(Sorry about the pun there. I assure you that I didn’t realize it was a pun until after I’d started typing it, at which point I decided that it was too good a pun to not leave there.)
A few days ago, we joined in a call for action to put pressure on credit card companies not to charge fees for charitable donations, particularly in light of the recent (and ongoing) social justice disaster that is the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.
Now the New York Times is reporting that credit card companies will be waiving card fees to certain charitable groups for Haiti donations:
In a statement, Visa said it would not apply interchange fees, through February, to donations made to a select group of major charities — the names of which were still being compiled — that are providing support to Haitian relief efforts. The company said it would also donate any revenue that was generated by charitable donations related to the Haiti crisis through next month.
MasterCard Worldwide said it would wave interchange fees on relief donations made using United States-issued MasterCards to the American Red Cross, AmeriCares, Unicef, Save the Children and CARE U.S.A.
American Express said that through the end of February, it would rebate the transaction fees for charitable contributions made on its card directly to the nonprofit organizations listed on the Agency for International Development’s Web site in support of Haiti relief.
Discover said it was also waiving some fees but did not immediately offer details.
This is an encouraging start – and the credit card companies should be given credit for bowing to public pressure and not charging fees for these donations.
But like I said, it’s a start – just as the newfound discovery by the American zeitgeist of the rampant poverty in Haiti is just a start to the very real social justice actions that need to occur in that country.
Haiti’s problems didn’t start with this earthquake, and they’re certainly not going to end once we’ve cleared the rubble and dead bodies, provided some medical care and temporary shelters, and given them enough food and water to get them through the night. The problems are ongoing – as are the massive social and economic injustices that are occurring on many other parts of the planet that haven’t suffered a catastrophic earthquake in the past 10 days.
Therefore, we call on the credit card companies to make this laudable action a start and not an end – and to not charge credit-card fees for any donation to a non-profit social justice organization. They have the technology now where that could be done with relative ease. Why should Visa get a cut when we donate to World Vision or Heifer International? Why is it that only the victims of a catastrophic earthquake – and not those who are “just” suffering from abject poverty and starvation – should get 100% of the money we donate to organizations designed to make the world a slightly more just place?
It’s a good start, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AmEx. Time to do the right thing and go the whole way. End all card fees for social justice giving.
