Charity Credit Cards 101

If you don’t particularly care for rewards but don’t want your credit card spending to net you no benefits, a charity credit card is probably a great choice for you.  Instead of earning points for yourself, you can accumulate cash rebates and items that will then be donated to charities.

Two Types Of Charity Credit Cards

The first type of charity rewards card donates a portion of all your purchases to a specific charity.  As such, these credit cards are usually branded with the particular charity it is associated with.  Donations are automatically made on your behalf, as long as you’re using your card for purchases.

This is a great choice if you have a particular charity you want to support.  A great idea is to contact that charity group and ask them if they have specific partnerships with any credit card issues - many of the larger charity operations do.

The second type of charity credit cards are no different from regular rewards credit cards, with the exception that you can use your points for donating to worthy causes.  If you’re a current member of a rewards program, check their terms to see if they allow you to give away your points to their partner charities.

Some credit card programs will have a wider range of charity partners than others, so that might factor in to your eventual choice.  Regardless, though, you’ll be doing a great deed, all for doing nothing much but using your card for items you’ll be spending on anyway.