There’s a hack circulating.
It lets you grab Bilt points or American Express Membership Rewards for literally one cent a pop. One. Cent. And if you’re stepping onto the Rakuten platform for the very first time, you squeeze even more value out of it.
How The Mechanics Work
Sign up free using a referral link.
You’ll need to spend fifty bucks to unlock a $50 bonus—5,000 extra points for newbies—but that’s a small price for the payoff waiting just a click away.
The key? Surfshark.
Check the site right now. As of this moment they are showing a 100% rebate on their plans. You want to grab the most expensive one.
The price tag? $113.12. Plus tax depending on where you live, but that might be zero.
You pay that amount.
Rakuten refunds $113.13 to your balance or gives you 11,312 points (rounded down in the original headline, usually the cash rebate amount dictates the points value here, so let’s assume roughly 11k) of your choosing between Bilt Points or American Express Membership Rewards.
The Fine Print Matters
This isn’t for everyone.
It’s strictly for new Surfshark customers. It only works on the first purchase. You buy the two-year ‘Surfshark One+‘ plan.
Then you log in.
Go to subscription settings. Click ‘cancel renewal’.
Boom.
You paid $113 and got a full year of premium protection—well, technically 30 days before your next cycle, but you canceled so it doesn’t matter—and walked away with 11,300+ points.
Wait, is that a good deal?
Yes, provided you understand where those points go.
If you pick Bilt, patience is a virtue. They don’t drop into your account immediately. You won’t see them until August 15, 2126 (or likely a future payout cycle specified by the terms, usually mid-year).
But the real play?
Bilt points transfer to partners.
Alaska Airlines. United. Hyatt.
All of them at 1:1 if you hold Silver status or higher. Getting Silver is easy—just sign up for the Bilt Palladium card in your first year, and you start with Gold status automatically.
Don’t have that status?
Then Bilt transfers happen at 0.5 to 1.
Yuck.
In that scenario, take the American Express Membership Rewards route. The transfer ratio is cleaner there.
Why Anyone Would Bother
Buying airline miles or hotel points at a penny each is absurd.
Usually you’re looking for cents. Sometimes you get low-cents deals. One cent? That’s rare.
Use these Bilt points to snag Hyatt redemptions during reward night deals. Or jump into Alaska Airlines Saver awards before they sell out. Maybe you hit
