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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters each put $25 on a carbon-offsetting card, we'll avert the CO2 generated by driving to the mall and back up to 11,848 times.
COCKTAIL FACT
The concierge service for the invitation-only American Express Centurion card located, purchased, and delivered the horse Kevin Costner rode in Dances with Wolves to an appreciative cardholder in Europe.
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Saving the world while shopping?
The Bite
Priceless. Donation-linked credit cards work kind of like frequent flyer programs, only each time you make a purchase, you donate money to a charity or offset carbons. So while there are some things that money can't buy, a greener planet ain't one of them.The Benefits
- Extra rewards. You're going to buy stuff anyway. Might as well earn carbon offsets or monetary donations while you're at it; they're small (usually around 1% of spending), but they add up.
- Similar services. Some cards offer personal rewards as well as giving to charities or CO2 offsetters, and all are affiliated with major card companies like Visa.
- Less worry about whether or not your rewards points are gonna expire, since the points go straight to the good cause.
Personally Speaking
Several of us have Working Assets credit cards, which have enabled way too much charitable giving lately.Wanna Try?
- Working Assets Visa - each time you make a purchase, Working Asset's splits 10 cents between a variety of nonprofits, such as Planned Parenthood and the Union of Concerned Scientists, plus you earn personal rewards.
- Earth Rewards MasterCard - up to 1% of your spending goes to GE-AES carbon offsetting programs; you can also choose to get some cash back.
- Salmon Nation Visa - issued by an eco-friendly bank, a small percentage of your spending goes to saving Northwest salmon.
- World Wildlife Fund Visa - 1% of each sale goes to wildlife conservation efforts.
- DIY Bite: If you have a credit card issued by a bank, check its website to see if you can earn rewards for good causes.
Nov 01,2007
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Plastic or Plastic?
I just closed a credit card that I've had for so long that the magnetic strip stopped working and the numbers were beginning to wear down - threadbare and wearing thin, she was. Cutting it up got me thinking about how many little sheets of plastic are floating around out there and arriving unsolicited in the mail, and no matter how threadbare they get, they'll still take eons to decompose.
Then there are all the toxins that are in the plastic, and all the toxins that are emitted during the production of the plastic. How annoying.
It appears that attempts at creating truly biodegradable cards haven't been so successful, and although cards like the one from Greenpeace are made from safer PET plastics, there has to be a better alternative, right?
-Jenifer Morgan...off to lobby for payment via retinal-scanning?...
Then there are all the toxins that are in the plastic, and all the toxins that are emitted during the production of the plastic. How annoying.
It appears that attempts at creating truly biodegradable cards haven't been so successful, and although cards like the one from Greenpeace are made from safer PET plastics, there has to be a better alternative, right?
-Jenifer Morgan...off to lobby for payment via retinal-scanning?...
Biter Comments...
Great post Kevin and congratulations! Was your interest rate only 14% for all of your cards for 12 years? I've been successful at lowering some, but not all. Speaking of plastic toxins, I came across a site (online store) that is free of any and all toys and game products made in China http://www.toysnotmadeinchina.org/
It's funny because when you start keying different URLs on this subject to find toys not made in China, they all seemed to be squatters hoping someone will pay to actually use. It was refreshing to see one that actually has something behind it.
Great job on the credit cards. We are right behind you.
Great tip, I'm posting a link to this at GreenDeals Daily as we speak!
This is a good tip for those who can use credit cards responsibly and, in general, I greatly appreciate all the wonderful work the Biter team puts into helping all of us live more responsibly in every facet of our lives. However, one comment in today's tip made me very concerned for the team's morals and the reality of their "social responsibility." Why would several of you tout using a credit card that gives money to Planned Parenthood - the single largest killer of unborn children in the US? When you give so much advice on toxins that can potentially harm pregnant mothers and their unborn children, how can you differentiate between fetuses that are planned and those that are unplanned (some say "not wanted") and slated for abortion? Do you not realize the harm (physical and psychological) that such cruel and inhumane practices impose on a mother? These are people who first and foremost directly kill unborn children under the protection of our government; second, vehemently fight for women's, and men's, ill-advised "choice" to kill unborn children at any stage of their fetal development; and third, continuously spread falsehoods that unborn children are not human and do not deserve the respect the rest of us do. Why not respect all life? Frankly, I have lost some respect for the Biter team, although I will continue to subscribe because the voluminous information I have received in daily emails is noteworthy. I guess I should thank you for bringing to light that this particular credit card gives money to such an abominable organization and considers it charity. I am now a better-educated consumer and, hopefully, some of your other subscribers will be, too.
Another great option is www.IGive.org. When you shop online at participating stores, the stores themselves give a percentage of what you spend to a charity (or charities) of your choice. If the charity you want to give to isn't listed, contact them and get them to sign up! I worked a non-profit and signed us up very easily. Not too many of the earth-friendly stores I shop at are a part of the network (yet) but if I buy plane tickets, or something else generic, it helps.
Oops! Sorry, it's
www.IGive.com (not org)
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Returning to the enduring nature of credit cards, I recently took Amy Dacyzyn's advice and made guitar picks out of some for my best friend. She actually really liked them and asked for more!
very interesting... here are some good readings apply for credit cards online about the topic.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Kevin Wright | November 01, 2007 at 04:56 AM