Thousands of lives were lost after Typhoon Haiyan made landfall and ripped through the Philippines last Friday. As you could imagine, companies and organizations around the world are banding together and contributing to the relief efforts with donations. This includes Apple, which on Tuesday activated Red Cross donations through iTunes to help with relief efforts.
Apple normally takes its customary 30 percent cut on iTunes proceeds, but the company surrendered the commission for the relief effort. You can donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200 and Apple will transfer 100 percent of your donation to the American Red Cross in the region, to help distribute food and relief supplies to survivors and help with search and rescue efforts…
The Red Cross donations for the Philippines victims is available via this iTunes link.
The Apple.com home page is prominently advertising the Philippine Typhoon Relief.
Due to Apple’s tough stance on privacy, the American Red Cross won’t be able to acknowledge your donation as Apple does not share your personal information with third-parties.
“You will received an email receipt from the iTunes Store which will serve as your only acknowledgment of your donation,” Apple warns.
Donations appear as iTunes Store transactions on your credit card statement and may not qualify for any tax deduction or other tax benefits, the company clarifies.
Unfortunately, you can’t make a donation by using your iTunes Gift Cards and iTunes Store credit.
I urge you to help the victims and unfortunate locals who lost their loved ones by making a small donation through iTunes. Typhoon Haiyan is one of the worst ever to hit land: it took an estimated 10,000 lives.
Every donation counts.
Put together, your Red Cross donations will make a difference, even more so knowing Apple has more than half a billion credit cards on file.
Apple previously tapped the iTunes system to help with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the Haiti disaster. Similarly, the firm made corporate donations to earthquake victims in China and offered free repairs after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit Japan.