Give Those Miles Away to Charity !!
Mar 02 '00 (Updated Mar 03 '00)
There are many Epinions telling you how to maximize your miles, this one tells you about some worthy causes to use them for. Give your miles away to charity! Yes – after you have spent all those trips collecting points – give some away.
Each of the major airlines has a program allowing you to donate some of your miles to a charity such as The Make A Wish Foundation. Some will even match a portion of your donation. What I suggest is this; if you, like me travel mainly on one or two airlines, but occasionally take a trip on some other airline, those points add up. Also, if you have a family member – like a child or parent – who rarely travels, sign them up before they make a major trip (like New York to San Francisco) , collect the miles, and then donate them.
Here are the programs for some of the major airlines; you can get more information on their websites.
USAir. Probably the best program out there. You can donate your miles directly from their website. There is a 5,000-mile minimum and the airline will provide a 20% bonus. Choices are Save the Children and Make-A-Wish.
Delta. The Skywish program , like USAirs, has a 5,000-mile minimum and a 20% bonus. Options are Make-A-Wish, CARE, United Way and a featured charity for the quarter. To donate miles send a letter to:
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Dept. 745
SkyMiles Service Center
P.O. Box 20532
Atlanta, GA 30320-2532
E-mail: delta.bids@delta-air.com or FAX: 404-773-1945
Northwest Airlines. The Aircares program has a 5,000-mile minimum, no bonus, although Northwest gives you a 500-mile thank-you. Aircares is a general fund for charities to access. Donate miles by calling 1-800-327-2881.
United. The United Charity Miles program is tough to get information on. There is a 10,000 mile minimum, but no instructions on how to donate your miles. I would recommend calling Mileage Plus Service at 800-241-6522.
American. I don’t fly on American, so have no direct experience of their program, Strangely enough, from a PR point of view, you need to be a member of AAdvantage to even get information about their charity donation services. I'm sure some knowledgeable AA member can add a comment with that information.
Every Christmas I review my mileage statements to check if I have any miles about to expire, or ‘stray’ miles on other airlines, and donate them to Charity. In return I get a great feeling of having done something good, plus I receive some nice thank-you letters in return and I know that somewhere, a sick kid or worried parent is making a trip because of me.
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Location: Southeast Pennsylvania
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Bullets can hurt people. Both in guns and PowerPoint.
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