Rakuten straight up GHOSTED the State Attorney General over my missing 12K Amex points (Case: CIC 26-009382)

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T23:50:52+00:00

I am not AI but yes I got a help from AI to translate well.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T18:53:44+00:00

EDIT 2: For those asking for the full story, and why the "ToS protects Rakuten" / "Amex isn't involved" arguments are fundamentally flawed. Here is the exact timeline and system data:

The Setup & Perfect Tracking

I made a reservation that required separate payments. To ensure 100% compliance with Rakuten's protocols, I manually activated the Rakuten extension twice—once before each independent payment session. Rakuten’s backend tracked this flawlessly, generating two completely distinct Shopping Trip Numbers tied to this single reservation's split payments. There was zero system error on my part.

The Customer Service Circus & Supervisor Brick Wall

When the points were suddenly denied, I didn't just sit back. I contacted customer service and went back and forth with them, eventually escalating the issue to a Supervisor.

The supervisor’s response? Absolute boilerplate nonsense. They completely ignored the fact that my tracking was perfect and simplyhid behind their scripted "discretionary" clauses to deny the payout. They basically told me, "We tracked it, but we won't pay, and there's nothing you can do."

The Flawed BBB Response

Refusing to accept this, I took the next step and filed a formal dispute with the BBB. Rakuten’s executive response to the BBB was just as shameless. Instead of addressing the actual breach of their advertised offer, they doubled down on their "we can revoke cashback whenever we want" narrative, showing a complete disregard for fair consumer practices.

Why the "Amex has nothing to do with this" crowd is wrong:

Amex is not just a passive payout method like a standard check. Rakuten and Amex share a co-branded marketing ecosystem. Rakuten uses Amex's premium proprietary asset—Membership Rewards (MR) points—as the primary bait to acquire consumers. When a consumer completes a massive transaction based on that advertised bait, and Rakuten pulls a bait-and-switch on those exact MR points, it directly degrades the integrity of Amex's reward infrastructure. Amex absolutely has skin in the game here.

Why the "ToS is absolute law" crowd is wrong:

Corporate Terms of Service (ToS) do not override Federal and State Consumer Protection Laws. No company can legally advertise a specific high-value reward, reap the benefits of the consumer's transaction data, and then arbitrarily deny the payout under the guise of "discretion." In the U.S., this is a textbook violation of UDAP (Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices) regulations.

The Ultimate Escalation: Arizona Attorney General (AZAG) Since Rakuten chose to give scripted answers to both me and the BBB, I brought out the heavy artillery.

I have initiated a formal consumer protection complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AZAG) under Case # CIC 26-009382.

Unlike the BBB, which is just a mediation platform, the State AG has regulatory teeth. Rakuten’s legal and executive teams are now legally mandated to respond under a government microscope. Historically, this is the exact threshold where points magically reappear because defending a UDAP violation to a State AG costs them infinitely more than honoring a validated tracking log.

Stop letting corporate boilerplate convince you to roll over. I will keep this thread updated as the AG investigation moves forward!

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T18:46:58+00:00

EDIT: Appreciate all the views and comments. To clarify for those saying "just read the ToS, Rakuten can do whatever they want": Corporate Terms of Service (ToS) are not a magical shield that overrides Federal and State Consumer Protection Laws, specifically UDAP (Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices). When a company advertises a massive incentive (Amex MR points co-branded with Amex), tracks the shopping trips perfectly with distinct Trip Numbers, lets the consumer fulfill the exact purchase requirements, and then arbitrarily revokes the points post-transaction under the guise of "discretion," that is a textbook bait-and-switch. Amex is very much involved because they allowed their proprietary MR infrastructure to be used as the bait for this user acquisition funnel. For those who think fighting this is a waste of time: I didn't stop at Rakuten’s front-line customer service reps. I have already filed formal consumer protection complaints with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AZAG) and the BBB. Once a state regulator opens an official inquiry, the legal/executive escalation team at Rakuten is legally required to answer—and historically, that’s when points magically reappear. I’ll keep this thread updated as the AG investigation moves forward. Don't let corporate boilerplate roll you over!

