AmazonSmile comes to the UK

In its latest attempt to persuade us Amazon is a force for good and not an, all consuming online monster, the e-commerce giant is introducing smile.amazon.co.uk, enabling customers to support a charity of their choice when they shop, at no cost to them.

The site includes the exact same prices, selection etc as amazon.co.uk, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) from customers’ eligible purchases to their selected charity. 10 UK charities are involved at launch, including Cancer Research UK, The British Red Cross, and the Royal British Legion, whilst all those registered with the Charity Commission will be able to sign up next year.

"We're offering a simple way for customers to support good causes ahead of the busiest shopping period of the year," says Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager, Amazon. "Over time, we hope to see similar success here as in the US, where over $62 million has been donated to over 230,000 charities since launching four years ago."