“Our cardmembers tell us that charitable giving is important to them, and they like the option of turning points into a donation to their favorite charity;” said Chris Lynch, vice president, Membership Rewards management. “For years, we have had select charitable partners in the program, and by linking the Membership Rewards program to the American Express Donation Site, we are able to offer our customers more choice and bring much needed donations to hundreds of thousands of worthy organizations.”

The American Express Donation Site enables cardmembers to search for and select charities from a database of non-profit organizations registered with the Internal Revenue Service. Also available on the Web site is background information about each organization, such as mission statements, cost structures and annual donations.

With this new capability, Membership Rewards point redemptions for charities are possible only at www.americanexpress.com/donate. To donate Membership Rewards points, cardmembers can simply search for their charity of choice, then donate in 1,000-, 5,000- or 10,000-point increments.*

In addition to redeeming points, cardmembers can make a monetary donation on their card to any of the charities offered through the site. They can also establish monthly or annual donations to their favorite charities through the site's recurring billing capabilities and can donate to any number of charities at one time. When making a monetary donation through this site, cardmembers can earn one Membership Rewards point for virtually every dollar spent on an eligible, enrolled card. Cardmembers will receive an email receipt for tax documentation purposes upon making their donation.

In expanding the range of charities able to benefit from Membership Rewards redemptions, American Express hopes to provide a cost-effective revenue source for non-profit organizations. These charities can benefit from online and recurring donations and also receive incremental donations without incurring any additional administrative costs.

About American Express
American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network ser­vices company founded in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, business services, insurance and international banking.

*Monetary donations are tax deductible. Consult a tax advisor to determine whether Membership Rewards points donations are tax deductible.

Contacts:
Desiree Fish
212.640.4761
Desiree.C.Fish@aexp.com