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A couple of weeks ago I was checking in at the Citibank Rewards center --- you know, the place where you can use your rewards points to buy little gizmos and gadgets after you’ve hit your zillionth point (or at least it seems that way to me, since the stuff that looks interesting is always about 10,000 more points than I have). In their rewards area they have a section called, “Your wish fulfilled,” where you can request an item or service that you don’t see in their catalog, and it started me thinking.

Really, there just isn’t a huge need in my life for another small gizmo right now, nor do I think I’ll ever have enough points to visit some foreign country for free. But, what if I could use the points I’ve earned for a different purpose altogether?

I contacted the wish people and told them my wish would be to cash in my points in exchange for a check made out to the Bakersfield SPCA. I figured it was a win for everyone: They get to cash out my points; the redemption is for a nonprofit, so I’m sure they’ll find some way to write it off; the BSPCA gets some always-needed cash; and I get to give a donation much larger than if I had been left to writing a check. I wasn’t sure if this is what they meant by “wish-fulfillment,” but I figured it didn’t hurt to ask.

A few days later, I had my answer. They were happy to do it. They gave me the dollar amount the check would be, as well as my point balance after they wrote it. Everybody wins.

So, if you find yourself with some extra Citibank rewards points and are looking for a way to give a little to charity, you might want to give this a try. I’m not sure about other companies…but I’ll be looking.

Cheers!