Rakuten is running their Big Give Week right now, and some of these cash back rates are ridiculous. We're talking 100% cash back on certain stores.
There are 7 cybersecurity and privacy products available right now that, purchased together, would cost $1,041.28 and earn $1,011.79 in cash back. Instead of taking that as a check, you can convert it into 101,179 Amex Membership Rewards points or BILT points...
Here's every deal, the full math, and my honest take on which products are actually worth signing up for versus which ones are purely a points play. If you don't have a Rakuten account yet, even better. You can earn an extra 5,000 points just for signing up through a referral link
How the Rakuten Points Conversion Works
Most people know Rakuten as a cash back app. You shop through their portal, you get a percentage back. Simple. What a lot of people don't realize is that you can swap that cash back for points instead.
Right now you can link your Rakuten account to either Amex Membership Rewards or BILT Rewards. The conversion rate is straightforward: every $10 in Rakuten cash back = 1,000 points.
So if you earn $1,011.79 in cash back, that converts to roughly 101,179 points.
Whether you go Amex MR or BILT depends on your card setup. If you hold an Amex Platinum, Amex Gold, or any MR-earning Amex card, linking to Amex MR makes sense. If you're deep in the BILT ecosystem, their points transfer to the same airline and hotel partners. Either way, at a conservative 2 cents per point valuation, that's about $2,024 in travel value.
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What Is Rakuten Big Give Week?
Big Give Week is Rakuten's limited-time promotion where they boost cash back rates across hundreds of stores. Some stores go from their normal 2-5% to 15-20%. Others go completely over the top with rates like 95%, 97%, and even 100%.
The catch is timing. These rates only last during the promotional window. Once Big Give Week ends, the rates drop back to normal. So if you're going to take advantage, now is the time.
The 7 Best Deals Right Now
Here's every product currently offering 95%+ cash back, what it costs, and how many points each one earns.
100% Cash Back Tier
These two products give back every dollar you spend as cash back (or points). You pay upfront, and you get it all back.
Incogni (Family Unlimited Plan)
Cost: $248.29/year ($20.69/mo)
Cash back: 100% = $248.29 back
Points earned: 24,829 points
Incogni is a data removal service. It contacts data brokers on your behalf and requests they delete your personal information. The family plan covers everyone in your household.
NordVPN (Basic, 2-year + 3 months)
Cost: $83.43 ($3.09/mo)
Cash back: 100% = $83.43 back
Points earned: 8,343 points
NordVPN is one of the most well-known VPN services out there. The 2-year plan brings the monthly cost way down, and at 100% cash back, the subscription is essentially covered by the points you earn.
97% Cash Back Tier
These three products give back 97 cents of every dollar.
Surfshark One+ (2-year + 3 months)
Cost: $112.86 ($4.18/mo)
Cash back: 97% = $109.47 back
Points earned: 10,947 points
Net cost: $3.39
Surfshark is another solid VPN option. The One+ plan includes their VPN, antivirus, ad blocker, and data breach alerts.
NordProtect Silver (2-year plan)
Cost: $119.76 ($4.99/mo)
Cash back: 97% = $116.17 back
Points earned: 11,617 points
Net cost: $3.59
NordProtect is Nord's identity theft protection and cyber insurance product.
NordPass Family Premium (2-year plan)
Cost: $66.96 ($2.79/mo)
Cash back: 97% = $64.95 back
Points earned: 6,495 points
Net cost: $2.01
NordPass is a password manager from the Nord ecosystem. The family plan covers up to 6 users.
95% Cash Back Tier
LifeLock (Annual Plan)
Cost: $349.99/year ($29.17/mo)
Cash back: 95% = $332.49 back
Points earned: 33,249 points
Net cost: $17.50
LifeLock is Norton's identity theft protection service. It's the most expensive product on this list, but it also earns the most points by far. At $349.99, this single product generates over 33,000 points.
Norton 360 Premium (10 Devices, First Year)
Cost: $59.99/first year ($5.00/mo, 60% off regular $149.99)
Cash back: 95% = $57.00 back
Points earned: 5,700 points
Net cost: $3.00
Norton 360 Premium covers up to 10 devices with antivirus, a VPN, dark web monitoring, and cloud backup.
The Full Math
You're spending $1,041.28 upfront. That full amount leaves your account. You then earn $1,011.79 back as either cash or 101,179 points. Your net out-of-pocket cost for all 7 products is $29.49.
If you convert to points, you're paying roughly 1.03 cents per point. For Amex MR or BILT points that are typically valued at 2 cents each, that's paying about half price for your points. And you still get all the products.
If you're new to Rakuten and sign up through a referral link, add another 5,000 points to that total. That brings you to 106,179 points for a net cost of $29.49. The referral bonus kicks in after your first $50+ purchase, and since even the cheapest product on this list (Norton at $59.99) clears that threshold, it's points you'd be leaving on the table otherwise.
What 101,000 Points Can Get You
To put those 101,179 points into perspective:
- A one-way business class flight to Japan through ANA (typically 75,000-88,000 points)
- Several nights at a Hyatt property (transferred to World of Hyatt at 1:1)
- Multiple round-trip economy flights to Europe through partners like Flying Blue
If you redeem your points strategically, you can get over $2,000 in value.
