2019

Thumbnail of user bevf9
California
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
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July 31st, 2019
Verified purchase

I have it installed on my computer but I can't always tell if it is going to reward me or not at the time of my purchase. I get an e-mail later and maybe that is the only notification I am to get.

Date of experience: July 31, 2019

Thumbnail of user hannahj8
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 12th, 2014
Verified purchase

Ebates is great! I have earned over $300 in Cash Back in the past 6 months. I installed the Ebates button on Google Chrome which makes remembering to use Ebates super easy.

Date of experience: June 9, 2014

Thumbnail of user jt117
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 14th, 2016

Ebates has the best customer service ever! They are SO quick to reply and answer your questions. Very helpful and friendly every time! I wish every company had customer service like Ebates!

Date of experience: December 14, 2016

Thumbnail of user yazminn1
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 20th, 2015
Verified purchase

Lauren has been such a great help! I received a response quicker than I expected; which is very awesome! I am a first time user on EBates and I love this app!

Date of experience: December 19, 2015

Thumbnail of user marylout1
Ohio
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 18th, 2017

I have been using Ebates for the past few years. It is so much fun getting free $ for buying things I was already going to purchase! I highly recommend using Ebates!

Date of experience: April 18, 2017

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From the business

Rakuten is the new Ebates! Rakuten is the premier Cash Back shopping site that pays you. Join today and start earning Cash Back at your favorite stores. How does it work? We pay members Cash Back when they shop at over 2,500 stores, plus find them the best deals and coupons. With over 12 million members and $1 billion in Cash Back paid out, Rakuten is the easiest and most rewarding way to shop. Become a member today and start shopping smarter. Follow us for the latest sales, member-exclusive offers and more.

Business History

Ebates is the pioneer and leader of online Cash Back Shopping. The company was founded in 1998 by two Deputy District Attorneys in Silicon Valley who used to prosecute online fraud & identity theft before starting Ebates (so you can be sure we are very into secure online transactions!). So go ahead, sign up and start shopping now. Joining Ebates is always free - you'll never pay us anything. And four times a year or more, we'll mail you a Big Fat Check, or transfer the money to your PayPal account if you'd prefer. We can even send the money to your favorite charity. All 100% free.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user ebatess
Ebates S.
Typically does not respond to reviews

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