Highlights Cashback: Every Portal's Rate, Compared
The best Highlights cashback we found is 2% at Rakuten, read from Rakuten's own Highlights page.
Highlights cash back rates by portal
Every rate below was read from that portal's own Highlights page, and every row shows when we last looked. Where a rate has a catch, the catch is printed next to the number rather than underneath it.
| Portal | Rate | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Rakuten | 2%source | |
| Sunshine Rewards | 2%source | |
| RebatesMe | No cash backRebatesMe lists coupon codes for this merchant but pays no cash back on purchases.source | |
| GoCashBack | Up to 3.2%A maximum, not a standing rate. GoCashBack pays the top rate only on some categories, and the everyday rate is usually lower.source | |
| CouponFollow | Up to 3%A maximum, not a standing rate; CouponFollow says not all items are eligible for cash back.source | |
| MyPoints | 2 points per $1source | |
| BeFrugal | Rate not publishedThis portal lists the merchant but did not show a rate we could read. That is different from paying nothing.source | |
| Extrabux | Rate not publishedThis portal lists the merchant but did not show a rate we could read. That is different from paying nothing.source | |
| Price.com | Rate not publishedThis portal lists the merchant but did not show a rate we could read. That is different from paying nothing.source | |
| RetailMeNot | Rate not publishedThis portal lists the merchant but did not show a rate we could read. That is different from paying nothing.source | |
| Active Junky | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| chirpyest | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| Fluz | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| Hoopla Doopla | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| Lolli | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| MaxRebates | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| Mr. Rebates | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| Raise | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| ShopBack | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. | |
| TopCashback | Not carriedThis portal does not cover this merchant. |
Rates move without notice, so treat anything more than a couple of days old as worth re-checking at the portal before you shop.
How to get Highlights cashback, step by step
- Open Rakuten's Highlights page and click through to Highlights from there. That click is what ties the order to your account, so start every Highlights order this way rather than from a bookmark or a search result. The rate as we last read it was 2%.
- Shop in that same tab and session. Don't leave for a coupon site and come back, and turn off any other cashback or coupon extension before you check out: the last click before the order is the one that gets credited, and another extension's click can take it.
- Check out in one go, using only codes Rakuten itself shows for Highlights. A code from somewhere else can void the cashback on many stores.
- Wait for it to confirm. 3 to 14 weeks for online and in-store purchases; 45 to 120 days for travel. Returning part of the order, or cancelling it, changes what gets paid.
- Get paid. Rakuten pays by: Big Fat Check by mail, PayPal, American Express Membership Rewards points, or Bilt. A confirmed balance of $5.00 or more can also be redeemed as a gift card within minutes. Minimum: $5.01 in confirmed cash back before the payment date; $5.00 or less carries over to the next one. Timing: Every three months: February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15.
Getting paid, portal by portal
Each portal's own help pages, as written there. The source link on each row goes to the page it came from. These are the portal's terms, not Highlights's.
| Portal | Paid by | Minimum | Confirmation window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rakutensource | Big Fat Check by mail, PayPal, American Express Membership Rewards points, or Bilt. A confirmed balance of $5.00 or more can also be redeemed as a gift card within minutes. | $5.01 in confirmed cash back before the payment date; $5.00 or less carries over to the next one. | 3 to 14 weeks for online and in-store purchases; 45 to 120 days for travel. |
| Sunshine Rewardssource | PayPal, or gift cards from time to time through the Redemption Center. | 20.00 in credits, and the account has to be at least 45 days old. Cashouts are capped at $500 a month. | Earnings should post within 10 days. Sale credits are then held: 28 days per the help page, 21 days from the date of purchase per the terms page. |
| RebatesMesource | PayPal, credit card, Alipay, check or gift cards. | $10 in available cash back, not counting bonuses. | Cash back becomes available after the 90-day return window. |
| GoCashBacksource | PayPal, check, gift card (US only) or Helipay. | $10 in withdrawable cash back, not counting sign-up, referral or activity bonuses for the first withdrawal. | It can take up to 120 days for cash back to become available. |
| CouponFollowsource | PayPal; a valid US PayPal account has to be connected to CouponFollow. | An Available Balance of at least $10. | Pending for up to 60 days, to ensure a purchase isn't returned or refunded. |
| MyPointssource | Points, redeemed for gift cards, travel miles or cash via PayPal. | At least 480 available Points to redeem (MyPoints blog, 2019). | Not verified yet |
| BeFrugalsource | Check, PayPal, direct deposit, Venmo, Zelle or an eGift card. Check and direct deposit are US only. | $0.01 for PayPal or direct deposit; $25 for a check. | Verified cash back sits in the account for 30 to 90 days, set by the retailer's return policy and its payment cycle with BeFrugal. Store pages say cash back is typically available for payment 15 to 60 days after purchase. |
| Extrabuxsource | PayPal, eGift cards, ACH bank deposit (US only), check (US only), or a donation to a charity. | $10 available balance, with at least one confirmed purchase carrying more than $1 in available cash back. | Usually tracked within 1 to 7 days of purchase, then held through a 90-day window for returns or cancellations at most stores before it becomes available. |
| Price.comsource | Debit card deposit, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, gift cards, a donation to charity, or crypto. | $10 per withdrawal, with a $500 cap per withdrawal and per day. | Typically 30 to 90 days: pending until the retailer confirms the purchase and its return period ends. |
| RetailMeNotsource | PayPal or Venmo, from the RetailMeNot account. | A minimum approved balance of $5.01 is required for a redemption. | In about 45 days the cash back lands in the RetailMeNot account as redeemable. |
Highlights cashback rate history
Only changes are listed. Re-confirmations are not noise worth showing.