These points have real travel value. You're not getting pennies back on a cash back card. You're getting enough points for a legitimate trip.
Which Products Are Actually Worth Keeping
You probably don't need 7 cybersecurity subscriptions. Some of these are worth keeping long-term, others are purely a points play. Here's how to think about it.
Products worth considering:
NordVPN and Surfshark are both solid VPN services. If you don't have a VPN, either one is a good pick. You don't need both. Choose whichever one fits your setup and cancel the other before renewal. NordVPN is the more established option. Surfshark One+ bundles more features at a similar price.
Products that are primarily a points play:
Incogni is interesting but not essential for everyone. If you care about getting your personal data removed from broker sites, it's a legitimate service. At 100% cash back, it costs you nothing to try and earns almost 25,000 points.
NordProtect, NordPass, LifeLock, and Norton are where the math gets interesting. LifeLock alone generates over 33,000 points. Are these bad products? No. Would most people sign up for all of them outside of a promotion like this? Probably not. The points math just works too well during Big Give Week to ignore.
Important: If you sign up for the points play, set a calendar reminder for before the renewal date. These are subscription services that auto-renew, and the renewal prices are significantly higher than the promotional rates. Cancel before renewal if you don't plan to keep them.
What to Know Before You Sign Up
There are a few catches worth knowing before you go all-in on these deals.
Tracking isn't guaranteed. For the cash back to count, Rakuten has to successfully track your purchase. That doesn't always happen. If you're signing up for all 7, every single one needs to track correctly for you to earn the full 101,179 points. If one or two don't track, you'll need to contact Rakuten support to get it credited manually. It happens, but it's not instant. Read the terms and conditions for each store, make sure you're clicking through the Rakuten website directly, and don't use any browser extensions or third-party tools that might interfere with tracking. Clean clicks through the portal are how you make sure everything registers.
Payouts are quarterly. Rakuten doesn't pay out your cash back (or points) immediately. They pay once a quarter. So if you're in a hurry to get points into your account for an upcoming trip, this might not be the fastest path. Plan accordingly.
BILT timing matters. If you're earning BILT points through Rakuten, pay attention to the payout schedule. The May 15 payout will still be a straight 1:1 conversion ($10 cash back = 1,000 BILT points) for everyone. But the next payout after that is August 15, and BILT has indicated that the conversion might not stay at 1:1 for members without BILT status. There's no confirmed info yet on what the August 15 ratio will look like, but it could be worse if you don't have status in the BILT program. Keep that in mind when choosing between BILT and Amex MR. If there's any uncertainty, Amex MR might be the safer play for the August payout. You can switch your Rakuten payout preference between BILT and Amex MR at any time, so you're not locked in.
These aren't the only deals worth grabbing. The 7 cybersecurity products above are the highest cash back rates, but Big Give Week has other solid offers depending on what you're already planning to spend on. Viator is offering 20% cash back (20x points), which is a great way to book travel tours and activities you'd be paying for anyway. SoFi Banking has a $300 cash back offer (30,000 points) and SoFi Crypto has $120 back (12,000 points). There are elevated rates on retailers like Ray-Ban and dozens of others. If you're already planning a purchase, check Rakuten first during Big Give Week because the rates on things you'd buy anyway make it a no-brainer.
Stack a referral bonus on top. If you don't have a Rakuten account yet, you can sign up through a referral link and earn an extra $50 bonus (equivalent to 5,000 points) when you spend at least $50. That bumps your total to over 106,000 points. You can use my referral link, and we'll both earn $50. It's one way to support what I do here without costing you anything additional.
How to Set This Up
Step 1: Sign up for Rakuten through a referral link to earn an extra $50 (5,000 points) on your first purchase of $50+. Since even the cheapest product on this list clears that threshold, it's points you'd be leaving on the table otherwise.
Step 2: Go to your Rakuten settings and switch your cash back preference from "Check" to either "Amex Membership Rewards" or "BILT Rewards." You need to link the appropriate account.
Step 3: During Big Give Week, search for the products listed above in the Rakuten portal. Click through the Rakuten link before purchasing. This is how the cash back gets tracked.
Step 4: Complete each purchase through the Rakuten portal. Make sure you see the "cash back activated" confirmation before checking out.
Step 5: Wait for the cash back to post to your Rakuten account. This can take a few days to a few weeks depending on the merchant.
Step 6: Set calendar reminders for each subscription's renewal date. Cancel anything you don't want to keep before it auto-renews.
Bottom Line
Rakuten Big Give Week is one of those rare windows where the points math is overwhelmingly in your favor. Seven cybersecurity products, $1,041.28 upfront, 101,179 Amex MR or BILT points earned, and a net cost of just $29.49 after cash back.
Whether you sign up for all 7 or just cherry-pick the ones that make sense for you, the value is there. Just make sure you go through the Rakuten portal, and set those renewal reminders. And if you're new to Rakuten, grab the extra 5,000 points through a referral link while you're at it.
For rates and fees of the , please visit View Rates & Fees.
