Amex cardmembers can now round up purchases to donate to charity
American Express on Thursday launched a new program called Amex Round-Up, allowing cardholders to round up their purchases and donate to charity when paying with American Express credit cards.
At present, this is a pilot program and not yet open to everyone with an Amex card. Let's take a look at who can participate, how Amex Round-Up works and how you can turn your next purchase into a charitable donation.
For more news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's daily newsletter.
What is Amex Round-Up?
Amex Round-Up is a new feature that allows cardmembers to round up their purchases and contribute the extra funds to charities of their choice.
As this is a pilot program, not everyone will be able to participate just yet. Eligible cardholders in the U.S. and U.S. territories will receive an email from American Express inviting them to participate in Amex Round-Up. Enrollment will be completed through a link in the email.
From here, they can select the Amex card they want to enroll in the program and choose the purchase categories they want to round up. The categories include bars and restaurants, entertainment, groceries, shopping, services, transportation and travel and leisure. During enrollment, cardmembers will be able to select an amount to round up in each category: to the nearest $1, the nearest $5 or the nearest $10.
After enrollment, cardmembers will be taken to the website for Philanthropi (which is a portfolio company of Amex Ventures) to create an Impact Account and select the charity or charities they want to receive the funds from Amex Round-Up purchases. An Impact Account is a donor-advised fund. At present, only primary accountholders — and not authorized users — are eligible to participate in Amex Round-Up.
How does Amex Round-Up work?
Amex Round-Up allocates your chosen donation amounts into the Impact Account at Philanthropi. During registration for Amex Round-Up, you will choose which purchase categories you want to round up and by how much. Eligible purchases in your designated categories will be rounded up according to your settings and you can see these funds in your Impact Account. Then you can donate them to your preferred charity or charities. You can manage your account by viewing your chosen charities, giving history and other account information.
Rather than choosing to round up purchases one at a time or giving one-time contributions to your preferred charities, you can automatically give on every purchase made with your enrolled Amex card. By using preset amounts and chosen spending categories, you can donate by rounding up the amount you've established in your settings — and only on purchases in spending categories where you choose to participate in Amex Round-Up. If you choose to round up to the nearest $5 and make a purchase of $2.25, then your round-up amount is $2.75.
A spokesperson from American Express confirmed that the donations will appear on your credit card statement as a separate transaction from "AXP RU PHILANTHROPI." Thus, if you use a credit card that earns bonus points at restaurants to pay for a meal, you would not receive bonus points on the charitable donation amount — only on your original purchase amount. On the donation, you will earn your credit card's everyday earning rate on "other purchases" as long as the donation amount is 50 cents or greater.
The Amex spokesperson also confirmed that these donations through Amex Round-Up are tax deductible as charitable donations.
Related: The best credit cards to maximize your charitable donation
Bottom line
Amex Round-Up is a new feature rolling out for select Amex cardmembers as of Thursday and it will become available to additional cardholders in the future. Through the program, cardholders can add charitable donations automatically to purchases in the categories they choose.
If you have a favorite charity and would like to donate to it every time you use your American Express card, watch for an email from Amex to enroll your card. If you want to view or change your Amex Round-Up settings after enrollment, use the same link found in your original email from signing up for this feature.
Finally, note that the round-up donations are tax deductible but they do not earn bonus points — you'll get the everyday earning rate on the card you use.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.