The end of the year is fast approaching. In your struggle to maximize your credit card perks and not let them go to waste, you may be wondering how to make the most of all those benefits before time runs out. . Let us present an alternative idea: use your credit card perks to donate to the pantry during the holiday season.
Nearly 10% of U.S. households experience food insecurity every year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Food insecurity means uncertainty about the availability of food due to lack of money or other resources. This figure is even higher for households with children; More than 12% of households with children are food insecure in the US
As we’re in the holiday gift-giving spirit and thinking about ways to use our credit card benefits before the end of the year, here’s how you can donate to grocers through these benefits. benefits for their cardholders.
Instacart . Community Car
Some Chase credit cardholders get access to benefits with Instacart in August 2022. This includes statement credit on Instacart purchases and a free Instacart+ membership. The duration of your free membership and the number of spending credits vary by card.
For example, people with Chase Sapphire Reserve maybe enjoy 12 months free Instacart+ and up to $15 per month as statement credit to offset their Instacart purchases. People have Chasing Freedom Flexotherwise, qualify for a free three-month Instacart+ membership and up to $10 per quarter statement credit on Instacart purchases.
Related: Eligible Chase cardholders can get up to $15 in Instacart statement credits
Cardholders can use these benefits to help over 100 Feeding America food banks across the US through the Community Trolley function in the Instacart app. Think of Community Cars as a virtual food drive — and you can join even if you don’t live near a participating food bank. Even better, you can donate groceries to these grocers with no delivery or service fees as those are waived for all donation orders.
To donate via Instacart, visit this page to see the full list of participating food banks and select one to support. Each food bank has a personalized wish list, based on what is most needed in that local community. These donations are available through December 31 and will be sent directly to the food bank by local Instacart shoppers.
According to an Instacart spokesperson, Community Vehicles launched earlier this month and customers have donated more than 25,000 items. Each participating food bank received at least one donation, with an average value of $50. Furthermore, Instacart has combined donations for the week of Tuesday, for a total of $100,000 in donations to Feeding America.
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To start your donation, go to this page on the Instacart website.
Donate Change with Grubhub
When you order with Grubhub, you can participate in Donate change program. According to a Grubhub spokesperson, this is an option to round your bill to the nearest dollar in your next order and to support charities that “work to close the poverty gap, supporting independent restaurants and creating opportunities in the hospitality industry.”
Additionally, Grubhub matches donations from Grubhub+ members, which led to more than $25 million in funding last year, according to the same spokesperson.
You can get a free Grubhub+ membership in several ways. Holders of a Bank of America credit or debit card can get a free year of membership. Readers who have Amazon Prime can activate a year of Grubhub+ by linking their accounts. If you have Chase Sapphire Reserveyou can activate Lyft Pink membership And after that use it to get Grubhub+ . membership by linking your accounts.
Also, there is another idea to consider if you want to cover your donations through Donate Changes with spending credits. People have American Express® Gold Card can sign up for a benefit that offers statement credits of up to $120 per year with select dining merchants per year. This comes in the form of a statement credit of up to $10 per month after purchases with Cheesecake Factory, participating Shake Shack locations (stadium, airport, and track not included), Wine. com, Goldbelly, Milk Bar and Grubhub.
Related: Your Complete Guide to Amex Gold Dining Credits
To help get through this program, round your next Grubhub order to the next dollar. It’s not a huge amount but every little bit makes a difference.
bottom line
If you’re wondering how to maximize your remaining credit card benefits before the end of the year, consider using these perks to help feed others through donations to the pantry and food bank.
You can buy groceries on the wish lists of food banks that partner with Instacart, or round up your Grubhub orders to donate to charities. Either would be a great use of your credit card benefits during the holiday season.
We should also point out that hunger doesn’t discriminate by season, so consider using these benefits to help others throughout the year to come.
