Please Help Haiti through your travel connections: donate miles, points & money - Travel

Please Help Haiti through your travel connections: donate miles, points & money

If you’ve already texted “HAITI” to 90999 on your cellphone to give $10 to the Red Cross and/or “YELE” to 501501 to support Yéle Haiti with $5, and still feel the pull to do more, there are several ways that you can help the victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake that struck Tuesday off the coast of Port-au-Prince. Many companies in the travel industry are combining their own efforts with ways that their customers can donate. Think beyond dollar donations by donating airline miles, hotel loyalty points, and even writing a travel review to support the ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

**Support Haiti earthquake relief through your favorite airline**

American Airlines: Earn a one-time award of 250 bonus miles when you donate a minimum $50, or 500 bonus miles for a donation of $100 or more to the American Red Cross through American Airlines. The offer is good through Feb. 28, 2010.

Continental: Donate miles to the American Red Cross for its transportation needs.

Delta: Donate miles to the American Red Cross for its transportation needs via the SkyWish Charities page.

JetBlue: Donate money to the American Red Cross. JetBlue notes that assistance provided by the American Red Cross may include sending relief supplies, mobilizing relief workers and providing financial resources and recovery. Due to the overwhelming response, there is a lag time in processing and e-mail receipts are taking up to 24 hours to be returned.

Southwest: You can sign up to join the American Red Cross before getting to the donation page. Note that the donation link from the Southwest home page takes you directly to the American Red Cross home page.

Spirit Air: Donate $5 or more to a Spirit Air charity (Yele Haiti, Unicef or American Red Cross) and get 5,000 “Free Spirit” Air miles. Must be a Free Spirit member, but can join for free. (Spirit’s regularly scheduled passenger flights between Fort Lauderdale and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are canceled through Sunday, Jan. 17, as a result of the airport closure. Visit Spirit Air for details and travel waivers.)

United Airlines: Donate miles so that American Red Cross can get aid workers to the affected areas. Or contribute monetary donations to the American Red Cross through the International Response Fund. The United Airlines Foundation will match up to a total of $50,000 for donations made through their link.

US Airways: Donate miles to the American Red Cross through their Donate Miles page.

Virgin America: Helping Virgin Unite with a Haiti Earthquake fundraiser. Your donations and messages are shown on the Virgin Unite website.

**Support Haiti earthquake victims with your hotel loyalty points**

Best Western: Donate 5,000 Best Western Rewards Points for a $20 donation to help Haiti relief efforts via World Vision.

Choice Hotels: You can donate your Choice Points to help Rebuilding Together, American Red Cross or the Armed Forces Relief Fund through their donation page.

HHonors Hilton Worldwide: For every 10,000 points you donate, HHonors will send $25 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “RDCRHT” is the Haiti reward code. Donations can be made by e-mail (HHonors_Giving_Back@hilton.com) or over the phone (800-HILTONS). See donation page for details.

Marriott International: Donate your Marriott Rewards Points to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Donations made between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2010, will be directed to Haiti Earthquake relief efforts. Bill Marriott speaks about how this tragedy has affected the Marriott family on his blog, Marriott on the Move.

Starwood Hotels: Transfer your Starpoints as a donation to the American Red Cross. 4,000 points = $50, 800 points = $100 donation, 12,000 points = $150 donation, 16,000 points = $200 donation.

Watch the Official Travel Notes Blog for more hotel sources, it’s collecting them and posting updates.

**Support other travel companies helping Haiti earthquake relief efforts**

Auto Europe: $5 per reservation will go toward a humanitarian fund for aid and Imad Khalidi, CEO, Auto Europe, vows to personally match the pledge.

Travel Guard: Is providing free emergency travel and medical assistance services to travelers and families affected by this week’s earthquake in Haiti.

Trekaroo: Write a travel review for the family travel website Trekaroo and it will donate $10 to Compassion International.

Expedia, Hotels.com and Orbitz: are encouraging customers to make a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund from their home pages.

The Gypsy Guide: Travel blogger Angela Nickerson (@AKNickerson) will contribute $1 to ELCA Disaster Response in Haiti for the first 200 new followers, subscribers or unique comments on the Gypsy Guide. She’s also donating all profits from purchases on her Gypsy Store during the month of January.

– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger