How to Cancel Rakuten (Ebates) in 2026 — Cash Out Your Cashback First

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is free — there's no subscription fee. It earns money from merchant commissions and shares some with you as cashback. But if you want to close your account, you need to collect your pending cashback first.

⚠️ Before Closing: Claim Your Cashback

• Check your pending cashback at rakuten.com/account-settings
• Rakuten pays out quarterly — Feb 15, May 15, Aug 15, Nov 15
• Minimum payout: $5.00
• Payment methods: check (mailed), PayPal, or Amex points
• Wait for your payout before closing — you forfeit unclaimed cashback

Close Your Rakuten Account

1. Go to rakuten.com/account-settings
2. Scroll to Close Account
3. Or contact Rakuten support at help@rakuten.com
4. Request account deletion

Why You Might Want to Keep It

Rakuten costs $0 and gives you free money. Unless you have a specific reason to close:

• No subscription fee — it's genuinely free
• 1-15% cashback at 3,500+ stores (Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc.)
• Browser extension auto-activates cashback while shopping normally
• No effort required — once set up, it earns cashback automatically
• Average user earns $50-200/year doing nothing extra

Alternative: Just Remove the Extension

If Rakuten's browser extension bothers you but you want to keep the account:

• Remove the Chrome/Firefox extension
• Unsubscribe from Rakuten emails (Settings → Email preferences)
• Your account stays dormant — no charges, no spam
• Log in quarterly if you have pending cashback to collect

Privacy Concerns

If you're closing for privacy reasons:

• Rakuten tracks your shopping activity to credit cashback — that's how it works
• The browser extension can see which shopping sites you visit
• Removing the extension stops tracking immediately
• Request data deletion under CCPA (California) or GDPR (EU) if applicable

Similar Cashback Services

• Capital One Shopping — auto-applies coupons + cashback
• Honey (PayPal) — coupon finder + cashback via PayPal Rewards
• TopCashback — often has higher cashback rates than Rakuten
• Ibotta — cashback on groceries and online shopping
• Credit card rewards — many cards offer 2-5% cashback without extra tools