With the Rakuten $50 (or 5000 Amex or Bilt points) sign-up bonus ending on 3/31, I thought it would be fun to show 5 real-world examples of travel that is bookable today across 5 transfer partners with just the 5000 points you could earn after a single $50 purchase. Comparing the cash prices of these flights or hotels shows why the points option can be much more lucrative; easily earning 2-5X the $50 cash option. If you have been holding out from joining Rakuten, now is the time!
I only joined Rakuten last April and have been able to leverage some great deals to earn a lot of points quickly. In less than one year I have earned over 130k points, first with Amex and more recently with Bilt as that option was added later last year. That’s easily enough points for a round trip to Europe in business class or a week at a very nice Hyatt property!
#1 Boston to St. Maarten
Taking the Rakuten bonus as Amex points and transferring to Delta, you could fly from the northeast all the way to St. Maarten for only 5000 Skymiles next month!
#2 Cancun from multiple US cities
With that same Amex to Delta transfer, you could also fly from Dallas to Cancun or instead send your Rakuten points to Bilt and transfer to Alaska. From there any short haul American Airlines flight would be just 4500 points like these flights from Miami to Cancun.
#3 Fly over 4000 miles with only 4000 points
Earning Amex points and transferring to Etihad, it’s possible to fly all the way to India for only 4000 points, such as this flight from Atlanta to Mumbai!
#4 NYC to Jamaica
New York usually has nice weather in May, but it can still be a great time for a long weekend trip somewhere even warmer. Transferring Amex points to JetBlue could get you these flights to Montego Bay for only 5000 points each way with many options in the month of May.
#5 A night in Cabo
While not an all-inclusive resort, the Hyatt Place Los Cabos is well located and available sometimes at 3500 (off-peak) or 5000 (standard) points per night. Bilt points transferred to Hyatt unlocks these valuable redemptions. While the award charts are changing in May of this year, all category 1 properties currently are bookable for these prices except for dates with peak pricing (6500 points). Here is a look at the month of October where almost every night is available for 3500-5000 points.
nights
If you haven’t signed up for Rakuten yet, now is the time. Get your 5000 points or $50 bonus today:
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TL;DR: 5,000 Points, 5 Incredible Trips
With the best-ever Rakuten $50/5000 point sign-up bonus ending on March 31, 2026, I’m highlighting how a single $50 purchase can unlock outsized travel value. By taking the bonus as 5000 Amex or Bilt points, you can book real-world redemptions like a flight to the Caribbean, a night in Cabo, or even a long-haul journey to India with just the points from the sign-up bonus.
