How to Donate Your Credit Card Rewards to Charity

Responsible credit card users can quickly rack up credit card rewards, especially if using a high-reward credit card. For those who find themselves sitting on their points or miles for extended periods, donating your rewards could help you put them to good use. Plus, you can support charities of your choice in just a few clicks!

As you’ll see in this article, donating your travel rewards can be easy. Keep in mind that there are a few drawbacks to consider before you hit the donate button.

Many credit card companies now allow you to donate any points or miles you’ve racked up straight to charity. It may be the charity of your choosing, or your lender may have selections from which you can choose. Many major credit card companies, including AmEx, Chase and Discover, offer donation programs. Additionally, certain charities will take your points or miles directly.

Charities will accept your donation in various ways, but it’s not always dollar-for-dollar. It’ll depend entirely on the specific loyalty program and the charity of your choice.

Generally, your rewards will go to the charity in two ways: via travel credits or a direct cash donation. When your donations translate into travel rewards, some charities will use them to cover the cost of travel for marginalized groups in need. For example, Miles4Migrants is a nonprofit that accepts frequent flier miles and uses them to book flights for refugees and asylum-seekers.

Some credit card issuers transfer your points or miles as cash. Some of these points will transfer dollar-for-dollar or cent-for-cent, depending on the issuer. For others, however, it’ll be a percentage of your points.

There’s never a bad time to donate your points or miles to charity. Whenever you rack up a nice amount of points, instead of cashing in, consider donating them instead. Often, over time credit card companies will change their redemption structure, which could mean a sudden devaluation of your points. So it may be best to donate points periodically rather than in a giant lump sum to take advantage of the total value of your points.

Additionally, keep an eye on the expiration date on your points, if there is one. If your points are close to expiration, donating them can help ensure they don’t go to waste.

Although donating your rewards has a few downsides, donating to charity is always a good thing. Even if your points or miles don’t add up to thousands of dollars, anything can help charitable organizations support those in need. Here are a few reasons donating your rewards to charities can be beneficial to you and the charity:

Donating your miles and travel points looks different across loyalty programs and credit card issues. Here are a few commonly asked questions about donating rewards to charity.

Many big-name airlines let you donate your loyalty points. You’ll see similar charities like the Red Cross and Make-A-Wish on most of the program lists, but others focus on specific regions. For example, Hawaiian Airlines have charities that focus specifically on the Hawaiian people. The same goes for Alaska Airlines, which focuses on Alaskan charities.

Below, you’ll find a table with various loyalty programs and the charities they support.

Like many major airlines, most major hotel chains have donation programs. You’ll see similar charities to airline programs, but many chains also choose to focus on specific causes. For example, Accor focuses on environmental and social causes, as does Marriott.

Hotel loyalty programs tend to support fewer charities than airline programs, but they’re still worth contributing to.

Not every credit card company allows you to donate your points, but many prominent players in the game do. While many of them make it easy to donate, you must read the fine print before donating to ensure your miles are maximized. It may be worth it to cash out on your points if it’s a direct dollar-for-dollar transfer and make a cash donation to the charity of your choosing instead.

That said, the programs below are worth checking out.

• Before Giving to a Charity guide: Your intention to give is always the right thing, but unfortunately, scams exist. Use this FTC guide to ensure you're donating to the right causes.
• American Red Cross Donate Points To Charity page: One of the most common charities listed on any rewards donation page is the American Red Cross. Their direct charity page can help you easily determine if your rewards qualify for donation.
• Calculate The Cash Value of Points and Miles: To learn your points' cash value or what your loyalty program points are worth, check out this calculator.
• Miles4Migrants: Another common option for donation is Miles4Migrants. This organization is one of the more well-known charities that accept direct travel credits. They use your donations to help refugees and asylum-seekers get flights to the U.S.