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August 2026 Newsletter

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer. July has been a surprisingly good month for earning points, especially through Rakuten. Between 10x earning days, Big Deal Reveals, and other promotions, we've been able to keep our earning rates high during what is historically one of the slowest times of the year.

COUPON CODES

This month I wanted to focus on something that scares a lot of people: coupon codes.

When combined incorrectly with a shopping portal, coupon codes can compete for the affiliate commission and cause you to lose your portal rewards. If they don't compete, however, you get the best of both worlds—a discount and your points. Because the downside can be so disappointing, the common advice is often to avoid coupon codes altogether.

When you don't know where a coupon came from, that's still generally good advice—unless the savings are worth more to you than the portal rewards you're giving up. But what if you do know where the coupon came from? How can you tell whether it's safe to use?

Rakuten's blog, The Smart Shopper, provides some excellent guidance. The following is an abridged version of their recommendations for successfully combining coupon codes with Rakuten.

Before we go too far, remember to always activate the shopping portal first, then apply the coupon code second. If you're planning to search online for a coupon, try to do so before clicking through the portal. That way, you can simply enter the code during checkout without interrupting the shopping trip and potentially preventing your purchase from tracking properly.

Here are the general risk levels for different types of coupon codes:

  • Coupons offered through the Rakuten browser extension: Always safe

  • Sitewide coupons: Almost always safe

  • Free shipping coupons: Almost always safe

  • Email signup coupons: Almost always safe

  • Loyalty rewards redemption: Sometimes safe—use caution

  • Gift card promotions: Usually not eligible

  • Third-party coupon codes: High risk

A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself: "Is someone earning a commission if I use this coupon?"

If the answer is yes, there's a good chance that coupon provider could receive credit for the sale instead of Rakuten, causing you to lose your portal rewards. Understanding the marketing purpose behind a coupon helps you judge whether it's worth the risk.

Here's a quick example:

Suppose Macy's is paying 10x through Rakuten and you have a 10% off welcome coupon that came directly from Macy's email or appears in the Rakuten browser extension. In most cases, you can safely use both.

However, if you found a different coupon code on a third-party coupon website, that site may be earning an affiliate commission of its own. In that case, the merchant could attribute the sale to the coupon site instead of Rakuten, and your points may never post.

Hopefully you feel more confident using coupon codes strategically instead of avoiding them altogether. With a little knowledge and a little luck you just might find yourself pulling off the mythical quadruple stack:

Credit Card Bonus + Card Offer + Shopping Portal + Coupon

ACCOUNT LINKING

Decoding coupons may feel difficult. Another thing to think about?! So let's also take a little extra time to review a few easy "set it and forget it" account connections that can help you earn even more points:

Happy shopping!

🗓️UPDATES🗓️

Mark your calendars for our next Live Q&A session on Thursday, August 13th at 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET. Get all your questions answered. Here's the link to join. Don't miss out on attending live!

Kira and Shannon

JGOOT Earning Multipliers Experts

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