Earn Amex points fast without opening a new credit card. Right now, Rakuten is offering up to 95x points per dollar on select subscriptions, which means you can generate over 56,000 transferable Amex Membership Rewards or Bilt Rewards points for under $545 in total spending.
This isn’t a credit card signup bonus. It’s not a spending requirement over three months. It’s three purchases through Rakuten that each take about five minutes, and the points land in your account within a few weeks. These promotions come and go, but they return frequently. Here’s exactly how the math works, what to buy, and how to set it up correctly so your points actually track.
How to Set Up Your Rakuten Account for Points (Not Cash)
This is the most important step and the one most people skip. By default, Rakuten pays you in cash back. You need to switch your payout to earn Amex Membership Rewards or Bilt Rewards points instead. If you don’t do this before purchasing, you’ll get cash instead of points.
- Create a free Rakuten account if you don’t have one yet. New members earn 5,000 bonus points after their first qualifying purchase of $50+ (which you’ll hit easily with any of these offers).
- Go to your Rakuten Account Settings
- Under Cash Back Preference, switch from cash to either Amex Membership Rewards or Bilt Rewards
- Link your Amex or Bilt account when prompted
- Install the Rakuten browser extension so you never miss a deal
Once your account is set to earn points, every dollar of cash back becomes one point. So 95% cash back becomes 95x points per dollar. That’s where the magic happens.
Not sure whether to choose Amex or Bilt points? We wrote a full breakdown here. And by the way, you can earn points on Rakuten even without an Amex or Bilt credit card. You just need a free account linked to Rakuten. Check out our guide to learn how.
The Three Offers and How the Math Works
Here are the current high-multiplier offers on Rakuten. You can do all three in the same session and stack the points.
LifeLock Ultimate Plus — 95x Points ($349.99)
LifeLock is Norton’s identity theft protection service. The Ultimate Plus annual plan costs $349.99 and earns 95x points per dollar through Rakuten.
$349.99 × 95 = 33,249 points That’s 33,249 Amex or Bilt points for $349.99, which works out to approximately 1.05 cents per point.
For context, Amex points are typically valued at 1.5–2+ cents each when transferred to airlines, meaning you’re getting $500–$665 in travel value for $350. If you use our deals and strategies, you can get much more than that!
Even if you have zero interest in LifeLock as a product, the math makes this worth considering purely as a points purchase. Just don’t cancel within 60 days or Rakuten will claw back your points.
Surfshark One+ — 95x Points ($113.13)
Surfshark is a VPN service. The 2-year plan for Surfshark One+ costs $113.13 and earns 95x points per dollar.
$113.13 × 95 = 10,747 points That’s 10,747 points for $113, or about 1.05 cents per point.
You also get a legitimate VPN for two years, which is useful for travel (accessing content from home while abroad, securing public WiFi at airports and hotels). This offer is for new Surfshark customers only, limited to one per Rakuten member.
NordVPN — 90x Points (~$107.73)
NordVPN’s 2-year plan costs approximately $107.73 and earns 90x points per dollar.
$107.73 × 90 = 9,696 points Slightly lower multiplier than LifeLock and Surfshark, but still an excellent rate at about 1.11 cents per point.
Combined Total
If you purchase all three:
- LifeLock: 33,249 points
- Surfshark: 10,747 points
- NordVPN: 9,696 points
- Rakuten signup bonus (new members): 5,000 points
Total: ~58,692 points for ~$571 That’s nearly 59,000 transferable points. Transfer them to Hyatt and that’s 3-4 nights at a nice hotel. Tranfer to Japan Airlines and it’s a lie-flat business class to Tokyo.
All from three subscriptions. Even if you only grab the LifeLock deal, you’re walking away with 33,000+ points for $350. That alone is enough to be worth your time.
Rules to Follow So Your Points Track
These Rakuten promotions are straightforward, but there are a few rules you need to follow or your points won’t track:
Switch to points. Make sure your Rakuten account is set to earn Amex or Bilt points, not cash back.
Click through Rakuten before purchasing. You must start from the Rakuten portal (or browser extension) and click through to LifeLock, Surfshark, or NordVPN. If you go directly to their websites, Rakuten won’t track the purchase.
Don’t use external coupon codes. Using promotional codes that aren’t listed on Rakuten can void your points. Stick to whatever Rakuten shows you.
Don’t cancel too early. Canceling your subscription within 60-90 days (depending on the offer) will result in Rakuten clawing back your points. Read the fine print on each offer.
No free trials. Points are not available on free trial signups. You need to purchase a paid plan.
Choose annual billing. You only earn the 95x multiplier on your first payment. If you choose monthly billing, you’ll earn 95x on just the first month’s charge and miss out on the bulk of the points. After purchasing, the transaction should appear as “pending” in your Rakuten account within a few days, initially showing $0. It will update to the correct amount later. Points from Rakuten pay out quarterly (the next payout date is typically shown in your account).
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking to earn Amex points fast or build your Bilt balance without opening a new credit card or hitting a minimum spend, Rakuten’s high-multiplier offers are one of the cleanest paths available.
Under $575 for nearly 59,000 transferable points is a rate that’s hard to beat anywhere else. Set your Rakuten account to earn points (not cash), click through the portal, purchase the subscriptions, and let the points roll in. Even if you never use LifeLock or Surfshark, the points alone are worth more than what you paid. Create your free Rakuten account and earn 5,000 bonus points →
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