American Express Membership Rewards® Points FAQ

Want to earn points instead of Cash Back? Here’s everything you need to know.

New to Rakuten? Sign up for a free account to start earning. When prompted, enter your Membership Rewards account username and password. Once your account is connected, you’ll start earning Membership Rewards points when you shop through Rakuten.

Already have a Rakuten account? Go to Account Settings and update your payment method to Membership Rewards points. Connect your Membership Rewards account by entering your username and password and you’re all set!

Any confirmed Cash Back earned before switching to points will be converted to points and sent by the next transfer date.

You must have an American Express Card enrolled in the US Membership Rewards program. It must not be cancelled or past due.

The most popular eligible cards are:

• American Express Gold Card
• American Express Green Card
• The Platinum Card from American Express.

Corporate cards and the Rakuten American Express Card are not eligible at this time.

See all eligible cards

Earning Membership Rewards points with Rakuten is simple:

1. Start at Rakuten and choose a store. You can use our website, mobile app, or browser extension.
2. Activate Cash Back to start shopping. Once you make an eligible purchase, we’ll add points to your Rakuten account.
3. Get paid! Rakuten will transfer your confirmed points every three months according to Rakuten’s payment schedule.

10% Cash Back = 10X points

To get American Express Membership Rewards points, make sure you earn at least 501 confirmed points before the transfer date. Points must be confirmed by the store before the transfer date to be included. If your confirmed balance is 500 points or less, it will carry over to the next transfer date.

Any confirmed points you earn on purchases, bonuses and other rewards will be transferred to your Membership Rewards account every three months, according to the Rakuten payment schedule.

Once the store sends us your order details, points will be pending. They will be added to your confirmed balance and included in the next transfer, unless we receive new information from the store.

Online and in-store earnings typically take 3-14 weeks to be confirmed. This waiting period exists in case of returns, exchanges, exclusions or other changes to your order.

Points on Dining will be confirmed within 3-5 days after you dine.

Travel earnings are typically confirmed within 6-17 weeks after completing your travel.

Bonuses usually depend on an order and will be confirmed at the same time as the points. You'll get your Referral bonus once your friend makes a purchase and their Cash Back or points are confirmed.

Remember, points, bonuses and other rewards need to be confirmed before the transfer date to be included.

Rakuten Payment Schedule:

We'll transfer points to your Membership Rewards account by the following dates:

• February 15
• May 15
• August 15
• November 15

Points Activity shows current earnings, including both pending and confirmed points.

Remember, earnings on purchases, bonuses and other rewards need to be confirmed before the transfer date to be included.

Want to track your payment? Track My Big Fat Check

Yes, you need minimum confirmed earnings of 501 points before the next transfer date to get paid. Points must be confirmed by the store before the transfer date to be included. If your Earnings Balance is 500 points or less, it will carry over to the next transfer date.

You can see your current earnings any time in Points Activity.

If you made changes to your eligible Membership Rewards account, or if you recently closed or opened a new American Express card, please relink your Membership Rewards account to ensure points are transferred successfully.

You can do this by going to Account Settings and selecting Edit below Membership Rewards points. Then log in with your Membership Rewards account username and password.

To see points in your Membership Rewards account:

1. Log in to your Membership Rewards account and select the card icon in the top left corner, then select your eligible card.
2. Select Rewards & Benefits from the top navigation bar.
3. Select Rewards, then Points Summary.
4. Your transferred points will appear under Your Points Activity as Rakuten Additional MR Points.

Remember, points are transferred quarterly according to the Membership Rewards Points transfer schedule.

Contact us and we’ll be happy to help!