MasterCard, Rakuten.com Team Up To Help SMBs Save

MasterCard’s small business cardholders in the U.S. can now save on more than 20 million products offered on global eCommerce site Rakuten.com, according to a company release. The agreement is through MasterCard’s Easy Savings Program, which provides MasterCard small business cardholders from participating business card issuers with savings via automatic rebates. The Program includes the following categories: fuel and maintenance, business services, travel and entertainment, printing and shipping.

Rakuten.com will connect MasterCard Easy Savings Program members to over 5,500 small and large shop owners that sell products in 24 categories, says MasterCard. Small business cardholders who are eligible will be able to earn a 3 percent rebate on purchases of $250 or less, and a 2 percent rebate on purchases that are $250 or more.

Elsewhere, BizEquity, an online business valuation engine that “helps small business owners answer questions about what their business is worth,” also teamed up with MasterCard Easy Savings Program. BizEquity aims to help SMBs grow, offer rewards to employees, and make better credit and risk management decisions. According to the release, Easy Savings members can now earn a 25 percent rebate on products bought on BizEquity.com.

“With the broad selection of goods and merchants that Rakuten.com offers and the services that BizEquity provides, we can now deliver even more value to our small business cardholders enrolled in the program,” Jay Singer, SVP of North America commercial products at MasterCard, said in the release.

Participating merchants in the Easy Savings Program include a network of over 19,500 brand-name gas stations, over 11,000 national chain and independent restaurants, FTD.com, Tires Plus, Monster.com, DHL, Avis, Bing, LivePlan.com, and more.