I guess it really is a sign of the times. The Salvation Army is now installing credit card swiping machines in their kettles.

According to an article: Salvation Army Debuts Credit Card Kettles They are a booming success. The article reports that they have found that the average Donner will give $14.00 when using the credit card as opposed to the average Donner will usually give $2.00 in change.

But I know that we give continually through the season every time we pass a kettle so there is no telling how much it ends up to by the end of the shopping season.

This article is based on a trial they conducted in Madison WI. They report that shoppers are welcoming the credit card kettles.

My husband’s Stepfather was a WWII Veteran decorated with a Purple Heart medal of honor. He always told us to give heartily to the Salvation Army because they were always there for the service men during the war giving freely unlike some of the other charities that would charge even for a cup of coffee.

The Salvation Army states that the credit card machines are secure and that they use a reputable company that guarantees any transactions stay confidential.

No report of how soon they will be coming to our area here in Upstate New York. They probably will be in the larger more metropolitan areas for awhile.

The important thing is the Spirit of Giving. I think it will be awhile before we get used to using a credit card to donate to them because we a just so used to dropping any change and loose bills into the kettle.

Well, here is wishing you safe productive shopping. What do you think about the soon to be added tech upgrade for the Salvation Army Kettles? Leave a comment and let us know.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Salvation Army Says ‘Swipe It’ (pindebit.blogspot.com)
• Salvation Army’s iconic kettles now credit ready (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• ‘Cashless’ Salvation Army kettles coming to Seattle (seattlepi.com)
• Cash or charge? Salvation Army’s iconic red buckets now take plastic (dailyfinance.com)

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