- RetailMeNotrate no longer published
- MaxRebatesmerchant dropped by this portal
- MyPoints2 points per $1
- Rakuten2%
- CouponFollowUp to 3%
- ShopBackmerchant dropped by this portal
- Raisemerchant dropped by this portal
- BeFrugalrate no longer published
- Fluzmerchant dropped by this portal
- Price.comrate no longer published
- TopCashbackmerchant dropped by this portal
- Lollimerchant dropped by this portal
- GoCashBackUp to 3.2%
- Active Junkymerchant dropped by this portal
- Sunshine Rewards2%
- Extrabuxrate no longer published
- RebatesMeNo cash back
- chirpyestmerchant dropped by this portal
- Hoopla Dooplamerchant dropped by this portal
- Mr. Rebatesmerchant dropped by this portal
- RetailMeNotrate no longer published
- MyPointsrate no longer published
- BeFrugalrate no longer published
- Price.comrate no longer published
- GoCashBackrate no longer published
How these Highlights numbers were produced
- Read directly from each portal's own merchant page, never copied from another comparison site.
- A rate we could not read is reported as unread. It is never converted into a zero, and a failed check never overwrites a previously good number.
- "Up to" and new-customer-only rates are labelled as such and are not allowed to win the top spot over a lower rate that everyone actually gets.
Highlights cashback FAQ
Which portal pays the most for Highlights cashback right now?
Rakuten, at 2%, tied with Sunshine Rewards at the same rate. That's the rate a returning shopper gets, which is how the table ranks: an "up to" ceiling or a new-customer rate never takes this spot over a lower rate everyone gets.
How long does Highlights cashback take to pay out?
On a click-through portal there are two waits, one after the other: the portal has to confirm the order with Highlights, which mostly tracks Highlights's return window, and then the confirmed balance has to be paid out, which is the portal's own rule. Buying Highlights's gift card through a portal skips the first wait: that cashback is paid when the card is bought.
- Rakuten: 3 to 14 weeks for online and in-store purchases; 45 to 120 days for travel. Payout: Every three months: February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15.
- Sunshine Rewards: Earnings should post within 10 days. Sale credits are then held: 28 days per the help page, 21 days from the date of purchase per the terms page. Payout: Twice a month, on request: a cashout requested from the 1st through the 15th is paid on the 15th of the next month, and one requested from the 16th through the last day is paid on the last day of the next month.
- RebatesMe: Cash back becomes available after the 90-day return window.
- GoCashBack: It can take up to 120 days for cash back to become available. Payout: On request. A payment request is processed within 7 to 14 business days.
- CouponFollow: Pending for up to 60 days, to ensure a purchase isn't returned or refunded. Payout: Monthly: paid on the 25th to the linked PayPal account, arriving by month end; rewards earned on or after the 25th roll to the next month.
- MyPoints: No confirmation window we have verified. Payout: On redemption. Some rewards are delivered immediately; others may take up to 10 business days to process.
- BeFrugal: Verified cash back sits in the account for 30 to 90 days, set by the retailer's return policy and its payment cycle with BeFrugal. Store pages say cash back is typically available for payment 15 to 60 days after purchase. Payout: On request. Most payouts are sent on the next business day after the request.
- Extrabux: Usually tracked within 1 to 7 days of purchase, then held through a 90-day window for returns or cancellations at most stores before it becomes available. Payout: On request. Requests are processed within 3 business days; PayPal and eGift cards typically land within 24 to 48 hours after that, ACH takes about 5 business days, and a check 1 to 2 weeks by post.
- Price.com: Typically 30 to 90 days: pending until the retailer confirms the purchase and its return period ends. Payout: On request, once the cash back is approved.
- RetailMeNot: In about 45 days the cash back lands in the RetailMeNot account as redeemable. Payout: On request, once the cash back is approved in the account.
Is there a minimum payout?
- Rakuten: $5.01 in confirmed cash back before the payment date; $5.00 or less carries over to the next one.
- Sunshine Rewards: 20.00 in credits, and the account has to be at least 45 days old. Cashouts are capped at $500 a month.
- RebatesMe: $10 in available cash back, not counting bonuses.
- GoCashBack: $10 in withdrawable cash back, not counting sign-up, referral or activity bonuses for the first withdrawal.
- CouponFollow: An Available Balance of at least $10.
- MyPoints: At least 480 available Points to redeem (MyPoints blog, 2019).
- BeFrugal: $0.01 for PayPal or direct deposit; $25 for a check.
- Extrabux: $10 available balance, with at least one confirmed purchase carrying more than $1 in available cash back.
- Price.com: $10 per withdrawal, with a $500 cap per withdrawal and per day.
- RetailMeNot: A minimum approved balance of $5.01 is required for a redemption.