Rainbow Railroad Donations Exceed Expectations — But We're Not Done Yet
DONATE MILES. DONATE MONEY (AND EARN POINTS!)
Last week, I wrote about a cause that is saving LGBT lives around the world — the Rainbow Railroad — and I encouraged you all to donate. Now, just a few days after the post went live, I'm blown away that TPG readers have donated more than one million miles! That's more than 50% of our goal of two million miles.
These donated miles go into an Aeroplan account that Rainbow Railroad uses to book award tickets for asylum seekers. There are currently 30 LGBT people in a safe house in Russia, and once they're cleared, Rainbow Railroad books award tickets to get them out of the country. They're then kept in a safe house in another country where they can seek asylum. Simply put, your frequent flyer miles are saving lives.
If you don't have any Aeroplan miles, you can transfer them instantly from American Express Membership Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. You can transfer as few as 1,000 points, which equal 1,000 Aeroplan miles that'll go directly to Rainbow Railroad. There are no fees to transfer. You can also transfer hotel points to Aeroplan, such as Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints (1:1 ratio), Hilton Honors (10:1 ratio), Marriott Rewards (varying ratio depending on the amount of points transferred). Keep in mind if you transfer from SPG, for every 20,000 Starpoints you transfer, you'll get a 5,000-point bonus that'll go directly toward Rainbow Railroad.
To show how important this cause is, I donated $10,000 of my own money and 200,000 Aeroplan miles. Every mile and dollar counts, so if you can afford, please consider donating whatever you can. Peoples' lives depend on it.
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