This would have worked. Seriously though. Amex c-levels failed to realize the RED branding was seen as just that: a brand. While some non profits do break the mold, the perception of RED was your money would be used on $1000 dinners between celebs and brands so they could make biz deals or, more likely, discuss their huge ad spends. If i want to pay to stop AIDS, I want to pay to stop AIDS, not pay for ads to maybe get money to stop AIDS. LOL. Those who are most likely and most likely to have the means to give a meaningful amount do so in almost a hipster-like fashion: if the non profit is too big or too hip, it's not worth giving to. Honestly though you dont even need a card for this, You could just put a bunch of non-profits next to the other choices of what I can do with my points. Like I can convert it to cash or reduce my statement balance or transfer to delta or give to this 503c. Probs more relevant than ever as I currently have 500k points on my venture rewards card and nothing to do with them as i refuse to use them for <1 cent towards cash/amazon when they're 1.1-1.4 cents if used with airlines/hotels (which I currently have no use for.) But I might be tempted to use them for 1 cent if it goes to adorable-impoverished-child-or-animals-face. Well, tbh, fuck the faces. Grab top 10 reputable non-profits in diverse cats that I actually give any fucks about e.g. eff, innocence project, etc. Then give me a "share on facebook" link that uses my referral code.
Yeah, you could do that. I’m pretty certain it already exists, actually. I think Amex will help facilitate the charitable giving of points. My idea was about supporting a human, not a cause. By doing so, it changes behaviors on both the card side (spend more) and the merchant side (accept more). It was perfectly tailored for Amex. They should still do it. Awesome to hear from you, 3.5 years after I posted this. Hope all is well!