Are you looking for ways to keep the spirit of giving alive in today’s troubled economy? One simple way to give back without giving up much in return is with frequent flier miles donation. Many of us are loyal to only one airline alliance and tend to forget about miles accrued on our less frequented airlines. If you have too few miles for redemption or too many miles to redeem before they expire, donation of miles could be a great alternative to letting the miles go to waste.
Your unused miles could grant a wish, support our troops or provide relief when disaster strikes. Most mileage programs require a minimum donation of only 1,000 to 5,000 miles. Consider these donation opportunities.
GRANT A WISH. Provide the necessary travel to grant a wish for a child suffering from a life-threatening medical condition with a miles donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. An estimated 2.5 billion miles annually are required to grant travel wishes.
PROVIDE RELIEF FOR DISASTER VICTIMS. Transport a volunteer to a critical area where they can help provide relief for disaster victims with a miles donation to the American Red Cross. Each year the organization provides assistance at more than 70,000 disasters.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. Reunite an injured service member with their family with a miles donation to the Hero Miles program. Qualifying service men and women who are undergoing medical treatment for injuries sustained during their service in Iraq or Afghanistan are provided with flights for themselves or their family to facilitate visits during their treatment. The Hero Miles program is completely dependent on donations by frequent fliers and has provided more than 22,000 tickets to hospitalized service members and their families.
These are just a few of the charitable organizations that accept miles. Donation opportunities will vary with each airline. If you fly Delta you can your miles donations can be provided to any of 19 different SkyWish charities including UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity and the American Cancer Society. Contact your airline for additional donations opportunities!
Photo credit: Flickr – Airplane over ocean by The-Lane-Team
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