[News Update📢] Rakuten American Express® Card

Rakuten American Express® Card: A Strategic Way to Earn More Amex Points

🚨 New from Rakuten x Amex

Rakuten has launched a no-annual-fee American Express® Card, issued by Imprint (not directly by Amex). And while it may not look flashy at first, for savvy points collectors — especially those deep in the Amex Membership Rewards (MR) ecosystem — it’s a sleeper powerhouse.

👥 Who Should Care?

Anyone who:

• Uses Rakuten’s shopping portal

• Has an Amex MR-earning card

• Wants to earn more MR points without paying another annual fee

💳 Rakuten Amex Card Overview

💡 Why It’s Valuable: Strategy & Stackability

🔁 1. Convert Cash Back → Membership Rewards Points

The best play here is to opt into MR points instead of cash-back. You’ll earn:

• 1 MR point per $1 of Rakuten cash-back

• So a 10% back Rakuten offer = 10 MR points per $1 spent

🧠 2. Stack Like a Pro: Rakuten Portal + Rakuten Amex Card + MR Cards

Example:

• Shopping at a store offering 10% back on Rakuten

• Paying with Rakuten Amex Card adds 4% back (or 4 MR)

• You’re earning 14 MR points per dollar

🍴 3. Rakuten Dining = 10x Points (if you’re lucky)

You earn 10x at Rakuten Dining partners — 5% from Rakuten Dining + 5% from the Rakuten card (Frequent Miler tested it successfully). But availability is highly regional and opt-in is required in the Imprint app.

💰 4. Maximize the $7K Cap

The 4x Rakuten earnings rate is capped at $7,000 per calendar year (or 28,000 MR). After that:

• Rakuten purchases drop to 1x

• You’ll need to rotate cards or wait for the next year

Best play? Focus your portal-linked Rakuten purchases here and leave general spend to more powerful MR-earning cards like Amex Gold or Blue Business Plus.

🔍 Pros & Cons (Including Frequent Miler Insights)

✅ Pros

• No annual fee

• Earn up to 10x MR points on common spending categories

• Convert portal cash-back into valuable, transferable MR points

• No foreign transaction fees

• Good for light spenders who still want strong MR accumulation

⚠️ Cons

• Not a true Amex-issued card → lacks Amex Offers, Amex protections

• Cap on 4x earnings at $7K

• Rakuten Dining is regional and unpredictable

• You can’t switch back to cash-back once you select MR

• Earnings post quarterly, so you may wait 6–8 weeks for points

🧭 Set-Up Steps

1. Sign up for Rakuten (if you haven’t)

2. Apply for the Rakuten Amex Card

3. Link your card in the Imprint app

4. In your Rakuten account settings, choose:
   Payout Preference → American Express Membership Rewards

5. Start shopping via Rakuten portal or app

6. Use your Rakuten Amex Card to stack earnings

7. Track and receive points every quarter (e.g. purchases Apr–Jun post in August)

✏️ Final Thoughts

The Rakuten Amex Card isn’t about flash — it’s about finesse. It won’t replace your Amex Gold or Platinum, but it complements them. Especially for frequent Rakuten users or those who love stacking strategies, this card is a stealthy way to add thousands of extra MR points a year — for zero cost.

TL;DR: If you:

✅ Use Rakuten
✅ Have an MR card and mostly dabble in the Amex Ecosystem
✅ Like maximizing portals

This card belongs in your wallet.

I personally will pass on it for the time being as there are so many more exciting cards out there right now, and so much more to come.