Rakuten’s Paying You to Open a Chase Card Right Now
If you’ve been eyeing a new credit card anyway, this is worth a second look before it changes again. Rakuten — yes, the same cash-back shopping app a lot of us already use for online purchases — is currently running a signup bonus through its own platform for two Chase cards:
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited: $100 back
- Chase Freedom Unlimited: $90 for new Chase customers, $50 for existing Chase customers
This comes from Doctor of Credit, a site that tracks these bank and card bonuses closely, and the numbers as of July 3 confirm the Ink bonus is “back” at $100 after bouncing around for months. That history matters: Doctor of Credit’s own updates show this same Freedom Unlimited offer was $75 in mid-April, dropped to just $25 in early May, then jumped back up to $90/$50 in June. In other words, these Rakuten card bonuses move — sometimes by the week — so what you see today may not be there tomorrow.
Who this is actually for
The Ink Business Unlimited angle is really aimed at anyone with a side hustle, a small LLC, or even simple freelance income — think lawn care, tutoring, an Etsy shop, or a spouse doing bookkeeping on the side. If you already qualify for a business card, getting $100 just for signing up through Rakuten on top of whatever the card itself offers is close to free money.
The Freedom Unlimited side is more of a general-audience play, especially for households who don’t currently bank with Chase — that’s the group eligible for the higher $90 payout, versus $50 if you’re already a Chase customer. For a family in Atlanta, Houston, or Charlotte weighing a new everyday cash-back card for back-to-school shopping season, that’s a decent one-time bump on top of the card’s normal rewards.
The honest caveats
- This is a churn-friendly offer, not a long-term loyalty perk — Doctor of Credit’s own evaluation notes it’s volatile and can change fast.
- Bonuses like this usually require the card to be opened through the Rakuten portal, not directly through Chase, so the click path matters.
- As with any new credit card, only apply if you’d want the card on its own merits (annual fees, credit inquiry, etc.) — the Rakuten bonus is a nice extra, not a reason by itself to open a card you don’t need.
Bottom line
If a Chase Ink Business Unlimited or Freedom Unlimited card was already on your radar, this is a reasonable window to move on it. Given how often Doctor of Credit has seen this bonus change in just the last few months, it’s worth checking the current terms before you apply rather than assuming the $100/$90/$50 figures hold. You can see the latest update and history directly from Doctor of Credit’s tracking post.