2022 Edition: Best Credit Cards for Charitable Donations

One bright spark during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the willingness of folks to open their hearts and wallets to the less fortunate.

Giving.sg has seen a surge in donations over the past two years to various #SGUnited initiatives, and many more continue to volunteer their time and energy to relief efforts for migrant workers and the vulnerable.

If you’re privileged enough to be in a position to give, there’s no need to feel ashamed about asking which credit cards earn points. After all, from the charity’s point of view, getting S$100 less an admin fee is better than no donation at all. 

While the vast majority of banks exclude charitable donations from earning miles and points, there’s still a handful of options left. In this post, we’ll look at the cards that make giving more rewarding.

What MCC do charitable donations process under?

The MCC for charitable donations depends on the type of organisation you’re donating to. The two you’re most likely to encounter are:

• MCC 8398- Organisations, Charitable and Social Service
  • Examples: Giving.sg, Give.asia, Ray of Hope
• MCC 8661- Religious Organisations
  • Examples: giving to churches or temples

Transactions under these MCCs receive preferential interchange rates (the fee charged for accepting credit cards). This helps charities save on administrative costs, but also means the transaction is less profitable for the card-issuing bank. Consequently, banks tend to exclude donations from earning rewards.

What cards earn points/miles on donations to charity?

At the time of writing, American Express and Maybank are the only card issuers which still award points for charitable donations. 

Bank	Awards Points for Charity?
	✓
	✕
	✕
	✕
	✕
	✓
	✕
	✕
	✕

This means you can use the following cards to earn rewards on charitable donations.

Card	Earn Rate
Maybank Manchester United Card	2.0 mpd + 3% cashback  (on days where Man Utd win)
	0.4 mpd + 1% cashback (otherwise)
AMEX HighFlyer Card	1.8 mpd
AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card	1.3 mpd
AMEX PPS Credit Card	1.3 mpd
Maybank Visa Infinite	1.2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	1.2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	1.1 mpd
AMEX Centurion	0.98 mpd
AMEX Platinum Charge	0.78 mpd
AMEX Platinum Reserve	0.69 mpd
AMEX Platinum Credit Card	0.69 mpd
AMEX Rewards Card	0.63 mpd
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature	0.4 mpd

Cashback alternatives would include the UOB Absolute Cashback Card (1.7% cashback) or AMEX True Cashback Card (1.5% cashback). Should the organisation not accept AMEX, you can try the GrabPay Mastercard workaround (see next section). 

Other ways to earn points on donations

	Admin Fee
Pay+Earn	2.5%
	2.25% (use code MILELION to save S$30 off first payment)
	2%

If you don’t mind paying an administrative fee to earn miles while donating to charity, AXS Pay+Earn, CardUp and Citi PayAll can be possible options. 

For example, a Citi PremierMiles cardholder could use Citi PayAll to make donations, earning 1.2 mpd with a 2% admin fee. This works out to 1.67 cents per mile. Do be on the lookout for periodic promotions that can reduce the cost even further.

Alternatively, consider topping up a GrabPay account with one of the following cards, then using the GrabPay Mastercard to pay your bill. You’ll indirectly earn 1.5/1.7% cashback, or 1.8 mpd depending on what card you have.

💳 Cards for GrabPay Top-Ups
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
AMEX SIA Business Card Apply	1.8 mpd	Only for owners of SMEs
AMEX True Cashback Card Apply	1.5% cashback	No cap
UOB Absolute Cashback Card Apply	1.7% cashback	No cap

Do note that you will not earn GrabRewards points for donations to charitable or religious organisations.

Conclusion

Even though it’s tricky to earn rewards for charitable donations, there’s still a few options left with American Express and Maybank. Alternatively, you can opt to pay a small admin fee to use a service like CardUp or Citi PayAll. 

So continue giving to the extent you can, and let that be all the more rewarding for you!