For An Easy Way To Give Back, Donate Your Flight Miles And Hotel Points

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Frequent travelers, you can give back this holiday season without draining your wallet of a single United States dollar. That’s right — you can donate your foreign currency, flight miles or hotel points to help charities around the world. Here’s how.

Foreign Currency

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Unless you’re the travel budgeter queen, you’ll likely end up with a little leftover foreign currency in your purse at the end of a trip abroad. Instead of converting it back to U.S. dollars, donate it. American Airlines takes donations both during flights and after. You can mail your extra bills straight to UNICEF.

Flight Miles

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Many airlines let you use those miles for something selfless like a donation to charities, such as Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross or UNICEF. Airlines with donation programs include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

Hotel Points

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You can also donate your unused hotel points to a number of charities. How do your points translate into money for good causes around the globe, you ask? Well, 2,500 Marriot Rewards points come out to a $5 non-profit donation. So 7,500 points is $25 and 30,000 points is a generous $100. Hilton Honors points come out to 4,000 for $10.

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