What Is Amazon Smile Prime in 2023? Your Complete Guide from an Expert Seller
Amazon Smile Prime allows you to generate donations for your favorite charity while enjoying the full benefits of Amazon Prime. When you shop on AmazonSmile instead of the regular Amazon site, 0.5% of the price of eligible items is donated to the charitable organization of your choice at no cost to you.
As an expert Amazon seller for over 10 years, I‘m excited to provide this comprehensive guide to Amazon Smile Prime in 2023. I‘ll explain how it works, share insider tips for using it effectively, and help you understand the powerful impact your everyday shopping can make. Let‘s dive in!
Is Amazon Smile the Same as Amazon Prime?
This is one of the most common questions about Amazon Smile Prime.
The answer is yes – Amazon Smile provides the exact same benefits, features, and shopping experience as regular Amazon Prime.
The only difference is that 0.5% of the price of your Prime purchases on AmazonSmile goes to support your selected charity.
Here are all the ways Amazon Smile is identical to Amazon Prime:
Products: Access to the same products across all categories – electronics, home, kitchen, toys, groceries, and more.
Prices: Identical prices across both sites.
Shipping: Free 2-day shipping and other Prime delivery benefits.
Entertainment: Includes shows, movies, books, and apps with Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and more.
Accounts: Use your same Amazon login credentials.
Seller Access: Sell as an Amazon merchant with the same tools.
So Amazon Smile offers the full suite of Prime benefits while empowering you to give back! It‘s win-win.
How Do I Sign Up for Amazon Smile?
Registering for Amazon Smile takes just a few minutes:
- Go to smile.amazon.com
- Login using your existing Amazon email and password
- Choose a charitable organization to support
- Start shopping and donating!
When selecting your charity, Amazon highlights spotlight organizations you may want to consider supporting. You can also browse by category or location.
Look for the "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" tag on products to ensure your purchases count.
Can I Use My Current Amazon Account?
Fortunately, Amazon makes it easy by allowing you to use your current Amazon credentials for AmazonSmile. Just sign in with your existing email and password.
All of your account details will be seamlessly integrated:
- Purchase history
- Shipping addresses
- Payment methods
- Prime membership
- Shopper preferences
Using your regular Amazon account means no extra passwords to remember. Just login and start shopping and donating!
How Do I Pick a Charity on Amazon Smile?
One of the best parts of AmazonSmile is getting to select a charity to support. Here are a few tips for choosing:
Search by name: Know the charity you want to support? Search directly for them.
Browse categories: Discover charities based on your interests like health, education, or the environment.
Spotlight picks: Check out Amazon‘s recommended high-impact organizations.
Local options: Search for charities in your city or state.
Research mission: Make sure the charity‘s mission resonates with your beliefs.
Amazon makes it easy to find a cause that‘s meaningful to you. For example, I chose to support Code.org because of their work expanding access to computer science education.
Can I Change My Charity Later?
One of the great benefits of AmazonSmile is the flexibility to change your charity anytime.
If you want to switch your organization, just follow these steps:
- Sign into AmazonSmile
- Hover over "Supporting" and click "Change Charity"
- Select your new charity
Once updated, your future purchases will support the new organization. Feel free to change it as often as you like!
How Does the AmazonSmile Donation Work?
When you purchase eligible products on AmazonSmile, 0.5% of the sale price is donated to your chosen charity.
For example:
- You buy a LEGO set for $49.99
- 0.5% of $49.99 is $0.25
- So your purchase donates $0.25 to your selected nonprofit
While 0.5% may seem small, it can really add up over time! The key is making AmazonSmile part of your regular shopping routine.
What‘s the AmazonSmile Impact Dashboard?
One of my favorite parts of AmazonSmile is the Impact Dashboard. This is where you can monitor the donations you‘ve generated.
The Dashboard shows:
- Total # of AmazonSmile purchases
- Total $ amount you‘ve donated
- US vs. international donations
- Profile of your selected charity
It‘s rewarding to see the growing impact of your everyday purchases. Definitely take advantage of monitoring your contributions.
Does Amazon Charge Fees for Smile Donations?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get about AmazonSmile. The good news is there are no Amazon fees or costs associated with the program.
