Reading Time: 3 minOne of our favorite points-earning programs — Bilt — just announced an exciting new partnership with Rakuten. In addition to Bilt's Neighborhood Benefits program, this gives members an even easier way to rack up Bilt points on everyday purchases.
If you’re not familiar with Rakuten, it’s one of the most popular online shopping portals, where users can earn extra cash back simply by starting their shopping journey through the Rakuten site (or app). With more than 3,500 participating retailers, including household names like Nike, Macy’s, Athleta, Ulta, Lands' End, and Best Buy, it’s an easy way to earn extra rewards on purchases you’d be making anyway.
Using Rakuten is simple: Start at rakuten.com, search for the store where you plan to shop, click through to the store's own website, and then check out as usual. There’s even a Rakuten Chrome extension that automatically alerts you when cash back is available so you’ll never miss an opportunity to earn.
Best of all, new Rakuten users currently have the opportunity to earn $50 in bonus cash back.
Now, thanks to Rakuten’s new partnership with Bilt — which just launched today — members can choose to earn Bilt points instead of the standard cash back. It works similarly to Rakuten's existing partnership with American Express where you can earn Membership Rewards points, but instead, your earnings will be converted directly to your Bilt account.
Here’s how it works:
For example, if you shop through Rakuten at a retailer offering 10% cash back and spend $100, you’d typically earn $10 in cash back. With this partnership, that translates to 1,000 Bilt points during the first six months — or 500 Bilt points afterward for standard members.
To get started, you’ll need to link your Bilt and Rakuten accounts — which can be done through your Bilt account — and select Bilt points as your preferred earning option.
From there, every eligible Rakuten purchase will automatically earn Bilt points instead of cash back. Bilt points earned will then transfer to your account at the end of each quarter.
In addition to this new Rakuten partnership, Bilt members can earn extra points through Bilt's Neighborhood Benefits program. This ongoing program rewards you during your everyday shopping — from dining out to fitness classes to shopping at participating retailers like Walgreens.
All you need to do is link your preferred credit or debit cards to your Bilt account, and you’ll automatically earn bonus Bilt points on top of your regular credit card rewards whenever you pay at participating merchants.
You can even connect your Bilt account to Lyft to earn an additional 2 Bilt points per dollar spent on every ride, no matter which card you use to pay.
Between Neighborhood Benefits and the new Rakuten partnership, Bilt members have more opportunities than ever to stack rewards on purchases they’re already making — all without changing your usual shopping habits. And with the holiday shopping season upon us, it couldn't be better timed.
