Tag Archives for charity.
For some families, the holidays aren’t about reunion—they’re about racing the clock. Give A Mile uses donated United miles to fly people to a loved one’s bedside in end‑of‑life situations. One balance can become one last hug.
United does something really unique, and I was genuinely surprised by it five years ago at launch. Instead of picking their own corporate charities, and asking you to support their efforts with your miles, they allow charities to solicit miles directly. You actually decide which causes to support. That way your miles align with your values.
Marriott partners with UNICEF in the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific in a program where hotels can add donations to guest folios on an opt-out basis. Generally $1 is added per night automatically, but guests can tell the front desk to remove the charge.
Autopilot opt out is the opposite of thoughtful philanthropy, so I was sympathetic to a reader who complained about feeling shamed by hotels that do this.
Choose the charity you support, based on groups actually seeking miles (that get deposited into an account for them to redeem real award tickets against), this isn’t a ‘corporate charity program’ it’s something much better than what other loyalty programs offer – the ability for real charities to raise miles from members rather than through a corporate partnership with the airline meant to burnish the airline’s image. Kudos to United for doing this.
It’s been several years since I’ve shared thoughts on effective philanthropy and donating miles. It certainly seems like we have more crises, more often, and more needs top of mind for help than ever before. I suspect that might not be correct in absolute terms, but the breadth of speed of information flow brings needs to the forefront constantly. And for many people, especially readers of this blog, miles may be an underexploited resource to help.
Through September 30 American will reward Stand Up To Cancer donations with 50 miles per dollar if you pay with an American Airlines U.S.-issued cobrand Mastercard, on up to $10,000 in donations.
United is offering 500 miles for gifts of $50 or more to one of their six designated relief charities. If you pay with your United Visa, you’ll earn double miles (update for clarity: double miles on the actual donation amount, not on the 500 mile bonus).
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
