Some of us are hard pressed to donate our hard earned cash to charity. Some. There are mortgages to be paid, after all. Most of us are happy to give up tens or even hundreds of dollars for the benefit of our beloved kababayans. Some of us already “give” on a monthly basis {think World Vision child sponsorship}. And still, we want to give some more!
If you don’t have time to read this full story, scroll down to Here’s how ~
I was eating breakfast this morning, conjuring up creative thoughts of various ways to contribute. I didn’t want to send material as that occupies space and has weight and I don’t really know what is required. Where do I find spare cash? I thought of giving up my daily coffee. To be honest, I don’t really want to give up something that is a source of small joy. I don’t want to deprive myself, I am selfish like that. And yet there must be other ways.
Supplement your “giving” by converting your loyalty points into cash!
Last weekend, I sat in my study finding out how many points I have accumulated in my various rewards/loyalty programs (hotels/airlines/credit cards etc). I was planning a summer holiday. My Holiday Inn account has accumulated 19,000 points. It’s not enough to cover a one night stay at Holiday Inn Melbourne. But I noted that it is enough to redeem a $100 gift card from my local supermarket. I moved on to the next card, telling myself I need to accumulate more. But this morning it hit me!
Here’s how to convert your “forgotten” loyalty points into cash. Allow at least 30 minutes tonight.
1. Trawl your email Inboxes for statements from your rewards partners. Hotels, airlines, car rentals, credit cards, store cards etc. Take note of points that are at least 10,000.
2. Login to your various accounts.
3. Redeem points for store gift cards. Preferably ones that you can use for your groceries for that immediate “free” grocery. The cards will arrive in due time.
4. Congratulations. You’ve just found cash! Now that you’ve saved say $100 worth of groceries, use that equivalent amount to give to #YolandaPH typhoon victims.
5. Choose a reputable international charity with local presence in the Philippines with targeted relief efforts.
Red Cross or Red Cross Australia
World Vision or World Vision Australia
Plan International or Plan Australia
Gawad Kalinga
Important Note:
Don’t forget to print and file your tax-deductible receipt. Get something back in return from the taxman. Come to think of it, you can even give more, if you know what I mean. It’s a win-win for all!
No sweat really. Just stop browsing Facebook for half an hour. Finding $100x gift cards is more than a month’s worth of $3 coffees!
PS. Maybe you have some money parked in your Paypal/eBay/what-have-you accounts. Now’s the time to cash in! And give!
PPS. Your workplace may also be setting up some targeted giving where your employer may match your donation, dollar for dollar. That is also a great way of doubling up your hard-earned cash!
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