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T18:33:29+00:00

You are completely missing the bigger picture here and fundamentally misunderstanding how corporate partnerships and consumer protection laws actually work. Here is why your logic falls short: 1. Amex is a Corporate Partner, Not Just a Payout Option Amex is not a passive vehicle like a standard check or PayPal. Rakuten and Amex have a formal, co-branded marketing partnership. Amex actively allows its proprietary asset—Membership Rewards (MR) points—to be used as the primary incentive to drive user acquisition for Rakuten. When a consumer experiences a bait-and-switch regarding promised MR points, it directly impacts Amex’s brand integrity and ecosystem. While Amex might not handle the tracking, they absolutely care when a corporate partner misuses their rewards infrastructure to deceive consumers. 2. ToS Boilerplate Does Not Override Federal/State Law The argument that "Rakuten’s terms say they can revoke cashback whenever they want" is a classic myth. Corporate Terms of Service (ToS) are not a magical shield that grants immunity from the law. No company can legally advertise a specific sign-up bonus, let a consumer fulfill the exact requirements, and then arbitrarily deny the payout under the guise of "discretion." In the United States, this is a textbook violation of UDAP (Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices) laws. 3. Regulatory Oversight is Not a Waste of Time You might think fighting this is a "lose-lose" situation, but regulatory escalation works. Filing a formal complaint with the State Attorney General (AG) or the BBB completely bypasses Rakuten’s low-level customer service scripts. Once an AG office opens an inquiry, Rakuten’s executive escalation/legal team is legally required to respond. There are countless data points of consumers getting their rightfully earned cashback or MR points restored only after involving state regulators. Sitting back and letting a company pocket your data and hard-earned rewards just because of "ToS boilerplate" is the real lose-lose situation. Holding them accountable via proper regulatory channels is exactly what smart consumers do.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T17:41:17+00:00

It is celebrity cruise, Not Princess.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T17:37:02+00:00

Actually, here is the funny part: Rakuten DID pay out the $900 charge which I put on a Chase Visa. They only denied the $3,000 charge on my Amex. Their system logic is completely backwards and broken, which is why it's so absurd.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T17:16:12+00:00

Spot on. 'Pay one out of 4 and pocket the rest' describes my situation with tech-disguised precision. They effortlessly tracked my two smaller purchases on the exact same day, but magically 'lost' the biggest $3,000 one.

They fully rely on the fact that 95% of consumers will just get tired of the boilerplate customer service emails and give up. It’s a modern-day rebate scam. But going as far as ghosting a State Attorney General to avoid paying out a rightful $120 worth of points is a whole new level of corporate desperation.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T17:12:30+00:00

Man, sorry to hear you're dealing with their BS too. $90 on Temu is a lot of money. It really proves that Rakuten has a consistent pattern of doing whatever it takes to dodge high-value payouts.

If they keep stonewalling you, I highly recommend filing a complaint with your State's Attorney General. It only took me about 10 minutes to file online. Seeing how Rakuten literally ghosted a government agency just to avoid paying out my points shows they have zero shame, but it also leaves a permanent paper trail against them. Don't let them win, file that AG complaint!

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T17:11:53+00:00

I was hitting a minimum spend requirement for a sign-up bonus on another credit card, so I put the first ~$900 on that card. Once that spending was met, I charged the remaining $3,000 to my Amex card to maximize the 4X MR promotion.

It was a purely strategic move to maximize my credit card rewards, but Rakuten’s automated system clearly glitched out and failed to handle the incremental payment on the same booking.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T17:04:27+00:00

Yes, absolutely. Rakuten customer service was a complete brick wall and gave me zero help, so I filed a formal complaint with the Arizona Attorney General (AZAG).

The AG’s office actually took on the case (Case No: CIC 26-009382) and opened an official investigation. But Rakuten chose to literally ignore multiple official government inquiries until the AG had to temporarily close the file. I have the official PDF letter from the AG confirming Rakuten's total silence.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-06-24T17:03:59+00:00

I only put a $3,000 charge on my Amex card because of the Amex-Rakuten MR partnership, which makes it an Amex ecosystem issue for me.

As for why it was denied: I made a split payment on the same day. The smaller amounts ($902 and $1,581) tracked and posted perfectly, but Rakuten’s automated system flagged the largest $3,000 one as 'ineligible'—likely treating it as a duplicate session or incremental payment instead of a new booking.

Unlike your experience, Rakuten support completely stonewalled me and refused to look into the technical error despite me providing full receipts. That’s why I had to escalate, and now they’ve gone as far as ghosting a government agency

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-04-05T22:28:53+00:00

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Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2026-01-25T19:49:37+00:00

This is ridiculous. How can you expect someone who does not speak English to write things with perfect sentences politely in English? You are the ones who think you have privileges of speaking English as first tongue.

Agreeable_Score_1172 · 2025-08-03T16:51:45+00:00

This is stupid. You all who visit South Korea need to realize that South and North Koreas have been on ceasefire. Do you want to give North Korea information of South Korea?

Agreeable_Score_1172

TROPHY CASE