Affiliate Network
Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Group's global affiliate network connecting publishers with retail, travel and finance brands.
- Best for Content and review sites, Coupon…
- Niche E-Commerce, Finance, Travel
- Models CPL, CPS
- Payouts Weekly
Editor's verdict
Rakuten Advertising is a mature, brand-led network with a large share of retail, luxury, travel and finance programs that are not available elsewhere. For a content, coupon, loyalty or creator business, that brand access is the main reason to join, and the free signup puts a publisher into the dashboard straight away.
The payment terms are clear and predictable but slow. Commissions follow advertiser invoices, so a sale made at the start of a month is usually paid five to eight weeks later, and each regional network has its own 50-unit threshold and currency. Publishers earning small amounts across several networks can wait a long time, and an account left without payment details eventually attracts an inactivity fee.
Apply if the traffic is editorial, social, cashback or deal-driven and the goal is long-term relationships with established brands. Media buyers who need weekly CPA cash flow, or who rely on aggressive paid search, should check each advertiser's terms carefully or look at offer-led CPA networks instead.
Key facts
Traffic rules
Promotional methods
- SEO / organic
- Coupon
- Cashback
Only methods the network states a policy for are shown — always confirm with your manager before running.
Restricted traffic
Search, trademark bidding, coupon and incentive rules are set per advertiser program
Score breakdown
Pros, cons & fit
Payment details
- Approval time
- Network account opens on registration; each advertiser reviews applications separately
- Approval type
- Automatic
- Attribution
- Last-click
- Commission structure
- Mixed (varies by offer)
- Payment net window
- Net-30 (calendar)
- Runs on
- In-house
- Payout currency
- USD
- Creative assets
- Banners, Text links, Coupons / deals
- Account model
- Self-serve
About Rakuten Advertising
What Rakuten Advertising is
Rakuten Advertising is the affiliate network of Japan’s Rakuten Group. It began as LinkShare, one of the original US affiliate networks from the mid-1990s, which Rakuten bought in 2005 and later renamed Rakuten Marketing and then, in 2020, Rakuten Advertising. The company says it has more than 25 years in the market, reaches more than 190 countries and has paid out over $1 billion in commissions. It runs separate advertiser networks for the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Brazil and Japan, and publishers can join from almost anywhere.
Offers and verticals
This is a brand-side network, not an offer marketplace. Programs come from consumer brands in retail, luxury, fashion, travel and financial services, and Rakuten says 95% of its brands are exclusive to the network. Each advertiser runs its own program with its own commission rate, cookie window and rules, and publishers apply to programs one by one from the dashboard.
Commission models and payouts
Most programs pay a percentage of sales, with some lead-based and tiered offers. Rakuten also promotes multi-touch and audience-based commissioning, so a content or loyalty publisher can be paid for an assist rather than only the last click. Payment is pay-when-paid: activity from one month is invoiced to advertisers early the next month, advertisers are expected to close invoices by month end, and Rakuten pays publishers the week after it receives the money. In practice, October sales land in early December. Rakuten issues four consolidated payment runs a month.
- Minimum: 50 currency units per network (50 USD, GBP, EUR, CAD or AUD). Brazil has no minimum. Balances below 50 at year end are paid at the end of the following first quarter.
- Methods: PayPal, direct deposit (ACH and international bank deposit) or check. Only one method applies to the whole account, and PayPal cannot receive Brazil or Japan network commissions.
- Currency: each network pays in its own currency, so a publisher earning in the US and UK networks gets separate payments and must clear each threshold separately.
- Inactivity fee: an account with no new commissions for 12 months and an unpayable balance (missing payment details) is charged 10% of the balance or 10 units, whichever is greater, capped at 50 units a month.
Tracking, tools and platform
Everything runs in the Publisher Dashboard: link building, deep links, advertiser discovery, payment reports and invoices. Rakuten highlights Linkless Code and Bounceless Tracking, AI tools called Partnership Discovery and Placement Recommender, and an Insights and Analytics Portal. Orders normally show in reports within seven days of the transaction.
