Amex and Visa waive fees for Haiti donations thanks to Huffington Post

At noon on January 14, the Huffington Post blasted credit card companies for taking a cut on Haiti donations because people charged these donations to their credit cards. To avoid further embarrassment, American Express and Visa both agreed, after the article came out, to rebate any fees taken out of donations between January 12 and the end of February. If you want to be sure 100 percent of your donation is going to help the people of Haiti, charge the donation using your American Express or Visa card and make the donation to one of these 65 charities approved by American Express.

Each year American banks and credit card companies make huge profits on your charitable donations. The Huffington Post estimates that amount to be in the neighborhood of $250 million a year, because credit card companies charge on average a 3 percent processing fee for most donations.