What is AmazonSmile and how does it work?

It’s hard to imagine a world without Amazon. Although the mega-retailer has only been around for a few decades, nearly one in three Americans subscribes to Amazon Prime. Shopping Amazon is efficient and can be relatively affordable, and one way the company has worked to build charitable giving into its retail platform is the creation of its AmazonSmile Foundation.

What is AmazonSmile–and should you be switching to the Smile platform? Here, we’ve laid out everything you need to know about the charitable foundation and why it might be worth signing up for Smile before making your next Amazon purchase:

What is AmazonSmile?

Amazon might get a lot of flack for some of its practices and company culture, but the AmazonSmile Foundation is objectively one of the best perks of buying from the online mega-retailer. Sign up for the AmazonSmile program and every time you shop, Amazon will make a donation in your name, at no extra cost to you, to one of a selection of charities of your choice.

The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the total cost of all eligible purchases on Amazon to a charitable organization or cause. Although 0.5% may not seem like much at first glance, given that Amazon brings in more than $385 million in revenue each day, the collective dollar amount of charitable donations can really add up.

AmazonSmile is not intended to replace your existing charitable donations or volunteer work, but it is a simple and effective way to increase your contributions without giving any extra thought (or opening your wallet), especially if you’re an Amazon Prime member who is already shopping regularly on Amazon.

How to sign up for AmazonSmile

Signing up for AmazonSmile is quick and easy, and once you set it up the first time you won’t have to think about it again. All you have to do is visit https://smile.amazon.com/ and sign in with your existing Amazon account. From there, you’ll be prompted to select from a list of hundreds of eligible charitable organizations and causes. Choose the cause you’re most passionate about and you’re good to go. The only caveat is that you’ll have to remember to check out directly on https://smile.amazon.com/ to ensure your purchase qualifies.

If you tend to shop on the Amazon app more than the browser, you can still sign up and use AmazonSmile just as easily. All you have to do is click on the main menu and select AmazonSmile. You’ll be prompted to choose your favorite charity and then you can click through to turn the AmazonSmile feature on. After the feature has been activated, every future purchase you make through the app will qualify for Smile.

How does AmazonSmile work?

The AmazonSmile Foundation is designed to be seamless on the consumer side, making it really easy for shoppers to donate to their favorite cause without a second thought. The platform looks and feels exactly the same as the regular Amazon website, except by shopping on https://smile.amazon.com/ 0.5% of the total cost of each and every eligible purchase will go to your pre-selected charity of choice.

It’s important to note that, although you select the charity and it’s your purchases that qualify for the donation, your monetary donations will not be eligible for a tax deduction because you’re not donating the money from your own wallet.

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