There is another way for Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) Discover guest loyalty program members to use their Discovery Dollars (D$).
They can now be donated to select charity partners, and GHA will deduct the amount from your account and convert it to USD for donation purposes (charities get the full amount).
You can access GHA here.
Charity Partners:
How To Donate:
You just choose the correct tab in your account.
Then, select the charity partner and the donation amount, and it’s done.
Conclusion
I had some promotional D$ that were about to expire, and this was the best use for them (without them expiring unused).
It is excellent that GHA discloses that they donate the same amount in USD that a GHA Discovery member chooses to donate in D$.
You can donate miles and points from most loyalty programs to select charities, but the conversion amount from points/miles to charity donation is not usually disclosed (I assume that the value assigned to a point/mile is minimal).
Relevant Part of T&Cs:
7 DONATING DISCOVERY DOLLARS (D$)
7.1 GHA DISCOVERY Members can donate their D$ on these GHA channels: ghadiscovery.com and the GHA DISCOVERY mobile app.
7.2 Members can choose if they want to donate D$ to one of the philanthropic themes displayed on the GHA DISCOVERY channels or a specific charity supported by GHA hotel brands. If Members donate D$ to a philanthropic theme, GHA will equally split the D$ amount donated between all charities in that theme. If Members donate D$ to a specific charity, the entire amount will be donated to that charity.
7.3 Members can donate any D$ available on their account at the time of donation. D$ will be donated in order of expiration, with the D$ with the nearest expiration date being donated first. The minimum donation amount is D$10, and the maximum daily donation limit is D$500. Within the daily limit, Members can donate multiple times to the same or multiple charities or philanthropic themes. If a submitted donation amount exceeds the Member’s available D$ balance at the time of the transaction, the transaction will not be processed, and no donation will be made. D$ donations are non-refundable and non-cancellable after submission.
7.4 No taxes or fees apply to the D$ donations by Members.
7.5 On completion of a D$ donation, Members will receive a transactional email confirming the donation. The transaction will also be reflected on the Member’s account immediately.
7.6 Members cannot donate D$ on behalf of another member.
7.7 Monetary donations are not available at this point in time.
7.8 The D$ donations collection and distribution is administered by Global Hotel Alliance. All amounts donated will be converted from D$ to USD (D$1 = USD 1) and distributed to charities via a bank transfer quarterly. The conversion and frequency of distribution are at GHA’s sole discretion and subject to change without notice.
7.9 Each charity will utilise all donations in accordance with its internal policies and procedures. For more information on the utilisation of donations, Members should contact the charity directly.
7.10 In order to comply with local laws, UAE and Saudi Arabia residents and visitors are excluded from participating in charitable donations.