If you don’t have any debt and you’d like to make some money for charity without any extra effort, here’s our pick of the best charity credit cards. Some are far more generous than others, or you may prefer to pick the card that supports the charity of your choice.
NB. Ignore this article if you don’t pay off your balance in full each month. It’s not worth going for the charity donations if you are paying more interest on your debt – instead see the best 0% cards for spending or 0% balance transfer cards.
- What are they?
- Who are they good for?
- Good deals
- Green and ethical cards
- How to make more money for charity
Want to skip the best buys and go straight to the info? Click here.
Good deals
Biggest initial donation- PDSA Visa
MBNA offers the highest initial donation with its PDSA Visa card. When you first use the card, MBNA donate a massive £25 to animal welfare and will thereafter donate 0.25% of your purchases to the same charity as well as £2 per year that you use the card.
The card also offers an impressive twelve month interest-free offer on balance transfers (3% handling fee applies) as well as three months interest-free on purchases but be aware that after this the interest rate is 16.9%APR- not too bad but still something to be cautious of.
Best for continuous spending
The American Express Red card is part of the Red initiative raising funds for people in Africa who are dealing with HIV and AIDS. The scheme has loads of contributors who produce special Red products and give a percentage of their sale price to the global fund to help fight aids in Africa.
American Express gives a whopping 1% (three times more than the others) on all purchases to Red. There are also some bonus offers, like 12% off at the Chocolate Trading Company.
This card is certainly not for those in debt; you can only transfer existing credit card balances at certain times, you will pay interest on the full balance being transferred onto the card and all purchases will be charged at 18.9% APR.
Best for ongoing donations- MBNA
MBNA offers a range of charity credit cards representing Breakthrough Breast Cancer, WWF, The National Trust, the RSPCA and Dogs Trust
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Credit Card offers 12 months 0% interest on balance transfers and three months 0% interest on purchases after which they will charge 16.9% APR. It donates 25p for every £100 you spend on the card to the charity plus £2 for every year that you have the card, with an initial donation of £40 when you use the card within 90 days of the account opening.
On the first use of the The National Trust card, MBNA will donate up to £15 to the charity; and for the WWF, the donation is £6. As with the other cards, a £2 annual donation will be given for both of these cards, regardless of how much you spend.
Barclaycard Breathe allows you to help the environment whilst you spend. It has a 16.9% APR, which is similar to other charity cards, and donates 0.5% of your spend to projects that tackle climate change. The card also offers 0% on balance transfers (the only costs are the 3% handling fee) for 10 months and only 5.9% APR on purchases made on public transport (excluding Transport for London), to encourage you to get out of your car and on to a train or a bus and reduce carbon emissions. The card also gives you lots of green offers and discounts including 10% off cycles and accessories at Halfords and up to 15% off plants at Crocus.
To apply for Barclaycard Breathe, click here.
The Think credit card from the Co-operative Bank allows you to do your bit for the environment and be rewarded for spending your money ethically. It does this by first of all buying and protecting 1/3 of an acre of rainforest in your name when you first use your card. Then they will donate 25p for every £100 you spend to the RSPB’s Indonesian Rainforest project.
The card also gives you added benefits of reduced interest (at 3.9% APR) for 6 months after your purchase, when you make purchases from their ethical partners, who are a load of retail outlets who have made pledges to run their businesses in the greenest way possible. The card charges 3.9% interest on balance transfers for 6 months, after which the rate rises to 12.9% APR and the interest-free period is 59 days.
To apply for Cooperative Think, click here.
What are they?
Charity credit cards allow you to donate money to charity as you spend, without any extra cost to yourself. They’re only worth considering if you can pay off your balance each month without any trouble.
Most charity cards also offer an initial contribution to the specific charity supported by the card and then for every purchase you make, a percentage of the amount spent is given to the charity. You just pay back the amount you have spent.
Who are they good for?
Because these cards rely on you clearing your balance each month and cost the credit card companies more (as they are paying extra money to charities), they do not offer the best credit card deals. If you need a credit card because you need help with money, these are not the credit cards for you. Instead, try looking at our articles on the best 0% balance transfer credit cards (for existing credit card debts) and the best 0% on purchases credit cards (for new spending).
How to make more for charity
If you are scrupulous about your credit card spending and you are determined to wring the most out of the credit card companies for charity as you can, the most profitable thing to do is to choose a reward credit card instead of a charity credit card. Often cash back is higher and you can then take the cash that you make and donate that to charity yourself. This also gives you more choice as to which charity you contribute to and you’ll probably get better discounts and deals as well. To find out more see our article on rewards cards.
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