Your Giving Tuesday gifts sometimes give back
Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, U.S. consumers do a whole lot of splurging. #GivingTuesday was created as a way to encourage consumers to take a step back from the holiday spending and give back. The movement started in the U.S. back in 2012, but has since grown to be globally adopted.
For those of us fortunate enough to travel, we've got some points and miles to show for it. While the currency can reward you with a flight or a free night, it can also help out those who are less fortunate in a variety of ways from funding air travel for human trafficking victims to making a sick child's wish come true.
Related: The best credit cards for charitable donations
In the spirit of giving Tuesday, many airline and hotel programs are matching donations and offering rewards for members generosity.
Some will even give you discounts for giving.
Check out the full list of all the airlines and hotels you can donate your points and miles with.
Airlines
United - DONATE HERE
United will match all miles donated 1:1 throughout the day. PeaceJam's target goal is 600k miles and Rainbow Railroad's target is 500k miles. Note that there's a minimum of 1,000 miles required to make a donation.
Alaska - DONATE HERE
Alaska will match all miles donated 1:1 throughout the day up to a million miles. After that your donations will go unmatched. There's a minimum of 1,000 miles required to make a donation, but no maximum so if you're feeling especially generous then go crazy!
American – DONATE HERE
American has three categories of organizations that it donates to: Miles for social good, well-being and heroes. Regardless of which organization you chose, there's a minimum of 1,000 miles to donate. If you have less than that then you will have the option to donate your entire balance.
Delta – DONATE HERE
Delta prides itself on donating 1% or more of its profits to charities a year and its Great Delta Give-Back employee program allows them to typically exceed that goal.The program matches Delta employees, retirees and Board of Directors who donate to educational institutions 1:1 with a cap of 5,000 SkyMiles per person. SkyMiles members can donate their miles through SkyWish, which has a variety of charities to chose from but you must have a minimum of 1,000 points.
Southwest – DONATE HERE
If you have Rapid Rewards points laying around, consider donating them through Southwest's Points for a Purpose program. The American Red Cross, Make-A-Wish and the Ronald McDonald house are just a few of the charities you can chose to donate to. However, you will need a minimum of 2,000 points in order to donate.
JetBlue - DONATE HERE
JetBlue is celebrating #GivingTuesday by having crew members in Orlando pack holiday care kits in support of the Children's Home Society of Florida. The airline is also encouraging TrueBlue members to donate their points to the Make-A-Wish foundation, however, there are plenty of other organization to chose from. Note that you must have a minimum of 500 points to donate.
Hotels
Hilton - DONATE HERE
Hilton allows guests to donate their points through Point Worthy, which offers a wide variety of global organizations to donate towards. For every 10,000 Hilton Honors points donated, Hilton will match it with $25 towards the charity of the guest's choice.
Marriott - DONATE HERE
Marriott allows guests to donate Bonvoy points through its program, Serve360, which focuses its efforts towards nurturing, sustaining, empowering and welcoming. Guests can donate a minimum of 2,500 points, which becomes a $500 donation.
Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants - BOOK AND DONATE HERE
Kimpton combines Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday together by offering guests discounts up to 40% on stays booked Nov. 29 - Dec. 6 for travel before May 31, 2020. For each night booked, Kimpton will donate $5 to one of its two charitable partners, The Trevor Project and No Kid Hungry. To review participating hotels, visit the Kimpton website.
Dream Hotel Group - BOOK AND DONATE HERE
Dream Hotel Group will donate $5 per booking on hotels booked by Dec. 5 and stayed at through Nov. 20, 2020. All you have to do is use the code 50CYBER. Guests also have the option to add an additional donation when booking a stay now through Dec. 31. All of the donations will go towards No More, an organization dedicated to standing up to domestic violence.
Guests can also make a donation by texting "NOMORE" to 833-222-3211 or by visiting the No More website.
Trump Hotels - BOOK AND DONATE HERE
Like Kimpton, Trump Hotels is rolling Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday up into one. The hotel chain is offering guests 30% off suite bookings at eight of its properties and in turn, it will donate $10 towards St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
TPG gives back
This year, TPG partnered with United Airlines with the goal of raising 20 million miles between the following campaigns:
- Rainbow Railroad: We're proud to work closely with Rainbow Railroad, an organization that helps those who identify as members of the LGBTQI community find asylum from their countries of origin where they are persecuted.
- PeaceJam: We're also thrilled to sponsor PeaceJam, an international organization dedicated to teaching the leaders of tomorrow peace-oriented approaches to global citizenship. Through PeaceJam, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates are connected with youth groups, and teach pathways for inspiring meaningful changes in their communities.
- Compass to Care: This Chicago-based organization assists children suffering from cancer by providing travel to receive life-saving cancer treatments, as 30% of children diagnosed with cancer do not live within 60 miles of an oncologist.
- The Extra Mile: An organization that provides assistance to individuals who need to travel to see loved ones who are dying, by alleviating the burden of last-minute ticket purchases.
- A Walk on Water: A surf-therapy organization that helps children with special needs.
- The Station Foundation: An organization committed to guiding special ops veterans returning from combat.
- Up2UsSports: An organization that works to engage, train and support coaches to serve as mentors and role models for youth in underserved communities all across the U.S.
- IAMALS: A patient-led and patient-focused community that works to reshape the understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and creates opportunities for ALS patients to lead the fight for a cure.
Bottom line
Whether or not you get a discount from donating, have unused points lying around or you're just feeling generous in the spirit of #GivingTuesday — your points and miles have to power to make a difference in someone elses life, so give what you can and who knows? Maybe you'll get a surprise upgrade in the future.
TPG featured card
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