Are you a fan of doing a little good when you have a few extra dollars? Well, why not also allow a little something good to happen to you when you are doing it? You can do this with the help of some of the best cash back credit cards or best rewards credit cards.
When you give a donation to charity, you should do it because you want to do something positive. But at the same time, you can allow it to do something positive for you.
Charge It For Taxes
Instead of making a cash donation, use your credit card. Most charities these days will allow you to charge you donation to them. This serves a dual purpose. First, by having that donation on your credit card, you have a receipt of the purchase, which you may be able to use for income tax purposes.
While this is not the reason you are making the donation, you never know if those couple of dollars in donations that you can deduct, added to your other charitable giving for the year will end up saving you a little bit on what you owe Uncle Sam come tax day.
Charge it For Extra Charity
If you work for a company that offers matching funds for charitable donations, you will have to be able to prove that you made a donation in order to get those matching funds. Show them your charge receipt. This is a great way to make your donation go further by getting your company to match the money that you gave.
Charge it For Rewards
Another reason you should use a credit card is if you have a good rewards credit card. If you are going to make the donation anyway, why not get a little something back for it. The best rewards credit cards will earn you points towards items you would like to purchase or even possibly towards an airline ticket so you can take that trip you have been thinking of. Or you can go the cash-in-hand route and use your best cash back rewards card and actually get a return on the money you have donated.
A Warning Before You Give
Not all charities are what they seem. Before you give, make sure you know where your money is going.
Check out Bbb.org/charity to see if a charity is accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Do your research and find out where the charity is going to put the money you donate. If you are trying to help the victims of a disaster, you want to make sure your money is going to them, not into administrative hands.