Rakuten is my favorite online shopping portal, and it lets you earn bonus rewards for purchases you make online. Historically, Rakuten has offered the ability to earn cash back or Amex Membership Rewards points for online shopping, with the latter being a more compelling option (at least for those good at maximizing points).
There’s now an exciting update, as Rakuten has added a new rewards currency you can earn, and it might just be the best one yet… at least for some.
As of today (November 6, 2025), it’s possible to earn Bilt points for online shopping with Rakuten:
- For the first six months, all Bilt members will receive a 1:1 conversion rate, meaning every $10 in Rakuten cash back equals 1,000 Bilt points
- After that introductory period, Bilt Silver, Gold, and Platinum members, will maintain that transfer ratio, while non-elite Bilt members will receive 50 Bilt points per dollar in Rakuten cash back
- Those rates remain subject to change over time, and note that points earned through this partnership don’t count toward Bilt elite status
So, how can you start earning Bilt points with Rakuten? It works exactly the same as with Rakuten’s Amex partnership:
- Link your Rakuten account through the Bilt app
- Select “Bilt Points” as your Rakuten payment method
- Shop at participating Rakuten stores as you normally would
- Receive Bilt points automatically for your quarterly Rakuten payout
Is earning Bilt points with Rakuten worth it?
As mentioned above, I’m a big fan of using Rakuten for my online shopping. I generally choose to earn Amex Membership Rewards points, given that you can essentially earn one Membership Rewards point in lieu of one cent cash back. Since I value Amex points at well over one cent each, that’s an advantageous rate of return.
Now it’s possible to earn Bilt points with Rakuten in the same way you can earn Amex points. For the first six months, everyone can earn one Bilt point in lieu of one cent cash back, so that’s a no-brainer. In the long run, only elite members can maintain that rate, while others earn one Bilt point in lieu of two cents cash back.
So, what’s my take on the value here?
- I’d rather earn one Bilt point than one Amex point, since Bilt points are generally harder to earn, given the lack of card welcome bonuses, and Bilt has some unique partners
- For the first six months that’s true across the board, while in the long run, I’d rather earn one Amex point than 0.5 Bilt points, assuming I were a non-elite member
So this is now my preferred way to earn rewards with Rakuten, and I’m very happy to see this development.
Bottom line
Bilt and Rakuten have launched a partnership, letting Rakuten members earn Bilt points for their online shopping. Initially, all Bilt members can earn one Bilt point in lieu of one cent cash back, which is a great rate of return. Meanwhile beyond the first six months, only Bilt elite members will earn that rate of return, while others will earn one Bilt point for every two cents cash back.
It’s nice to see Rakuten now partnering with two points currencies, as this is a nice alternative to earning Amex points with Bilt.
What do you make of Bilt being added as a Rakuten partner?
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