Traffic rules and compliance
Every publisher accepts the Publisher Membership Agreement and Affiliate Network Policies at signup. Search, trademark bidding, coupon, cashback and incentive rules are set by each advertiser in its program terms, so they vary widely between brands. Cashback and points sites are advised to wait until the advertiser has paid before crediting members.
Support and getting started
Registration is free and covers individuals and companies. Applicants verify an email, choose country and business setup, add a primary channel URL, traffic ranges (or connect Google Analytics) and content categories. Support works through a ticket form in the Publisher Help Center and a Support widget that offers live chat, a callback or a message. Larger publishers are handled by publisher partnership teams.
Who it suits
Content sites, bloggers, social creators, coupon and loyalty publishers that want direct access to big retail, travel and finance brands. It is a poor fit for media buyers chasing fast CPA payouts, because cash only moves after advertisers settle their invoices.
How to join
-
Register
Applicants click Become a Publisher on rakutenadvertising.com and enter email, name and password, then confirm the verification email.
-
Set country and business type
The form asks for the country where commissions will be received and whether the account is an individual or part of a company.
-
Describe the channel
Publishers add a primary channel URL, business model, optional social account authentication, monthly traffic ranges or a Google Analytics connection, and content categories.
-
Accept the agreements
Applicants accept the Publisher Membership Agreement and Affiliate Network Policies and submit, which opens the Publisher Dashboard.
-
Apply to advertisers and set payment
From the dashboard, publishers apply to individual brand programs and add PayPal, bank or mailing details so payments can be issued.
Data & sources
Field sources
- Founded Year rakutenadvertising.com
- Name rakutenadvertising.com
- Official Url rakutenadvertising.com
- Affiliates Count rakutenadvertising.com
- Attribution Model rakutenadvertising.com
- Company Name rakutenadvertising.com
- Features rakutenadvertising.com
- Join Url rakutenadvertising.com
- Top Geos rakutenadvertising.com
- Tracking Platform rakutenadvertising.com
- Verticals rakutenadvertising.com
At $50 it sits $94 better than the directory average.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Rakuten Advertising minimum payout?
The minimum is 50 currency units per network: 50 USD on the US network, 50 GBP in the UK, 50 EUR in France and Germany, 50 CAD in Canada and 50 AUD in Australia. Brazil network commissions have no minimum. Publishers can raise their own threshold per channel in the dashboard.
When does Rakuten Advertising pay publishers?
Commissions are invoiced to advertisers early in the month after the sale, advertisers are expected to pay by the end of that month, and Rakuten pays publishers the following week. October activity is therefore typically paid in early December. Rakuten runs four consolidated payments per month.
Which payment methods does Rakuten Advertising offer?
Publishers choose PayPal, direct deposit or check, and only one method can be set for the whole account. Availability depends on the publisher's country and the advertiser networks involved. PayPal cannot be used for Brazil or Japan network commissions, and Payoneer is not offered.
What happens to Rakuten Advertising balances under the threshold?
Balances stay in the account until they pass 50 units in that network. Any amount still below 50 at the end of a calendar year is paid out at the end of the first quarter of the next year.
Does Rakuten Advertising charge any fees?
Rakuten does not charge for PayPal payouts, though PayPal and banks may apply their own currency fees. The only network fee is an inactivity fee on accounts with no new commissions for 12 months and a balance that cannot be paid because payment details are missing.
How do commissions work on Rakuten Advertising?
Each advertiser sets its own rates, mostly a percentage of sales, with some lead-based and tiered programs. Rakuten also supports multi-touch and audience-based commissioning, which can pay publishers that influence a sale without taking the last click.
Is Rakuten Advertising approval automatic?
Creating the network account is quick: after email verification and a short profile, the publisher lands in the dashboard. Each brand then reviews applications to its program separately, and premium advertisers can be selective about traffic quality and site fit.
What traffic does Rakuten Advertising accept?
Websites, blogs, email marketing and social media are all accepted at network level. Rules on paid search, trademark bidding, coupons and incentives differ by advertiser and sit in each program's terms, so publishers should read them before promoting.
How does support work at Rakuten Advertising?
Publishers can submit a ticket through the Publisher Help Center or use the Support widget for live chat, a callback request or a message. Including the Site ID (SID) speeds up responses.
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