Related Credit Card Article

"Are you planning to buy charity Christmas cards?"

By admin | December 10th, 2009 | Credit Cards, Featured

Every year many of us rush out to buy charity Christmas cards as the festive season approaches, and for many people this is the prefect way to combine giving cards to loved ones and friends to celebrate the festive season and giving to a worthy cause through the donation made from the purchase of the Christmas cards.

This method of giving to charity will prove particularly popular in the current climate, where many people cannot afford to give on a regular basis but would be happy to buy charity cards so that the charity in question gets money from their purchase.

However, before you rush out to buy your cards confident that some worthy cause will get most or all of the money that you spend on them it is worth considering that in some cases the charity only receives a small fraction of the cost of the cards, with the remainder being split between the retailer and the manufacturer. When you consider how much the retailer and the manufacturer take from the price of the purchase you may actually find that another way of giving to charity may be more suitable, as only a small part of what you pay for the cards will actually go to the charity.

Some retailers are giving as little as 6 percent to the charity in question, and whilst every penny counts for charities, especially in the current financial climate where the level of donations has suffered due to the credit crunch and the recession, it is worth remembering that some retailers give more of the money made from these cards to the charities. A survey was recently carried out by the consumer campaign group Which? and indicated that the average amount that charities were receiving from the sale of these Christmas cards was around 13 percent.

Some packs of charity cards from House of Fraser and Next, which are major retailers that sell many charity cards each year, donate just 6 percent of the overall cost to the charity. The Which? investigation revealed that a pack of charity Christmas cards from Next that cost £4 to buy would see a donation of only 25 pence going to the charity. On the other hand there are retailers that give a lot more of the money from these cards to the charities. W H Smith, for instance, gives at least 20 percent of the purchase price to the charity, and in some cases 100 percent of the money is given to the charity in question.

Asda is also offering a generous 50 percent on the sale of its charity Christmas cards to the Children in Need appeal. The differences in the amounts that are donated to charities from the sale of these Christmas cards make it clear that consumers need to shop around and check which retailers are offering the biggest donations to the charities before buying their Christmas cards. This way well intentioned consumers that are looking to do their bit for a good cause can ensure that the charities get the maximum donation possible from their card purchase.

Tags: Charity shop, charity christmas cards, Charities, Christmas card, consumer campaign group

Related Articles:

• Credit card decision by Lloyds could have serious effect on charities

  For many years now, a range of leading and well known charities have been able to boost the levels of donations that they receive through the contributions made via charity based credit cards. Whilst many people do not actively give to charities, many have been using charity credit cards, where a donation is made to...

• Consumers continue to make donations on credit cards despite recession

  Whilst the recession has definitely seen a greater number of households aiming to cut back on their expenditure and outgoings in order to weather the financial crisis, recent research has shown that Brits are still being generous when it comes to making donations to charities. It has been revealed that many Brits are still using...

• Charity donations on credit cards remain strong

  According to a recent report the level of donations being made to charities through the use of credit cards in the UK remains strong and healthy, and this is despite the difficult financial climate and the ongoing recession that is affecting most households. Data was released by the UK Cards Association, and indicated that whilst...

• Government aims to increase charity donations via credit cards

  It has been claimed in a recent report that the UK government is hoping to increase donations that are made to charities across the UK by providing credit card holders with the means to make a donation each time they make a transaction on their credit cards. Officials believe that this is a way in which...

• Loyalty Programmes

  In some ways, credit cards have not changed very much since the mid-1950s. In other ways, however, the system has changed dramatically. One of the biggest changes between credit cards of today and those of the mid-1950s is the use of loyalty programmes. The following are some of the loyalty programmes you may come across...

Other Recent Articles

Use of credit cards declines whilst payday loans increase

It seems that many consumers may have switching from spending on credit card that can sometimes come with high rates...

By Reno | February 10, 2012 | Read More

Useful Tips for Credit Card Holders

Modern technology offers comfort and convenience that is often helpful for people in a fast paced everyday living. With just...

By admin | February 7, 2012 | Read More

Credit card decision by Lloyds could have serious effect on charities

For many years now, a range of leading and well known charities have been able to boost the levels of...

By Reno | January 28, 2012 | Read More

Many have to rely on credit cards to make ends meet

There was a time when people had credit cards to enable them to pay for occasional larger, more expensive items...

By Reno | January 26, 2012 | Read More

Brits increasingly dissatisfied with credit card providers

According to recent reports, Brits are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their credit card providers, particularly in the case of the...

By Reno | January 20, 2012 | Read More