When you make purchases, the full 0.5% of the sale price goes to your charity with no deductions or administrative costs taken by Amazon.
This means more of your donation is going directly to the cause you want to support.
How Do I Shop on AmazonSmile?
The shopping experience on AmazonSmile is almost identical to regular Amazon. Just follow these steps:
- Go to smile.amazon.com
- Search and shop like normal
- Add Smile eligible items to your cart
- Check out and 0.5% will be donated
Be sure to bookmark the Smile URL to keep accessing it for future purchases. The donation won’t activate unless you’re shopping through the Smile site or app.
Pro Tip: Enable 1-Click ordering on AmazonSmile to speed up the donation process!
Are There Limitations on AmazonSmile Purchases?
While nearly every purchase on AmazonSmile generates a donation, there are a few limitations:
Amazon devices: Devices sold directly by Amazon like Echo, Fire tablets, and Kindle e-readers are not eligible. But you can donate 0.5% when buying cases, warranties, and accessories for your Amazon gear.
Subscribe & Save: Your initial Subscribe & Save order is eligible, but subsequent recurring deliveries are excluded.
Woot purchases: Items ordered through Amazon subsidiary Woot are not eligible.
Outside of those specific instances, the vast majority of purchases on AmazonSmile donate 0.5% to your nonprofit. Just look for "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on the product page.
Can I Donate Directly Through AmazonSmile?
While AmazonSmile doesn‘t allow direct cash donations, you can support charities through AmazonSmile Charity Lists.
These are wish lists created by nonprofits of their most-needed supplies and items. You can purchase products from a charity‘s list and have them shipped directly to the organization.
For example, a homeless shelter may create a list for blankets, hygiene products, and other essentials. You can buy items off their list knowing it will help their cause.
Although not cash, it‘s a great way to pay forward the things charities need most!
What Type of Charities Are Supported?
One of the great things about AmazonSmile is the huge range of causes you can support – over 1 million charities!
To be eligible, an organization must:
- Be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit
- Be located in the US, US territories, or be an international relief fund
Eligible charities support these types of missions:
- Social services
- Health/medical research
- Education
- Community/economic development
- Arts, culture & humanities
- Animal welfare
- International aide
- Food banks & hunger relief
- Homeless & housing
- Youth development
- Veterans affairs
- And many more!
Browse AmazonSmile to find a nonprofit that matches your passions and beliefs. With over 1 million options, you can truly find a meaningful cause to support.
What Are the Benefits of AmazonSmile?
Here are some of the great benefits AmazonSmile offers:
Support Your Favorite Cause
- Donate to over 1 million charities at no extra cost
Same Amazon Shopping Experience
- All Prime benefits included
- Identical products and pricing
Easy to Use
- Quick signup with existing Amazon account
- Seamless shopping through Smile
0.5% Goes Straight to Charity
- No Amazon fees deducted
- 100% tax deductible
Tracking & Visibility
- Monitor donations on your Dashboard
- See your charitable impact
Discover New Charities
- Browse Spotlight picks
- Search by category or location
How Much Has Been Donated Through AmazonSmile?
The combined impact of everyday shoppers on AmazonSmile is tremendous! So far, Amazon estimates:
- Over $615 million has been donated globally
- Over $350 million donated to US charities
- Over $215 million donated internationally
And over 350 million items have been purchased off AmazonSmile Charity Lists for nonprofits in need.
These numbers continue growing as more customers get involved. Even small purchases add up to make a big difference.
Just take a look at the AmazonSmile impact tracker to see donations rolling in live!
Choose AmazonSmile for Your Prime Purchases
As an Amazon seller, I‘m thrilled Amazon created such an easy way for customers to give back.
My advice is to make AmazonSmile your new homepage for all Amazon purchases.
Instead of going to Amazon.com, simply access smile.amazon.com to trigger donations automatically.
You can even add the AmazonSmile 1-Button browser extension to redirect any Amazon site to Smile.
Shopping through AmazonSmile costs you nothing extra, but provides huge benefits to your favorite charities. As more customers get involved, our collective impact continues to grow.
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about how AmazonSmile works. Now you‘re ready to pay it forward and start donating with every purchase!