Below you can find answers to frequently asked questions on the Mastercard Donate app.
If you have further questions, please reach our support team at 1-844-475-8335.
Q: If I don’t have a Mastercard, can I still donate?
A: Yes, you can use all Mastercard, Visa and American Express credit, debit and prepaid payment methods to make a one-time donation. However, you can only use a Mastercard card for making round-up donations.
Q: Do I have to register to donate?
A: Yes, you must sign up for an account to donate through the Mastercard Donate app.
Q: Is there a minimum amount I need to choose in order to donate?
A: Yes, there is a minimum amount of $1.00 required to donate for one-time donations. If you register for round-up donations, a minimum of $1.00 needs to be reached each calendar month for a donation to be made, otherwise your accumulated amounts for the current month will roll over to the next month until you reach at least $1.00 in accumulated donations for a given month.
Q: Will any fees be taken out of my donation? Will the charity receive my full donation?
A: You will not be charged additional fees; however, from your donation amount, deductions will be made for standard card processing fees, and, in the case of donations made to charities through the American Online Giving Foundation (AOGF), AOGF deducts a 2.9% administrative fee from your donation.
Q: When will my donation be processed?
A: The charity will charge your card immediately for one-time donations. Round-up donations are typically charged on the third day of each month for the previous month’s accumulated donations.
Q: What is Benevity and the American Online Giving Foundation? Why may my donation be directed there and not directly to my selected charity?
A: Mastercard works with Benevity to facilitate donations to some of the charities that are available to donate to on Mastercard Donate. In such instances where Benevity facilitates the donation to the charity, you will be notified that your donations will be made to Benevity’s donor-advised fund at the American Online Giving Foundation (AOGF), EIN 81-0739440, a charitable foundation registered in the United States. AOGF will make its best effort to make a corresponding grant in the amount you donated to the charity you selected. Donations are nonrefundable and AOGF generally disburses donations (less a 2.9% administrative fee and any applicable standard card processing fees) to recipient charities once a month. American Online Giving Foundation will appear as the merchant of record for your card charged in the amount of your donation. The charity you select generally receives the funds within three to eight weeks of your original donation. This doesn’t happen often, but if American Online Giving Foundation cannot distribute the funds to the charity you select, it will reassign the funds to Mastercard’s default charity for the platform, which is World Vision USA.
Q: Is my donation tax deductible?
A: If you are a resident of the U.S., donations to 501(c)(3) organizations are generally tax deductible, but please check with a tax professional to be sure. You may receive a confirmation email from the charity (or AOGF) directly, which serves as your donation receipt and confirms that no goods or services were received. Mastercard does not provide receipts.
Q: Are the charities on the Mastercard Donate app vetted to receive donations?
A: Charities on this platform have been recognized by the IRS as 501(c)(3) charitable organizations. All charities are vetted in order to be part of Mastercard Donate. Vetting of charities is undertaken by a charity’s acquiring bank, by Mastercard or by Benevity. Mastercard is not serving as a professional fundraiser on behalf of any charity, and Mastercard does not charge charities to be listed on this platform. Mastercard is serving as the donation platform provider solely to help facilitate all donations.
Q: What if the charity I chose to support cannot accept my donation?
A: In special cases where the charity is no longer a recognized 501(c)(3) organization or cannot accept your donation for other extraordinary reasons, such as if the charity suddenly shuts down its operation, Mastercard will either refund the donation in full to the card used in the donation transaction or will reassign the funds to Mastercard’s default charity for the program.
Q: How will this donation appear on my bank statement?
A: The American Online Giving Foundation (AOGF) will appear as the merchant of record in the amount of your donation on the card charged for charities coordinated by Benevity. For all other charities, the charity name or business name will appear as the merchant of record.
Q: How can I verify the amount donated?
A: Open the app and go to “My Impact.” From there you will see your donation history, including the amounts donated and the dates donations were made on.
Q: How can I change my round-up donation amount?
A: Open the app and go to “Account Settings.” From there, click on “Round-Ups,” and you will see your current monthly maximum. You can edit the number directly in that field. Click “Save Settings” when you are done to confirm the change. You can make changes to your round-up donations for the current month any time on or before 11:59 p.m. CT on the second day of the following month. Changes will apply to that month’s transaction activity and any future activity.
Q: How can I stop or cancel a round-up donation?
A: To stop round-up donations, visit your “Account Settings,” click on “Round-Ups” and toggle to “Off.” From here you can stop your round-up donations for the current month and future months by choosing the stop donation button any time on or before 11:59 p.m. CT on the second day of the following month. Donations cannot be refunded once payment has been processed.
Q: How are round-up donations calculated?
A: To determine your round-up donation, Mastercard will record an intention to donate an amount equal to the difference between your actual purchase amount and the next nearest dollar (e.g., if your purchase charge is $1.99, we will donate an amount equal to the difference between $2.00 and $1.99 [i.e., $.01]). This means that each time you make a qualified purchase on the specified card, an amount corresponding to the difference between your actual purchase and the next nearest dollar will be seen as a donation. On the third day of the month, we will calculate the total amount of round-up donations during the previous month and we’ll enable the charity (or Benevity/AOGF, if applicable) to charge your card. That charity (or AOGF) will be the merchant of record that appears on your statement. If the donation amount is below $1.00, we will carry your donations over until the amount of $1.00 is reached. Of course, the donation will never exceed the maximum amount you have set in your account.
Q: Which transactions do not qualify for round-up donations?
A: Transactions that do not qualify for round-up donations include your donation transactions, as well as cash withdrawals/advances, refunds and bank fees such as, but not limited to, monthly/annual fees, late payment fees, overdraft fees, ATM transaction fees, balance transfer fees. The definition of what constitutes a “fee” may vary by bank.
Q: How will my personal information be used and shared?
A: Your personal information will be processed by Mastercard and will be shared with selected charities and other third parties in connection with this service, as described in the Privacy Notice.
Q: How can I get support associated with my donation?
A: You may contact our support team at 1-844-475-8335.
Q: What is the security code and where can I find it?
A: The card security code (CSC) is usually a three- or four-digit number that is not part of the credit card number. On Visa and Mastercard credit cards, the security code is the three-digit value printed on the signature panel on the back of the card. For American Express cards, the security code is the four-digit value printed on the front of the card above the credit card account number.
Q: How do I register?
A: Signing up for Mastercard Donate is quick and convenient. After downloading the app from the Apple or Android app store, simply select that you are a new user, input your profile information and create a password to complete the registration.
Q: How do I sign into my account after I have registered?
A: To sign in, after opening the app, simply select that you are a returning user and input your credentials.
Q: I’ve forgotten my password?
A: If you’ve forgotten your password, click on “Forgot?” in the password field on the “Log In” page. You will be prompted through the steps to reset it.
Q: How can I cancel or delete my account?
A: To delete your account, please contact our support team at 1-844-475-8335.