If you want to give something back and help a good cause with minimum effort then a charity credit card could be an easy and convenient way to lend a hand. Here’s how to choose the best charity credit card.
Getting a charity credit card can be a good way to give a little something back to a cause that's close to your heart each and every time you make a purchase.
Charity cards work in exactly the same way as all other credit cards. You're assigned both a credit limit and a rate of interest that applies to purchases and under these terms are free to spend on the card as you see fit, providing you make at least the minimum repayment each time you get a statement.
The main difference is that charity credit cards donate a percentage of your transaction value to your nominated charity as cashback. This doesn't cost you any extra, it's at the expense of your credit card provider.
However, while this sounds like a fool-proof means of doing a good turn just by shopping, you need to compare charity credit cards carefully or your honourable intentions could prove costly.
Charity credit cards typically apply a higher than average interest rate and rarely offer anything like the market leading deals on purchases and balance transfers available on other cards.
As such, you need to make sure you put your own finances first when you're comparing your options and searching for the best charity credit card to use.
This means that you need to consider what you really need from your credit card and check the interest rate and other fees to find the cheapest charity credits cards on the market.
Before you apply you should also check exactly how the charity will benefit from your spending, as the amount paid by even the best charity credit card offers vary significantly.
What's more, although some dedicated charity credit cards are a great way to lend a hand to a good cause, depending on your circumstances you may be able to give more by using a cashback card and donating the cashback you earn to your chosen charity.
Plus, you may find that the charity that you would like to support don’t have a charity credit card, or have an uncompetitive deal in which case you might need to look at other ways of helping them.
If there's any chance that you'll carry over a balance from one month to the next you should make sure your chosen charity card also offers interest free purchases for a set period, or you could face hefty interest charges that far outweigh your donations.
You can compare charity credit cards using our charity credit cards comparison table, which includes charity credit cards for a wide variety of good causes and charities.
