What is Amazon Smile and How does it work?

Did you know that you can support your favorite charity every time you shop with Amazon? It’s true! Amazon Smile is a unique program offered by Amazon that allows customers to donate a portion of their purchase price to the charity of their choice. This blog post will tell you how to sign up for AmazonSmile and start supporting your favorite charity today!

What is Amazon Smile?

AmazonSmile is a straightforward method for you to contribute to your favorite charity every time you shop, with no cost to yourself. Smile.amazon.com on your web browser and the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android devices can both be used to enable AmazonSmile. You’ll get the same low costs, broad range, and simple purchasing experience as Amazon.com with the added bonus that AmazonSmile will contribute 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charity of your choice when you shop there. You have a choice of over one million charitable organizations to support.

How to sign up for Amazon Smile

How to Signup Amazon Smile on a web browser:

1. Visit smile.amazon.com
2. Use the same account you use for Amazon.com to log in.
3. Select your charity.
4. Start browsing! Remember to visit smile.amazon.com to start raising money for your preferred charity.
5. To make it easier to shop at smile.amazon.com make sure you bookmark it.

How to use Amazon Smile using the Amazon app:

1. First, open the Amazon Shopping App on your device.
2. Go to the main menu.
3. Click on Settings and then once you find “AmazonSmile” click on it.
4. To turn on AmazonSmile in the mobile app, choose a charity and follow the on-screen directions.
5. When you make an AmazonSmile-enabled purchase on your app, the charity you’ve chosen will receive a donation.
6. Please be aware that Amazonsmile does not work yet on Tablet devices.

What are the eligibility requirements for charitable organizations to participate?

To be eligible to participate, organizations must first be registered and in good standing with the IRS as a 501(c)(3). Organizations must be public charitable organizations (not private foundations) and may not be supporting organizations unless designated as a Type I, Type II, or functionally integrated Type III supporting organization.

Charitable organizations in the United States that fulfill all of the criteria listed above are eligible to participate. To receive payment, these groups must provide bank account information online. Organizations that engage in, promote, support, or encourage intolerance, hatred, terrorism, or any other illegal behavior are not eligible to participate.

The United States Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Southern Poverty Law Center assist Amazon in determining which registered charities fall into these categories. To keep their status, charitable organizations must also follow the AmazonSmile Participation Agreement. Charitable organizations are free to opt-out of AmazonSmile at any time.

Amazon attempts to include only good-standing, tax-exempt organizations that do not engage in any of the activities listed above. However, Amazon can neither assure the organization’s good standing nor its own conduct.

How does Amazon Smile work?

Customers are automatically directed to select a registered charity from over one million eligible organizations when they first visit smile.amazon.com. Customers must first pick a charitable organization in order to browse or buy on AmazonSmile. The AmazonSmile Foundation will contribute 0.5 percent of the purchase price to the customer’s selected charity for eligible purchases made using AmazonSmile.

Is there any cost to charitable organizations or to customers?

There is no cost to charity organizations or AmazonSmile customers. The shopping experience is the same as on Amazon.com, with the additional feature that the AmazonSmile Foundation will contribute to the charities chosen by buyers.

How Do I Choose My Charity in Amazon smile?

When you first join AmazonSmile, you will be prompted to choose a charity. You may select one from the given list or fill in another name. More than 1 million qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations are available.

After that, Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price on many but not all items to your chosen charity. AmazonSmile remembers your charity and applies qualifying purchases toward your total contribution throughout future visits—it’s that simple.

How Does the Donation Work on Amazon Smile?

Keep in mind that, unless your organization has joined AmazonSmile, if you don’t donate within eight quarters, the money will be donated to another registered charity.

If you’re unsure whether a certain charity is signed up with AmazonSmile, send them an email or post a comment on their social media account before choosing them from the list. Many charitable organizations have information regarding AmazonSmile on their websites.

Once you’ve chosen a charity in your account, AmazonSmile will also notify the organization that they must register to receive donations from your qualifying purchases.

What Products or Items Are Eligible for Amazon Smile Donations?

There are millions of items for sale on AmazonSmile. Only a few are eligible for a donation. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to charity when you buy an eligible item. Rebates, shipping and handling, gift-wrapping fees, tax, and service costs are not included in the purchase price.

In a nutshell, only the selling price of the qualifying item (after sales and discounts) will count toward the 0.5% donation.

Can charitable organizations outside the U.S. participate in Amazon smile?

No. Charitable organizations must be qualified under 501(c)(3) and located in one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to receive a donation.

How Do Amazon smile Charities Receive Donations?

AmazonSmile adds the contribution amount to a fund for that charity after a customer places an eligible order.

The AmazonSmile Foundation distributes donations quarterly through electronic funds transfer. The money should arrive approximately 45 days after the previous quarter closes, or when the amount reaches a certain level.