Amazon is one of the biggest retail brands in the world, with millions of shoppers around the world browsing the website and app at any given time.
Now, giving back is a beautiful feeling, and if you would like to make a difference while shopping online, you may be wondering- what is AmazonSmile? I was wondering that too, so I looked more into it, and here’s what I found out about this feel-good opportunity!
Key Takeaways
What Is AmazonSmile In 2022?
AmazonSmile gives you the chance to give back as you shop on Amazon. This Amazon program donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to your favorite charity with no fees or extra costs when you shop at smile.amazon.com in 2022. There are over one million charities Amazon donates to, with a total of $306 million raised since AmazonSmile started in 2013.
If you’re eager to learn more about AmazonSmile, including how it works and what charities are involved, check out this whole guide for all you need to know about this charitable program.
How Does AmazonSmile Work?
“You shop. Amazon gives” is the slogan behind AmazonSmile, and it certainly holds true, as Amazon automatically donates 0.5% of the price of eligible items on smile.amazon.com.
It’s pretty simple, as regular Amazon shoppers can browse all their favorite items and select a charity to give back to.
If you want to join in this important cause, here are the key steps for using AmazonSmile:
- Head to smile.amazon.com, and sign in with your Amazon account details.
- Follow the prompts to choose your charity.
- Start shopping and checkout on smile.amazon.com to earn donations for your selected charity.
Also, it helps to bookmark smile.amazon.com so you remember to shop on the right site.
Even if you’re enrolled in AmazonSmile, if you shop on the regular Amazon site, your purchases won’t count toward charitable donations, so make sure you add “smile” to the URL.
If you’re using the Amazon Shopping mobile app, you can access AmazonSmile in your settings.
Just choose your charity, and make sure you activate AmazonSmile so future purchases will generate donations as Amazon continues to give back.
When using the mobile app, AmazonSmile will send you renewal reminders twice a year, and your participation in the program can be reactivated at any time.
There are no renewal requirements for shopping through AmazonSmile on your browser, so long as you type in smile.amazon.com.
What Charities Are on AmazonSmile?
From local charities to national nonprofits, there’s a huge selection of organizations to support on AmazonSmile.
In fact, there are over one million charities accepting donations from this program.
The long list of charities associated with AmazonSmile includes:
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Barks of Hope
- Child’s Play
- Feed the Children
- Natural Resources Defense Council
These are just a few examples of charities you can donate to on AmazonSmile. These organizations are divided into categories such as the following:
- Pets and animals
- Arts and culture
- Education and youth
- Environment
- Faith and spiritual
- Health
- Human services
- International
- Veteran
You can view the full list and search for local organizations in your city or state when you sign up for AmazonSmile.
It’s easy to change charities too if you want to spread the donations around, as you just need to make the switch in your AmazonSmile account.
Amazon regularly highlights several organizations with stories of how donations make a big difference to the company’s operations.
Therefore, you can stay tuned for inspiration and updates on how much your purchases have generated in meaningful donations.
If your selected charity becomes ineligible, or doesn’t participate in AmazonSmile, you may be able to select another charity if your donations haven’t been disbursed yet.
AmazonSmile will distribute donations to other eligible organizations if you forget to select a new charity, so rest assured that the money doesn’t go to waste.
What Are AmazonSmile Charity Lists?
More than 10 million products are currently eligible for AmazonSmile donations, and this eligibility is clearly marked on the product detail pages.
While recurring subscriptions and subscribe-and-save are not eligible, most other items sold or fulfilled by Amazon are eligible.
This isn’t the only way to give back, though.
In addition to directly shopping for personal purchases on AmazonSmile, there are also charity lists that let you shop and donate directly to non-profits.
Participating organizations create lists of things they need, and then you can shop right from their list, just like you would with a wedding or baby registry.
AmazonSmile Charity Lists are regularly updated and featured on the website, so you won’t have any trouble finding an organization to support.
Just keep in mind that the AmazonSmile Foundation handles the donations from your regular purchases.
Therefore, buying products on AmazonSmile Charity Lists is the only option for making direct donations as a customer.
How Much Does AmazonSmile Donate?
AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of the purchase price on eligible items, which covers the amount paid for the product, apart from rebates.
AmazonSmile donations also exclude shipping, handling, gift wrap, taxes, and service charges.
Occasionally, Amazon runs special promotions to increase donation amounts.
Otherwise, you can expect the standard 0.5% of all eligible purchases to go toward a great cause on smile.amazon.com.
These donations are not tax-deductible for customers, as the AmazonSmile Foundation donates the money.
Even so, you can see how much your purchases have generated in AmazonSmile donations within your account, as well as information about your chosen charity.
Amazon also maintains a record of total donations, so you can see how much the program helps.
This includes how much your charity has received, as well as total U.S. and worldwide charitable donations.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on what is Amazon Smile Prime, Amazon tax exemption program, and what is Amazon Prime Shipping Club.
Conclusion
AmazonSmile is an easy way to give back, as Amazon donates 0.5% of all eligible purchases to a non-profit of your choice.
There are over one million non-profits you can support through AmazonSmile, and there are no extra costs when shopping on smile.amazon.com or through the Amazon Shopping app on iOS and Android smartphones.