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Rakuten Cash Back Visa card art

Rakuten Cash Back Visa

By Alex Compton · Last verified

The original Rakuten card died in 2022; the brand came back in 2025 as an Imprint-issued Amex.

5.0/10Synchrony BankpersonalRakuten Cash Back
DiscontinuedBest for: Historical reference only

Welcome Bonus

None recorded

Last recorded offer

Spend Requirement

None recorded

Last recorded requirement

Annual Fee

$0

Last recorded · 3% FTF

Credit Score

670+

(Good)

Common Questions

Is the Rakuten Cash Back Visa discontinued?

Yes. Program ended September 17, 2022; all accounts closed. Successor is the Rakuten American Express Card powered by Imprint, launched July 2025. The original Rakuten card died in 2022; the brand came back in 2025 as an Imprint-issued Amex.

What can I use instead of the Rakuten Cash Back Visa?

The closest open alternatives we track are the PayPal Cashback Mastercard, Sam's Club Mastercard, OnePay CashRewards Credit Card. Each links to our full review with its current offer and complete breakdown.

Open Alternatives

The Rakuten Visa is gone, but these cards do a similar job and are still accepting applications.

PayPal Cashback Mastercard card art

3% on everything you check out with PayPal, which is most of the internet.

Terms under review AF: Under reviewRating: 7.8/10
Full ReviewOffer Under Review
Sam's Club Mastercard card art
Sam's Club MastercardSynchrony Bank

5% on gas anywhere is still one of the best pump rates in the country.

Terms under review AF: Under reviewRating: 7.4/10
Full ReviewOffer Under Review
OnePay CashRewards Credit Card card art

Walmart's new house card: 5% back in-store and online with Walmart+.

Terms under review AF: Under reviewRating: 7.3/10
Full ReviewOffer Under Review

Historical Offers Chart

Every public offer change we've tracked. Hover for details, timing your application is worth hundreds of dollars.

No numeric welcome bonus recorded

This product has no points- or cash-denominated offer to plot. Dated no-offer observations, non-points benefits, corrections, and primary-source links remain preserved in the table below.

ObservedOfferRequirementWhat changedEvidence
2026-06$0No recorded spendTerms reconfirmedDiscontinued, accounts closed September 2022Archive record · no attached snapshot
2021-01$0No recorded spendEarliest recordNo public bonus; the pitch was an extra 3% on Rakuten purchasesArchive record · no attached snapshot

Primary-source verification log

Append-only evidence ledger

Event-level primary-source attachments begin with the September 2026 verification system. Older records remain visible but are not retroactively presented as evidenced.

Historical record · spot an outdated offer? Report a correction above.

Last Recorded Earning Rates

These terms are historical context and are not presented as current.

  • 3xRakuten purchasesHistorical: stacked on top of regular Rakuten cash back
  • 1xAll other purchasesHistorical

Last Recorded Credits

No statement credits, this card wins on earn rates, not coupons.

Last Recorded Benefits

Confirm availability and enrollment requirements with the issuer.

  • Historically stacked an extra 3% on top of Rakuten portal cash back
  • Synchrony and Rakuten ended the program mutually; holders were offered a generic Synchrony Mastercard
  • Rakuten relaunched plastic in July 2025 with Imprint: an Amex earning an extra 4% on Rakuten purchases up to $7,000 a year

Why it earns its spot

  • +Portal stacking was a clever idea executed adequately
  • +No annual fee while it existed

Where it costs you

  • Dead since September 17, 2022, with accounts closed outright
  • Replacement Synchrony Mastercard kept none of the Rakuten earning
  • Anyone searching for it today wants the Imprint-issued Rakuten Amex instead

The Compound Verdict

Kept on file because people still search for it. Synchrony killed this card in 2022 and closed every account, an unusually abrupt ending even by Synchrony standards. The Rakuten cobrand torch passed to Imprint in 2025 with a much stronger Amex product, which is where any Rakuten devotee should look now.

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