Rakuten Big Give Week 2026 Through May 11: A Kamaʻāina Guide to 15% Cash Back
Aloha ʻohana, Scottie here. If you do any of your shopping online (and let's be real, living on island, most of us do), this week is one of those rare moments where a few extra clicks can put real money or real points back in your pocket. Rakuten just kicked off Big Give Week, running from May 4 through May 11, 2026, with elevated rates at hundreds of stores. Some of those boosts have been hitting the travel brands kamaʻāina actually use to plan trips off-island, so this is one worth paying attention to.
I've been using Rakuten for years to stack cash back and points on top of my regular travel and household spending, and Big Give Week is the one stretch of the year where I really pay attention day by day. If you're not signed up yet, you can join Rakuten free through my referral link and we both get a bonus once you make your first qualifying purchase. Here's what's happening this week and how to make it work for you.
What Big Give Week Actually Is
Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is a shopping portal. You click through Rakuten before you shop online, and the participating store kicks back a percentage of your purchase to you. That's the standard model. Big Give Week is their once-a-year event where rates jump from the usual 1 to 6 percent up to as high as 15 percent across hundreds of stores, and on certain days specific categories get boosted even higher. On May 4, for example, a bunch of travel brands hit 15X to 20X, which is unusually generous.
The catch worth knowing: rates change daily through May 11, so a brand that's boosted today might be back to baseline tomorrow. Check before you buy.
Three Ways You Can Earn
One of the things newer Rakuten users miss is that you can pick how you want to be paid. Inside your account settings, you choose one of three earning preferences:
- Cash back paid quarterly via PayPal or check. Simple, predictable, easy to budget.
- American Express Membership Rewards points, where 1 percent cash back becomes 1 MR point. You need an eligible Amex card to enroll. For most of us flying off-island, MR points transfer to airline partners and almost always punch above their cash value.
- Bilt Points, currently transferring at 1:1 through the May 15, 2026 payout. After that, only Bilt Elite members keep the 1:1 ratio. Bilt has been a real player for award travel lately, especially for folks already paying rent through Bilt.
Travel Brands That Matter for Hawaii Travelers
Here's where Big Give Week gets interesting for us. The travel brands that have shown up in this week's elevated rates include Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, and Viator. Those are exactly the platforms a lot of us use to lock in trips to Vegas, the West Coast, or Japan when award space is tight or when paid prices are cheap enough to skip the miles.
One thing to watch carefully: some of the Expedia-family rates are listed as "up to" a certain percent, which means the headline rate only applies in specific cities or markets. Hotels.com and Vrbo both fell into this trap on May 4. Always click through and read the offer terms before assuming you're earning the top rate on a Waikiki return-trip booking.
If you're booking activities for an upcoming trip, Viator at an elevated rate is a sneaky-good play. Tours and excursions add up fast and most of us aren't earning category bonuses on them with any credit card.
Verified Deals From the Launch of Big Give Week
Here's the list of stores reported with elevated rates when Big Give Week kicked off on May 4, sourced from Doctor of Credit and FrequentMiler. Important reminder: rates rotate daily through May 11, so always click through and confirm the live rate on Rakuten before checking out. Some of these may have already shifted by the time you read this.
Travel and Activities
- Expedia - Up to 15% back. Watch the "up to" language since headline rates often only apply in select cities.
- Viator - 20% back. Tours and excursions for your next trip. One of the strongest plays of the week.
- Tripadvisor - 15% back on hotels and activities.
- Sixt Rent a Car - 15% back. Worth checking against your usual rental car play if you're heading to the mainland or Europe.
Mother's Day and Beauty
- Saks Fifth Avenue - 15% back. The big one if you have unused Amex Platinum Saks credits.
- Dermstore - 20% back on skincare.
- Bluemercury - 20% back on beauty.
- Ulta Beauty - 15% back on cosmetics and skincare.
- Macy's - 15% back. Solid one-stop shop for jewelry, handbags, and home goods.
Other Notable Boosts
- Temu - 25% back. Highest reported rate of the week.
- Groupon - 15% back. Useful for stacking on local activities or restaurant deals.
- PetSmart and Petco - 15% back at both. Stock up on pet food and supplies.
- Gap - 15% back. Good for restocking summer wardrobe.
- Other brands reported in the rotation include Adidas, LEGO, KitchenAid, Lenovo, Sonos, LG, Ray-Ban, Sunglass Hut, DSW, Dr. Martens, Puma, Bombas, Kate Spade Outlet, Tatcha, Columbia Sportswear, FARM Rio, and Frye. Rates vary by day.
Mother's Day Timing and the Saks Angle
Big Give Week ends May 11, and Mother's Day is May 10. That's not an accident. If you've been putting off a gift for Mom, Tūtū, or your wife, this is the week to handle it. Rakuten is showing elevated rates on beauty (Ulta, Tatcha, Dermstore), jewelry, handbags, and home goods.
Here's a specific tip for anyone holding an Amex Platinum: Saks is sitting at 15X right now. If you have unused Saks credits on your Platinum (the benefit ends June 30, 2026), this is a strong week to use them. You earn the credit reimbursement from Amex plus 15 points or 15 percent on top through Rakuten. That's two stacks on the same dollar.
How to Stack Big Give Week the Right Way
The full stack on a typical Big Give Week purchase looks like this:
- Start at rakuten.com or click the browser button before you shop. If you skip this step, none of the rest matters.
- Apply any active store sale or promo code at checkout (most stack with Rakuten, but read the offer terms).
- Pay with your best category credit card for that merchant so you're earning points on the card too.
- Check card-linked offers (Amex Offers, Chase Offers, Capital One Offers) before checkout for any extra statement credits.
- Confirm the trip tracked in your Rakuten account within 24 hours.
Not a member yet? You can sign up free using my Rakuten referral link here, activate Big Give Week before May 11, and start stacking right away.
Scottie's Take
Honestly, I don't go out of my way to shop just because Rakuten has elevated rates. That's a fast way to spend money you didn't plan to spend. But for purchases I was already going to make this week (Mother's Day gift, a couple of summer trip activities, restocking some skincare for the family), Big Give Week is exactly the kind of thing that deserves an extra two minutes before checkout.
The real value here is for big-ticket stuff. A 15 percent rate on a $400 Viator booking for a Japan trip is $60 back. A 15 percent rate on a Mother's Day handbag is real money. And if you're someone who's been sitting on Amex Platinum Saks credits, do not let them expire on June 30 without putting them to work this week.
Check the Big Give Week page daily through May 11 since the boosted brands rotate. And if you have a question about whether to set your earning to cash, MR points, or Bilt, drop a comment below or shoot me a message. I'm happy to help you think it through.
A hui hou,
Scottie
